Party Chicken

Brined: 2022-09-30 am

Cooked: 2022-10-01 am

What I did:

Prep

1. Pre-cut whole chickens from the grocery store x 7
2. Defrost two days before brining(some were still slightly frozen)
3. In stock pot, 6L water, 3/4cup kosher salt, 3/4cup sugar
4. Mix well to dissolve 
5. Put chicken in brine one piece at a time careful to remove any missed feathers or ugly bits
6. Only 5 chickens fit in the stock pot of brine. I left the other two in pkgs in the fridge
7. Put stockpot of brining chicken in the fridge. 

Cooking

1. Spread a chicken worth of pieces on a baking tray or uncovered roasting dish
2. Brush on olive oil or reserves grease from previous birds
3. Sprinkle heavily with a mix of 2 parts garlic powder, 1 part onion powder, 1 part old bay
4. Bake at 350F for an hour (Confirm internal temp reached)
5. Move to Crockpot to keep warm and pour drippings into large jar(1-2L)
6. Repeat

Notes on this batch:

• Had to remove a shelf in the fridge for the stock pot to fit. Only FIVE chickens fit in the stockpot to brine. Only SIX max fit in the crock pot. The roasting pan and the large casserole can each hold one chicken's worth of pieces well(with tetrising)
• The unbrined chicken got baked first so it would be the bottom of the crockpot(gathering flavour from the others and maybe not reached by guests)
• I started baking the chickens way too early and had them all holding warm by 1pm
• They were still pieces at 4pm, but by 6pm they were completely falling off the bones.
• Neighbour's kid liked it and told her mom the chicken was "better than the chicken you make"
• I completely forgot to get a photo of the beautiful golden skins after they were cooked.

Photos: