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!
Ingredients
4chicken breasts
2cupsdill pickle juice, from a jar of pickles
1 ½cupsbreadcrumbs, gluten-free, if needed
1 ½cupsall-purpose flour, gluten-free, if needed
½teaspoonEACH: sea salt and pepper
1large egg + 1 tablespoon cold water
Spray oil
1cupsweet 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
Notes
Chicken tenders are the little strip of meat on the inside of a chicken breast that pulls away easily. Occasionally, they've been removed before you buy the chicken breast.