Nothing feels more like a relaxing summer afternoon on the porch than sitting in a rocking chair, the cool breeze blowing, and sipping on a glass of iced, sweet tea.
Growing up in the South, if there was one staple to every Sunday lunch or Dinner (aka Supper) it has always been a glass of iced sweet tea. I can’t imagine how many pitchers of sweet tea rotated through my grandparents’ kitchens when I was growing up. But, you never had to wonder what would be in everyone’s glass. I’m not sure if anyone ever even asked. It was just an assumption.
Typically, table sugar is used to sweeten tea. But, some southerners use saccharin tablets or a combination of saccharin AND sugar to sweeten their tea.
Saccharin is considered a low calorie sugar substitute, but it can be up to 700 times sweeter than actual sugar. It’s what can be found in Sweet N’ Low. I think it has a terrible after taste, so just don’t personally use it or recommend it. It’s certainly an acquired taste.
I quit drinking sweet tea many years ago, mainly because many versions were so sweet that your lips would pucker when you took the first sip. But, for this recipe, I thought a slightly sweetened version would add to the brine’s flavor.
The first step in making the brine is the star of the show, the sweet tea. In this case, I am using golden monkfruit as my sweetener.
I simply prepare the pitcher by adding 1 1/2 TB of monkfruit sweetener (this is a personal preference and you could certainly add more if you prefer a sweeter flavor), four black tea bags and one lemon, washed and sliced.
I bring 8 cups of water to a boil in my tea kettle.
And then pour over the tea bags and let steep for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, I prepare the spice mix of salt, garlic powder, minced onion, mustard powder, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.
I rub the chicken thighs, which I have placed in a casserole dish, liberally with the spice mix.
I then pour enough of the sweet tea over the chicken thighs to cover. In this case, it was about one cup.
Good news for us is that leaves another seven cups of sweet tea for us to drink! Hello rocking chair.
I then cover and place in the refrigerator for at least five hours or overnight.
In order to prepare the chicken thighs, I remove from the brine, pat dry with paper towels and place on a grill pan sprayed with oil at medium high heat. I cook each side for about 3-4 minutes before turning.
I then move to a roasting pan and place in a preheated convection oven at 400 (this would be 425 for a regular oven).
Mine actually stalled at around 145-150 for about 15 minutes or more so just be aware that checking with the thermometer is super important.
I cook until the internal temperature reaches 165.
I am serving with a side of steamed broccolini and Lolly’s Cheesy Cauliflower Mash.
Leave a Reply