What To Do With Leftover Chicken Brine? [3 Genius Uses]

Chicken brine is a great way of storing and seasoning chickens. But it’s not always possible to prepare the perfect amount of brine every time. As a result, there may be some leftover chicken brine at times. 

What to do with leftover chicken brine?

One of the uses of leftover brine is as a soup base. To make that perfect you’ll have to add some additional spices and flavors to it. Also, it can be your sauce in many dishes by adding some herbs and spices. Moreover, you can always use it to smoke some meats like turkey and pork. 

No wonder that’s eye-opening. But is that everything you need to know before trying them out? But no worries! I have elaborated everything in some simple steps below. 

Spare some minutes and read along!

Things to Note before Using The Leftover Chicken Brine

It is safe to use leftover brine in general. However, leftover brine does not give the same result as a fresh brine batch. This is applicable for chicken brines as well. So, you might be thinking, can I reuse chicken brine?

Yes, reusing chicken brine is alright. But note that, you should not use the chicken brine in some cases. To reuse the brine, you have to make sure the brine will be safe for your health.

Well, don’t worry. I have all the information that you need. So, let’s dive into more detail!

Do not use the leftover brine if:

• It has been stored for too long. You can freeze chicken brine in the fridge up to 14 days. But make sure that you to wrap it up with some plastic wraps. If the leftover chicken brine has been stored for more than that, toss it.

• It has gone bad. It will be a very noob mistake to reuse it. So, if the leftover chicken brine goes bad, throw the brine away.

• It contains raw meat. It is not safe to use chicken brine if there is meat in it. So, you can simply ditch the brine in that case.

• It has been used before. You can only reuse a brine only once. After that, the acidity level becomes uncertain and can be hazardous for your health. Hence, get rid of the brine.

3 Clever Uses for Leftover Chicken Brine!

We all know that leftover brines are very useful and tasty. There are much famous leftover brine uses. Accordingly, you can use the leftover chicken brine in many scenarios in your kitchen. 

We’ve mentioned 3 clever uses for the leftover chicken brine below:

Use 1: Using It As A Soup Base

The leftover chicken brine can be used as a soup base. It will already have the authentic taste of salty chicken. 

You will just have to add a couple of things to make the soup. You can add the following:

Vegetables

Adding vegetables in the brine will make the soup tastier. Additionally, the vegetables have the potential of absorbing some of the saltiness of the brine. It will prevent the soup from being oversalted.

Fresh veggies are always the way to go. But if you’re in a hurry, you can always try some instant soup veggies. They are sustainably grown and well preserved for you better health. 

Meat

Meat can be a great addition to the soup. Adding chicken to the brine is the safest option. It can be fried chicken or just plain boiled chicken. Other pieces of meat might counteract the overall taste but, feel free to experiment of course!

Spices

Add spices such as tomato paste, curry powder, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, etc. These spices go along with a lot of dishes. They can add flavor as well as lessen some of the salt. 

And if you’re lazy like me get yourself some bamboe – SOP instant spices for soup. 

Shrimps

Shrimps are a great addition to soups. It adds a different flavor to a soup. For instance, Thai soups are very tasty and famous; because it has shrimps in them. However, if you don’t have them at home, you can always find replacements for shrimps.

Use 2: Use It as A Sauce

You might be thinking, can chicken brine be reused as a sauce? The answer is, yes it can be! It can be one of the best sauces for meat out there. 

Although, It is required to add some things to it before using it as the sauce. You will have to add:

Coriander Or Basil Or Bay leaves

The simple saltwater brine for chicken lacks flavor itself. So, these leaves can add and boost the flavor greatly. Moreover, they go well with the core taste of chicken. 

You will get a fresh taste if you add them. Here are ground leaves that I use while making this sauce.

Oil

Adding vegetable oil improves the texture of the sauce. It thickens the sauce from a liquid to an oily base. Remember not to put too much oil, it can ruin the dish. 

The chicken brine recipe does not contain any oil. Extra virgin olive oil is a great choice to go with. It is better than other oils. And extra virgin is very advantageous for your health!

Here are some olive oils that I’ve personally used or use. Be sure to check it out.

These extra virgin olive oils are of high quality. You can use them for all purposes.

Lemon Zest Or Juice

Admit it, everybody likes the essence of lemon. Adding the zest or the juice in the brine sauce will bring out the refreshing flavor of lemon. If the sauce is too thick, you can add the juice. 

On the other hand, if the sauce is too thin, you can add the zest. Make sure not to add too much of it in the brine sauce.

Use 3: Using It to Smoke Turkey/Pork

You can use the leftover chicken brine to smoke the turkey. The chicken brine recipe already contains salt, so the season is already done. 

You have to marinate the turkey with the brine, then smoke it. It adds a tangy and salty flavor. 

Since it is a meat-based brine, it does not conflict too much. Check the items below If you want to add something extra. 

Pickles

Pickles taste very good with smoked turkey and pork. You can observe many burgers which have pickles in them. Pickles add a very distinct flavor in the case of meats. Add it to the brine to get this flavor. 

Here are our picks on using pickles in such cases.

Regarding porks, if you are serving pulled pork, these are some of the pickles you can add. These can be a great addition to the dish marinated from brine.

Tomatoes and lettuce 

Fresh vegetable is always a great add-on with meat. Tomato and lettuce are a great choice of serving along with the turkey or pork. The brine marinated pork or turkey combined with the flavor of these vegetables is fascinating!

Some Tips & Tricks Regarding Brine

• It is recommended to use kitchenware made of stainless steel to store the brine. The brine substance is very thick. As a result, it might cause corrosion in regular steel.

• As per the basic chicken brine recipe, you can store the leftover brine in the freezer. It’s an excellent idea to freeze it since it retains its taste. Although, if the brine is reused for at least one time, don’t freeze it. 

• Make sure the leftover chicken brine is safe, before using it. This goes for reusing anything food-related. We mentioned the things you have to check before using it earlier in the article.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many times can you reuse brine?

For health safeties, brines should not be reused more than once. However, some say it is possible to reuse a brine up to 2-3 times. The acidity level of the brine becomes uncertain upon reuse. Also, the clarity of the brine speaks a lot. If the brine is foggy or blurry, it should be discarded.

Can you brine chicken with broth?

Yes, it is possible to brine chicken with broth. In general, water is the most used for forming brine. Although, other liquid bases can be used. For instance, chicken or beef broth, wine, beer,  apple cider/juice, orange juice, vinegar, etc. The different liquid substances add different flavors.

Do you marinate chicken after brining?

After brining the chicken, you may marinade it. It is a good way to ensure flavorful and moist chicken. However, you should refrain from adding salt while marinating. Brining the chicken already makes it absorb the salt. So, marinating with salt will make the chicken overly salted.

Endnote

Hopefully, now you know what to do with leftover chicken brine. These flavor combinations offer variety and originality to your cuisine.

Note that, you can only use the leftover chicken brine if it is not reused.

I wish you the best of luck. Have a good time in the kitchen!