Apple Cider Grilled Chicken
Apple Cider Grilled Chicken is the “barbecue chicken” I grew up with — no sauce, no dry rub, just a simple concoction of ACV, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. It’s a great example of simple ingredients producing superior results.
Welcome to the Good and Good for You™ newsletter, a quick 5-minute read with ideas and info on ways to help improve your life.
Quick re-intro. I’m a James Beard award winning food writer, French trained chef, and former TV kitchen director for Bobby Flay and Martha Stewart. After years in food and not taking care of myself, I was unhappy, unhealthy, and so I finally did something about it.
I lost 65# through changing my eating habits and whole body wellness – body, mind, and spirit.
It’s not about losing weight; it’s about gaining health.
American Labor
Labor Day celebrates the social and economic achievements and daily contributions of American workers.
At present, the Pew Research Center reports 50% of Americans report being unsatisfied or unhappy at work. Burnout, from both work and life in general has become more common. Being overstressed is the norm. According to the “World Happiness Report the US now ranks 23rd in happiness, down from 11.
This newsletter is all about “radical rest” this Labor Day — how to avoid burnout and switch your mindset to recharged.
It includes:
- Best Life Living Tip: Rest is Productive
- Self-Care Strategy: The Pause that Refreshes
- Ideas and Inspiration: How to Deal with Burnout
- Good and Good for You™ Recipe: Apple Cider Grilled Chicken
Read on for more — including the recipe for Apple Cider Grilled Chicken — with brining, a practically foolproof hands-off technique for juicy, flavorful chicken.
Best Life Living Tip
Rest is Productive
We live in a culture that celebrates being busy, but your body and brain need downtime to function at their best. Rest isn’t wasted time—it’s how we recharge, restore, and come back stronger. When you make to rest, you’re not falling behind; you’re investing in your energy, focus, creativity, and overall well-being.
How to make rest part of your day:
- Schedule it. Put rest on your calendar just like any other commitment.
- Take short pauses. Step away from your screen, take a few deep breaths, stretch, or simply sit quietly.
- Protect your sleep. Create a consistent bedtime routine and treat sleep as essential—not optional.
- Do less without guilt. You don’t have to fill every empty moment with something productive.
- Choose restorative activities. Read, walk, listen to music, garden, cook, or spend time with people who make you feel good.
- Listen to your body. Fatigue is information, not a character flaw.
Give yourself permission to pause. Rest is productive—and it’s good for you.
Self-Care Strategy
The Pause that Refreshes
“The Pause that Refreshes” campaign transformed Coca-Cola from a simple beverage into a symbol of emotional relief for these hard times. The slogan resonated deeply with the American public and made Coca-Cola a cultural symbol of the era. It also created a lasting association between the brand and moments of relief. It positioned Coca-Cola as a “hero” in daily life by focusing on rest, optimism during difficult times, and personal resilience
We don’t need to drink a Coke to take “a pause that refreshes — and we sure need rest, optimism, and resilience!
- Self-care is about giving yourself permission to pause.
- It doesn’t have to be complicated—self-care can be as simple as stepping away, taking a breath, sharing a moment with someone, or enjoying something you love.
- That’s the Good and Good for You™ approach: wellness isn’t about perfection or deprivation; it’s about making intentional choices that nourish your mind, body, and spirit—more often than not.
Take the pause. Savor the moment. Then keep going.
Ideas and Inspiration
How to Deal with Burnout
Burnout isn’t about simply needing a vacation – it can be a sign that your time, energy, and responsibilities are out of balance. Burnout expert Emily Ballesteros teaches that managing burnout means learning skills to better manage your energy, boundaries, and workload.
Her book The Cure for Burnout suggests:
- Protect your time and energy.
- Set better boundaries.
- Prioritize what matters most.
- Make rest part of your routine.
Don’t wait until you’re depleted to take care of yourself.
Good and Good for You Living Spotlight
The one greatest thing I can tell you that has made the greatest difference in my life is my gratitude journal.
Keeping a gratitude journal can foster a positive mindset by encouraging you to focus on the positive aspects of your life. Reflecting on things you’re thankful for can improve mood, reduce stress, and enhance overall mental well-being.
It’s fantastic — and every single night I relfect on the values that I consider important. Have I behaved in a way that will help me be healthy and strong, clear and focused, calm and graceful, and abundant and prosperous?
Give it a try. You can do it. Check it out at GoodandGoodForYouLiving.com
Make it Count
How to Brine Chicken
Brining, or soaking poultry in salted water before cooking, is the answer to dry, tasteless, and rubbery chicken: brined poultry loses only half as much moisture during cooking as unbrined.
Salt causes the food proteins to form a complex mesh that traps the brine so the muscle fibers absorb additional liquid during the brining period. Some of this liquid is lost during cooking, but since the meat is juicier to begin with, it cooks up juicier at the end. Think of a cup filled “over the rim.”
The best part is that it’s hands off. No fussing, no tending — just put it in the fridge and let science do its thing. Sounds like a radical rest and a great way to spend Labor Day Weekend!
Good and Good for You™ Takeaway
- Rest isn’t about doing nothing—it’s about making space for what matters.
- Just like brining lets time and science do the work, sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is step back, slow down, and let ourselves recharge.
- Good food doesn’t have to be complicated, and self-care doesn’t have to be either.
- Choose simple, intentional things that nourish you—your body, your mind, and your spirit.
That’s Good and Good for You™: less fuss, more nourishment, and a little more room to breathe.
Thank you for reading. For more tips, inspiration, and healthy recipes, follow @virginiawillis on Instagram.
If you choose what’s Good and Good for You™ most of the time, you’re headed in the right direction. You’ve got this!
Bon Appétit, Y’all!
Virginia Willis
Apple Cider Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- For the Brine
- 1 gallon hot water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 8 cups ice, plus more if needed
- 2 whole chickens, cut into pieces or 20 pieces of chicken of your choice such as thighs, drumsticks, and breasts
- For the Cider Spritz
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup pure olive oil, plus more for the grate
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning the chicken
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- To make the brine: Combine the hot water, salt, and brown sugar in a large plastic container and stir to dissolve. Add the ice and make sure the brine is well-chilled. Add the chicken pieces; cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
- To make the cider spritz: Once the chicken has finished brining, combine water, vinegar, oil, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salt in a food-safe spray bottle. Set aside.
- Prepare a fire and heat until medium-hot (when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill surface for no longer than 3 or 4 seconds). Or, for a gas grill, turn on all burners to high, close the lid, and heat until very hot, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Apply some oil to the grill grate. Place the chicken on the grill, leaving plenty of space between each piece. Grill until seared, 1 to 2 minutes per side for legs and thighs, and 3 or so minutes for breasts. Move the chicken to medium-low heat or reduce the heat to medium; continue to grill, turning occasionally and squirting with the marinade, until the juices run clear when pierced and an instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees, about 35 minutes total. Remove the pieces from the grill as they cook and transfer to a warm platter. Give them a final squirt of sauce for flavor and serve immediately.
Nutrition
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