Mediterranean Chicken

The key to this recipe is the brine. This was some of the most juicy and flavorful chicken I have had in a long time. I have to give some well-deserved credit to my dad who did an awesome job grilling it. I put the same rub on some lamb (which I did not brine) and it was great as well. It went really well with the grilled veggies, sauces and pita that I made for this mediterranean feast. Any type of chicken will work with this, bone-in or boneless, skin or no skin, light meat or dark meat. You can use this recipe and change the herbs/spices in the rub to make chicken to complement any type of cuisine you want.

Mediterranean Chicken

Servings: 4-6

Active Time: 30 mins
Inactive Time: 1.5-2 hrs
Total Time: 2-2.3 hrs

Ingredients
4 chicken breast or 4 chicken leg quarters or 8 chicken thighs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup kosher salt
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T lemon zest
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
1 T thyme
1 T rosemary
1 T basil
1 T oregano
1 T pepper

Instructions
In a large, gallon-sized ziplock bag, combine sugar and salt with cool water (this is called a brine). Fill the bag with about a quart of water to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the chicken and press out as much air as possible before sealing. Refrigerate for about 1.5 hours, turning the bag halfway through.
Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. To make the rub, mix together the remaining ingredients (garlic through pepper). This can also be done in a food processor or blender if you want all of the spices really broken down (I did not do this step). If your chicken has skin then spread it under the skin otherwise just rub it on the chicken. If you let the chicken sit for another 30 minutes or so it will have a absorbed a lot of flavor from the marinade/rub, but either way it will taste great.
When ready to cook, heat grill on medium high heat. Place the chicken on the grill and once it is seared on both sides turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until done (this will depend on the cut of chicken used).