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crispy pickle brined chicken thighs on a platter, garnished with fresh dill

crispy pickle brine chicken thighs recipe

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Dill pickle chicken starts with chicken thighs marinated in real dill pickle juice, then tossed and fried in the lightest, crispiest coating. Punchy pickle flavor + juicy fried chicken = my new love language. 

  • Total Time: 12 hours 55 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Scale

for the chicken:

  • 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 1/2 cups pickle juice
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Neutral oil, as needed for frying
  • Fresh dill, as needed for garnish

for the garlicky dill sauce:

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 1 garlic clove 

Instructions

  1. Place chicken thighs in a large food storage container and pour the pickle juice over them. Make sure all of the chicken is completely submerged, cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. 
    uncooked chicken thighs in a food storage container, next to a pitcher of dill pickle juice.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375℉ and remove your pickle marinated chicken thighs from their bath. Discard the leftover pickle juice, pat the thighs dry with paper towels, and arrange them on a plate or platter.
  3. Whisk the AP flour, paprika, and black pepper together in a bowl. a hand holding a dark colored bowl containing flour and spices
  4. Sprinkle the seasoned flour over all sides of the pickle brined chicken thighs. Use tongs to lift and shake the excess flour off of each chicken thigh.  chicken thighs that have been dusted with the seasoned flour mixture sit on a small baking sheet. the empty bowl that contained the flour mixture is nearby as well as a pair of tongs.
  5. Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add oil to coat the bottom with about a ¼ inch layer. Once the oil starts to ripple, place the chicken thighs skin side down and cook for 4-5 minutes. 4 flour dusted chicken thighs are skin side down in a large skillet on the stovetop.
  6. Flip the thighs over and allow the other side to crisp briefly for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. the 4 chicken thighs in the skillet have been flipped over, showing a golden brown, crispy skin
  7. Transfer the chicken pieces to a wire rack set into a baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each thigh reads an internal temperature of 165℉.lightly crisped chicken thighs are arranged on a wire rack set into a small baking sheet.
  8. While your chicken bakes, make the garlicky dill sauce. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, coriander, and dill. Grate the garlic clove on a microplane or small grater and stir it in. Set your sauce aside until ready to use. 
    a bowl of garlicky dill sauce being stirred with a small rubber spatula. The bowl is sitting on a wooden cutting board along with the stems from fresh dill and a knife.
  9. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing or serving. 4 fully cooked pickle brine chicken thighs sitting on a wire rack on a baking sheet. the chicken pieces have a deep golden brown color and crisp texture
  10. EAT! Garnish your pickle brined fried chicken thighs with chopped dill and serve with garlicky dill sauce.one of the cooked crispy chicken thighs is sliced on small plate and drizzled with garlicky dill sauce. the small bowl of sauce and platter of pickle chicken are in the background.

Notes

  • How long to brine chicken thighs in pickle juice all depends on their size. I have tried mine for 12 and 18 hours, both with delicious results! I would say marinating chicken in pickle juice for 24 hours is the max though, as it could make the chicken overly salty if it goes too long.
  • If you use an oven safe skillet, you can definitely pop it straight into the oven if you prefer. Personally I like to transfer the chicken to a baking sheet to keep all of the oil in the skillet from burning and/or splattering all over the inside of the oven. 
  • If you don’t have a microplane or small grater, just finely mince the garlic with a knife.  
  • Author: kelly@crescentmoonkitchen
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Brining Time: 12 hours
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes

Find it online: https://crescentmoonkitchen.com/crispy-pickle-brine-chicken-thighs/