Late Night Coffee Brined Chicken

Despite the title of this post...You can enjoy this chicken dish anytime of day....

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 4 -5 lb whole organic chicken
• 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cups 1% milk
• 1/2 liter hot, freshly brewed bold coffee
• 3 ounces kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorn
• 3 star anise
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 2 juicy navel oranges, halved
• 15 ounces ice

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine salt, peppercorns, star anise, and cloves in a small pot. Lightly crush spices with the back of a large spoon. Squeeze orange halves over mixture, and then add halves. Pour hot coffee over mixture, stir and cover pot with lid. Allow brine to steep for ten minutes.
• 2Meanwhile, pat chicken dry, removing giblets and neck. Place chicken in a 2 gallon sized zip lock or other plastic bag.
• 3Place the ice in a large bowl. Add coffee brine and stir until ice melts. Pour brine in bag with chicken (including oranges), seal and allow mixture to sit at room temperature for two to three hours. Then pat chicken dry and let it dry out for an hour in a bowl placed in the refrigerator.
• 4Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• 5Remove chicken from refrigerator, pat dry and rub both sides with brown sugar.
• 6Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown chicken on both sides. Add milk, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook for an hour with the lid. Remove lid. Continue to cook for another 30-40 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken is 165 degrees.
• 7Pull meat off the bones and serve with wilted greens and rice. Be sure to spoon some of the sauce over the meat, if desired!

Enjoy! Eat well my friends!