Brined and Baked Chicken Breasts

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups warm water
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tbsp whole peppercorns
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, extra fat trimmed
Garlic powder, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the water, kosher salt, peppercorns, and garlic cloves together in a glass dish. Stir until the salt dissolves in the water. Add the chicken breasts and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Place into the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is at an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 5-7 minutes. Slice and serve. Enjoy.

Recipe and picture from fortheloveofcooking.net

Honey-Brined Fried Chicken Breasts

 Ingredients
3 cups cold water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup honey
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
cayenne pepper to taste
vegetable oil for frying

Directions
Mix cold water, kosher salt, and honey in a large bowl; stir until salt dissolves. Add chicken breasts, and weigh them down with a plate to keep them completely submerged. Cover entire bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove bowl from refrigerator; drain and dry chicken. Pour buttermilk over chicken in a large bowl. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Combine flour, black pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
Coat each chicken breast in flour mixture until well covered on all sides; place flour-coated chicken breasts on a cooling rack to dry for 15 minutes.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cook chicken breasts until browned and no longer pink in the center, about 10 to 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Transfer chicken to a cooling rack; allow to cool for 5 minutes.