Crispy Pickle Brined Fried Chicken Recipe

Pickle Brined Fried Chicken is not only delicious, but the chicken is also moist and never dry. The crispy seasoned coating is so tasty, that it will be a much-requested fried chicken at all the cookouts!

Things I Love About This Friend Chicken Recipe

Juicy – Because of the pickle brine, this chicken is never dry. I know it’s an unconventional way to brining/seasoning chicken, but it’s worked out so well for me, I can’t see myself making fried chicken any other way.
Easy – This is the best part. It’s SO easy to brine. It’s basically putting some chicken in your favorite pickle brine and letting it do its thing. Of course, you should choose your favorite pickles because even though the brine doesn’t impart a load of flavor to the actual meat, you don’t want to use a pickle brine that might have a spice in it that you don’t care for.
Different – You’d think that the chicken would taste like a huge pickle, but it doesn’t! Trust me on this one! I just really enjoy making recipes sometimes that have a little quirky twist on them, and to me, this is one of them!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• CHICKEN: Normally, I will use a whole chicken and break it down into pieces however, it’s easy enough to purchase already cut whole chicken, or, your favorite chicken pieces for this recipe.
• PICKLE BRINE: I’ve done it both ways (making my own and using store-bought leftover pickle brine) and both work out fine. It’s easier to use the leftover brine (a great no-waste solution!) when you eat all the pickles. If you don’t have leftover pickle juice you can make your own brine easily enough.
  One important thing to know about this recipe is that a long marinating time is ideal for the chicken to turn out juicy, juicy, and oh, yeah, juicy. The idea is to marinate the chicken pieces in pickle brine for 6 – 12 hours (or overnight) before you even begin to season it. The pickle brine helps wonderfully tenderize the chicken.
• BUTTERMILK: This helps bind the flour onto the chicken pieces. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can try using plain Greek yogurt and adding a splash or two of milk to give the same thick consistency.
• FLOUR: Plain, all-purpose flour is going to form our coating for the chicken. I’ve never used any other type of flour as all-purpose is pretty standard.
• SEASONINGS: Garlic powder, regular paprika and smoked paprika, onion powder, lemon pepper, and cayenne if you like a bit of a zip, and I love to add a bit of poultry seasoning in there as well. These are what I use, but are just suggestions, and I recommend using herbs and spices that are your favorite.
• OIL: This, of course, is for frying. Use an oil with a high smoke point such as vegetable, avocado (my fave), grapeseed, etc. Do not use olive oil.

How To Make Fried Pickle Brined Fried Chicken

1. BRINE – Pour the pickle juice into a container that will hold all the chicken pieces. I’ve used thick freezer-friendly ziplock bags (place bag in a bowl after sealing well) and I’ve also used containers that are skinny and tall – so you can fill the container with chicken and then pour in the brine. This way, all the brine will come in contact with the pieces. Place in the fridge and marinate for 6 – 12 hours or overnight. I like to prepare the pieces in the morning and let it brine all day.

2. SEASON – Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with clean kitchen towels. Dry it very well! This will help the seasonings stick even better to the chicken. Season with salt and pepper then set aside while you mix up the rest of your seasonings. When you have the flour and seasonings mixed up, place it in a ziplock bag (the easiest way to coat the chicken in my opinion) or a shallow container. Pour the buttermilk into a bowl for dipping.

3. COAT – Dip the chicken in the buttermilk, and then throw the chicken into the seasoned flour mixture and give it a shake. (Shake one piece at a time). Coat it well and then place it on a plate to rest for about 10 minutes or so.

4. FRY – While the chicken is resting, have your oil heating up, either in a deep (tall) frying pan or a deep fryer if you have one.  After resting, place the chicken pieces into the oil (slowly and away from you please, splashing oil doesn’t tickle!).

Fry the chicken for 15 – 20 minutes or so (use a thermometer and it should read 165 when done). The fry time will depend on how thick your chicken pieces are. Be sure to carefully flip your brined chicken over in the oil at least once for even browning.  If the chicken is browning too fast before it’s ready, simply turn down the heat a tiny bit.

5. REST – Let your fried chicken rest on some kitchen towels to soak up any grease and let the internal juices redistribute before digging in.

***All the exact ingredient amounts and detailed cooking instructions with notes are located in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Double Dipping The Chicken In The Batter

You could double-dip the chicken for a thicker coating but just remember to extend the cooking time by a few minutes. Also, keep a consistent heat in the oil because if the oil is allowed to cool down too much while frying, the coating can get a bit greasy.

When you add the chicken to the oil initially, the temperature will come down slightly but will go back up to 350. Just keep an eye on it and adjust the heat if necessary.

Using Boneless Chicken Instead Of Bone-in Pieces

Using boneless chicken is an option if you prefer not to deal with bones. This will affect your frying time by making it a bit shorter, so you’ll want to keep an eye on it.

This is why it’s imperative to have a cooking thermometer during this process. I personally think it’s one of the most essential tools to have in the kitchen. This is the one I use.

Serving Fried Chicken

The sides you can serve chicken brined in pickle juice is endless. To echo that pickle theme, I have served it with my creamy dill pickle pasta salad. Or for another cold veggie side, this shredded carrot salad with raisins is fantastic.

Some hot sides could be buttery hot honey carrots, or these smoky hassleback potatoes are fun (and delicious as well!)

Storing

Incidentally, you can freeze this pickle-brined fried chicken quite easily. I have frozen it for up to a month with no problems. When I want to have it for dinner, I will take it out and give it plenty of time to thaw completely.

After thawing, simply place it on a baking sheet and crisp it back up in the oven to warm through thoroughly. You could broil it for the last minute or so just to get that extra crispy covering but keep an eye on it, as it can burn quickly.

If you’re looking for other chicken recipes, why not check out my Chicken Pancetta and Cheddar Bake that’s easy peasy to put together and equally lip-smacking’! And if that doesn’t strike your fancy, there’s a collection of Scandalous Chicken Recipes that will cover any sort of chicken craving you might be having!

This Chicken Recipe’s Second Act

If you have leftover chicken and would like to repurpose it, remove the coating from any of the extra pieces and then pull off the cooked chicken.

The chicken can be used in a basic chicken noodle soup that’s quick and easy to make, a chicken salad with pecans and cranberries, or add it to some gnocchi and make this cheesy chicken gnocchi bake.

Have you made this chicken marinated in a pickle juice recipe? I’d love to hear what you thought about it, or if you switched it up in any way! Please leave me a comment and star rating in the recipe card or in the comment section below.

I really hope you have a fantastic day, and thank you so much for stopping by The Salty Pot. -Joanne