Pickle Brined Chicken
If you’re like my kids, you may have made a weird face when you heard of this recipe for Pickle Brined Chicken (although they are used to my food craziness).
Trust me, it’s delicious, easy, and has such a unique flavor that it will quickly become a new family favorite recipe!
I cannot take credit for coming up with the idea for this dish, I saw someone post it on Facebook.
She said she just used the pickle juice and that’s all, I added the brown sugar and creole seasoning.
Kind of a genius idea to use the pickle juice as a brine that would normally get thrown out.
A brine is basically placing meat in water mixed with a good amount of salt (and other seasonings) for several hours.
Brining chicken adds flavor and tenderizes the meat.
In this dish we are using pickle juice (which is already plenty salty) mixed with brown sugar as a brine
So simply save your pickle juice and when you have enough…use it to make this amazingly simple and flavor filled chicken.
How to Make Pickle Brined Chicken
I had 2 pounds of whole chicken wings (you could use chicken legs or thighs as well), so I divided them up evenly between 2 gallon size plastic bags.
I poured the pickle juice and brown sugar mix over the top of each bag until it covered the chicken completely.
Just to be on the safe side, I placed the bags into a large bowl and into the fridge for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, remove the chicken and the brine has worked its magic, so just get rid of it.
A very important next step if you want crispy chicken…because who doesn’t love crispy chicken?!
Pat the chicken dry with several paper towels.
If you roast the chicken while it’s wet with the brine, the skin steams and get kind of soggy.
So take the extra few minutes to pat them dry.
Place them on a lined baking sheet and just a sprinkle of creole seasoning.
The brine added plenty of salt to the chicken, so it’s pretty packed with deliciousness already.
The creole does give it a little kick that I love.
I had 2 baking sheets, I put them into a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes.
That’s it…easy peasy!
I think the hardest part was letting them cool before digging into them!
Serve Pickle Brined Chicken with your favorite buffalo wing sauce or just enjoy them with as is.
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Other chicken dishes you may like just as much as Pickle Brined Chicken…
Sweet Lemon Chicken
And Cilantro Lime Chicken with Spicy Honey.
Also try Grilled Pickle Brined Chicken!
Smoked Jalapeno Brined Chicken Wings
Easy Air Fryer Recipes
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Pickle Brined Chicken
This unique and flavorful brine is a must try, so delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 cups pickle juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 pounds chicken (whole wings, legs, or thighs)
- creole seasoning
- Optional: buffalo wing sauce
Instructions
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Mix the pickle juice and brown sugar together.
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Place chicken in gallon size bags or in a large container. Pour the pickle juice and brown sugar mixture over top to cover the chicken. Place in refrigerator for 24 hours.
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Remove the chicken from the pickle juice brine and pat each piece dry with paper towels.
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Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Sprinkle each piece with creole seasoning. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.
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Serve with your favorite buffalo wing sauce if desired.
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