Pickle Brine Chicken (the best chicken marinade!)
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This pickle brine chicken is flavorful, juicy, and tender with an incredibly crispy crust. It’s the tastiest oven fried chicken and the perfect way to use the leftover juice in a pickle jar!
I’m here to officially ask you to stop pouring pickle juice down the drain. Marinating chicken in it is one of those simple tricks that feels a little genius once you try it.
The pickle juice adds a subtle tang, but more importantly, it makes the chicken incredibly tender and juicy. After a light breading and a trip to the oven, it bakes up crispy and golden — all without deep frying.
I like to serve it with a few of those little sweet pickles on the side for a fun, almost-fried-chicken experience. It’s familiar, comforting, and surprisingly satisfying for something so easy.
How long can you brine chicken in pickle juice?
For the best flavor, the chicken should marinate in the pickle juice for at least two hours. But make sure that you don’t leave it for longer than 24 hours, or the texture of the meat can change.
Can pickle brine chicken be frozen?
Yes, it can! You have two options for freezing pickle brine chicken:
Option #1: Freeze the chicken submerged in pickle juice in bags (I love these reusable Stasher freezer bags!) When you’re ready to finish making the recipe, thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight then continue to bread and bake it.
Option #2: Bread the brined chicken but do not bake it. Instead, freeze it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Once the chicken is frozen, you can move it to a freezer bag for storage. Cook the chicken from frozen, adding 10 minutes to cook time.
What to serve with pickle brine chicken
Even though this chicken is baked in the oven, it will remind you of your favorite fried chicken and goes amazing with all the traditional fried chicken sides. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Smoky Parmesan Corn on the Cob
- Sweet Apple Bourbon Baked Beans
- Classic Broccoli Coleslaw with Lemon Buttermilk Dressing
- Garlic Dill French Fries with Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce
When I make pickle brine chicken, I usually opt to serve it beside a big green salad tossed in my lifesaving lemony dressing or my classic Caesar salad.
Pickle Brine Chicken (the best chicken marinade!)
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 cups dill pickle juice (from a jar of pickles)
- 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon cold water
- Spray oil
- 1 cup sweet pickles (bread and butter pickles)
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Cut the chicken tenders away from the breasts (see notes) then pound the chicken breast so they are ½-inch thick. You can use a rolling pin or give them a few good smacks with the palm of your hand. Then cut each breast in half so that you have 8 smaller pieces + 4 chicken tenders.4 chicken breasts
- Place the chicken into a mixing bowl and pour the pickle juice over top. You want the pieces completely covered. Put the bowl into the fridge and let the chicken marinate for 6-24 hours.2 cups dill pickle juice
Prep the chicken
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. While your oven is warming, put the breadcrumbs onto a baking sheet and put them into the oven to toast for 5-6 minutes. When they're golden, pour them into a shallow bowl. Line the same baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it well with oil.1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
- Add the flour, salt, and pepper to another bowl and mix well. Whisk the egg with the water in a third bowl.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper, 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon cold water
- Remove the chicken from the pickle juice marinade and dip the pieces first in the flour, then in the egg, and then in the breadcrumbs. Lay the breaded chicken onto the baking sheet then spray the tops with more oil.
Cook the chicken
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until it is golden, crispy, and cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve with sweet pickles on the side.1 cup sweet pickles
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Loved this recipe and more importantly Husband liked and said it is a keeper!
Only change I made was I seasoned chicken with Tajin seasoning before marinating in dill pickle juice. Also, Tajin in the flour. SO good! Chicken was very juicy and breading was crisp and flavorful.
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit—especially with your husband! Love the Tajin twist—such a smart way to add a citrusy kick. Thanks for sharing!
The prep time should probably be changed to include the amount of time you need to marinate the chicken. When I found this recipe I selected it specifically because I was misled to believe I could prep mine to fry in 20 minutes and it turns out i need at least 6 more hours.
Good call. I’ve updated the recipe.
The pickles I didn’t mind but the breading was too grainy. My hubby hated the pickle taste, and only ate 1/4 of one chicken breast. I didn’t mind the pickle taste. I won’t be making this again.
This is definitely a recipe better suited for those who enjoy pickles!
This recipe is about as basic as it gets but it is spot on as to technique and flavor. Either regular or Panko breadcrumbs work great. I like the extra crunch of Panko. I did need more crumbs than the recipe called for. Two hours is about the minimum brine time, IMO. Do be careful, as you can overbrine. I wouldn’t brine this overnight, for example. I would not have considered serving this with bread and butter chips, but they were a great complement! I don’t think it is necessary to pound the chicken. I have done it both ways and it has come out fine. Just use a meat thermometer to make sure you reach 165 at the thick parts.
Nice recipe–I like the flour-egg-breadcrumb coating method, and that it’s baked, not fried.
I went wild seasoning my flour, adding garlic and onion powders, cayenne, smoked paprika, dried parsley, celery leaves, and S&P. I also ran the pan under the broiler to get the chicken browned (as you did, from the looks of your pics).
Fam loved it; will make again! I think chicken thighs would be tremendous done this way.
So delicious! I used panko and the brine from homemade bread & butter pickles! Super crunchy and I can’t wait to make my next batch! Oh! I froze my chicken breasts in the brine bc I was short on time & defrosted a few days later when I was able to cook them. It worked great!
I used Shake n Bake instead of messing up 3 bowls to bread,yummmmmmm!
What type of pickle juice. Dill, sweet?
We use dill pickle juice, but others would likely work, too. I have a jar of pickled jalapeno juice in my fridge that I’m planning on trying with this recipe. 🙂
i left in the fridge to thaw two nights, do you think its ok to make?
Yes, if you make it right away.
Turned out well. Will make again, but use one 1 c of flour – had to throw a lot out, since I’d had raw chicken in it. A waste. But needed extra bread crumbs – at least 1/4-1/3 c more. Might try pepperoncini juice, or mix some with dill juice next time. I used chicken thighs – juicier. Overall, quite good. And I love not wasting the pickle juice!
Looking forward to trying this however not sure about pickle brine. Is this the fermented brine pickles or the ones that have vinegar in the brine?
We use the brine from Bick’s garlic baby dill pickles!
This turned out so great! I hate throwing things away so went looking for a way to use pickle juice and found your recipe. Now I know what I’ll make every time we get to the bottom of a jar!