a quick and simple recipe. By employing leftovers, I really found this. We enjoy it so much as a family of seven that we eat it many times per month. Even the youngest child can assist in the cooking by preparing the toppings. Any kind of leftover meat is perfect for this recipe.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 3 hrs |
| Total Time: | 3 hrs 30 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 chicken thighs |
Ingredients
- 4 (5 ounce) chicken thighs
- 2 cups dill pickle juice
- 1 cup vegetable oil for frying, or more as needed
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a resealable plastic bag; cover with pickle juice. Seal and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Drain pickle juice from thighs. Cover chicken; refrigerate until ready to fry or up to 1 day.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Heat 2 inches oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Pour buttermilk into a bowl. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in another bowl. Dredge chicken in buttermilk, then toss in flour. Return to buttermilk and toss in flour a second time. Place chicken on the wire rack.
- Fill Dutch oven with as many thighs as possible without crowding. Cook in the preheated oil until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer thighs to a nonstick baking sheet and repeat until all pieces are fried.
- Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 5 to 8 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of dill pickle juice, buttermilk, and flour. The actual amount consumed will vary.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. Amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and specific type of oil used.
- Please note that the magazine version of this recipe calls for more chicken thighs, and is only fried, not baked.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 369 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 61 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 3053 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 17 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I made this with boneless pork chops. The flavor was great, but I was really disappointed that the breading was too oily after baking and just slid off. Perhaps draining/using paper towels before putting it in the oven would have helped.
Tenderizes chicken very well. I punctured the chicken legs before marinating. We wished the pickle flavor was stronger.
I am very frugal with food. Try to use every product to its max potential. I had never heard prior of using pickle juice, but after tasting deep fried pickles, my mind went crazy. I love my salt, which is bad, but pickle juice not only marinades, but tenderizes. Great with tough meats. It breaks down the tough muscle meat from the salt and vinegar, while also adding amazing flavor. Great recipe!
I actually started making Pickle Chicken from another recipe that called for a 24-hour swim in the pickle juice. Not liking the final prep instructions over there I wandered over here to find THIS Pickle chicken. GREAT double dip technique. Of course I had to make my own from milk and vinegar and it was even thicker than buttermilk. I HIGHLY recommend THIS recipe. But do not let your chicken swim in pickle juice for 24 hours.
The BF loved this chicken! I didn’t double dip the thighs because the coating seemed pretty thick and just fried them till done vs going in the oven because I’m more familiar with it. They did have this odd green-yellow hue from soaking in the brine, but the BF commented on how flavorful and juicy they were…so I will have to do this again!! Thank you
Have used pickle brine for fried chicken for a number of years. My wife, who was raised in Tenn., said that this recipe is very much used recipe in her home State. Both of her grandmother’s used it almost exclusively. Do Not use the same recipe brine for your fried chicken that you use to make homemade pickles. Way too strong. Just regular pickle juice does the trick. I know, I had to throw a batch of fried chicken out with that experiment. Live & learn.
Brining works ok, but I took it a step further and injected it with the juice after brining. Much big pickle flavor!
I did this recipe with pork chops and it was awesome!!!