Sweet Tea Is The Unexpected Key To Ultra-Tender, Flavorful Fried Chicken

A bright summer day as a cool breeze flutters across a front porch, glass sweating slightly under the sun — that's the classic Southern sweet tea scene. It's a drink meant for refreshing sips, lots of ice, and maybe a lemon or two. Sweet tea, though, is a beverage that spans the seasons and has so much more potential in the kitchen that's just waiting to be realized. If you're planning to make a batch of another Southern staple — tasty fried chicken — sweet tea will also be your secret to the most tender results.

It all starts with a brine. Brining your chicken in sweet tea before you start frying leaves your chicken with the tea's slightly tannic hint of sweetness. It isn't overly sugary or discordant in its flavor — the tea pairs perfectly with the salty, savory taste of fried chicken's crispy breading. And the bonus by-product beyond the flavor? The sweet tea acts as an additional tenderizer for your meat, making the poultry juicy and moist. The two Southern culinary icons are an unexpected but ideal union.

Brining in general is always a good idea for poultry. Chicken has a terrible habit of getting dried out when it's cooked, which is generally the result of moisture being lost from this high-protein, low-fat meat sitting in refrigeration. But some of that moisture loss can be combated by wet brining, a process that usually involves keeping the meat in a saltwater-based liquid for a time before you cook it (although dry brines are also an option). The salt in the brine chemically reacts with the meat's proteins, denaturing them — which means changing their molecular structure — and allowing them to retain more moisture.

Although salt is a necessity in your fried chicken's sweet tea brine, it's not just the sodium working to make the meat juicy. Tea, black tea especially, contains astringent organic compounds called tannins, which will also work as a natural tenderizer in addition to adding flavor. Beer, wine, and even coffee work the same way, for the same reason.

Tannins are also slightly bitter, and even though the sugar brewed into your tea will likely counteract that sharp quality, you can also prevent any residual bitterness with an age-old Southern secret: add baking soda to the tea. Just a hint of baking soda won't alter the flavor and will merely cut through any harshness. It also has the added benefit of acting as another meat tenderizer. Your result will be sweet, savory, and ultra-tender crispy fried chicken.

Although the sweet and salty combination is extra delicious, fried chicken isn't the only dish that could use a good sweet tea brine. It's a technique you'll want to keep in your back pocket for any bird you're serving up. Unsurprisingly, sweet tea-brined grilled chicken is also incredibly flavorful and versatile, and if you've been tasked with whipping up a Thanksgiving feast, a sweet tea turkey brine will save you from a dried-out, bland entrée.

Since the job of brines is to keep meat juicy, other proteins with a tendency toward dryness can also benefit from denaturing. Pork chops are another leaner meat that can often lose a lot of moisture, so a sweet tea brine will lock in the juiciness and impart a delicious taste. It's a surefire way to add complex, intense flavor without going through a complicated process. So set your meat to brine, and let the sweet tea do its work.