Chicken Deli Meat Recipe

A hand holds a sandwich with slices of chicken deli meat, tomato, lettuce, and cheese between two pieces of white bread, sunlight streaming through a window in the background—perfect for trying your favorite Chicken Deli Meat Recipe.

5 from 6 votes

This homemade Chicken Deli Meat recipe is fantastic for sandwiches and wraps. Made with absolutely no preservatives, the chicken is moist and succulent every time.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Resting Time3

Total Time3 35

Course: Tutorials and Hacks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken deli meat, cold cuts, easy deli meat recipe, homemade deli meat, sandwich meat

Servings: breasts

Author: The Modern Nonna

Equipment

Ingredients

4 cups water
½ tablespoon peppercorns
6 tablespoons Kosher salt
few sprigs lemon thyme or regular thyme
5 cloves garlic peeled
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 teaspoons oil
paprika to taste
garlic powder to taste
onion powder to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Note: if 6% salt brine is too salty for you, please use 4% instead which is: 40 grams (or 4 tablespoons) of Kosher salt instead of 6.
To a pot of water on the stove, add the water, peppercorns, thyme, garlic cloves and salt. Stir and let it come to a simmer or until the salt has dissolved.
Once dissolved, take it off the stove and let the brine cool completely. The brine should be cold. You can let it cool down and even put it in the fridge until cold to speed up the process.
Once cold, add in the chicken breast, cover and let it sit in the fridge for 3-4 hours. I let mine sit for 3.
After 3 hours, take the chicken out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
Now, take out the chicken from the brine and wash it really well. Once washed, pat it dry with a paper towel and set onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or foil).
Add a small drizzle of olive oil onto each breast (both sides) and lightly season with paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Note: you can use any seasoning of choice making sure there’s NO additional salt as the chicken was sitting in the brine for hours.
Massage it with clean hands on both sides and bake for 25-30 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160F (70C)
Note: We want to take it out at 160F as it will continue to cook through residual heat and it will reach 165F (74C) as it cools.
Let it cool, slice thinly and enjoy onto wraps, sandwiches, salads, or any way you like!
Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.

Video

Nutrition