Pickle Brined Fried Chicken (Printable)
Crispy pickle-brined chicken thighs fried golden and served on soft buns with tangy toppings.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Chicken and Marinade
01 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into slider-sized pieces
02 - 1 cup dill pickle brine (from jar of dill pickles)
03 - 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
→ Breading
04 - 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
05 - ⅓ cup cornstarch
06 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
08 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
10 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
→ Frying
11 - 2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
→ Assembly
12 - 8 slider buns
13 - 8 dill pickle slices
14 - 4 lettuce leaves, halved
15 - 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
16 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
# Directions:
01 - Place chicken pieces in a bowl and pour pickle brine and hot sauce over them. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for deeper flavor penetration.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper until evenly combined.
03 - Remove chicken from the brine and discard the used brine. Pat each piece dry thoroughly with paper towels. Coat each chicken piece completely in the seasoned flour mixture, pressing firmly to adhere the breading.
04 - Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet or heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F. Carefully lower chicken pieces into the hot oil in batches, avoiding overcrowding. Fry for 4 to 6 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
05 - In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard until smooth and well blended.
06 - Spread the mayonnaise-mustard mixture on both halves of each slider bun. Layer a lettuce leaf half, a fried chicken piece, and a dill pickle slice on each bottom bun. Cap with the top bun and serve immediately while hot and crispy.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The pickle brine does half the work for you, keeping the chicken impossibly juicy while adding a tangy depth that regular buttermilk just cannot match.
- Slider sized pieces mean more crispy surface area per bite, which is honestly the best part of fried chicken.
02 -
- Do not skip patting the chicken dry after brining or the flour coating will clump and slide right off during frying.
- Frying too many pieces at once drops the oil temperature and turns crispy chicken into soggy chicken.
03 -
- Test the oil temperature with a small piece of bread before frying, if it sizzles and browns in about thirty seconds you are ready.
- Let the breaded chicken rest for five minutes on a plate before frying so the coating adheres firmly and does not wash off in the oil.