Pickle Fried Chicken
Thatโs right! Pickle juice is the secret to a popular fried chicken sandwich everyone loves. Now you know and can totally make it yourself.
Have you ever made pickle brined fried chicken? This is supposedly the way Chick-Fil-A serves their chicken, and KFC even had a stint with pickle chicken. Big name food magazines like Food & Wine even shared their own versions of it, showing that itโs not just a hack, but a respected way of cooking fried chicken. One hour of brining in pickle juice makes all the difference.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together orย click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Why Brine With Pickle Juice?
You want to know why? Science! The pickle juice does a few things to the chicken while itโs brining. The salt and vinegar in the pickle juice helps create the perfect environment for a few things.
The first is an osmosis reaction where the flavors of the pickle juice are flowing into the chicken making sure each bite is moist and flavorful. The salt and vinegar also helps break down the molecules in the protein to make it nice and tender. (Want delicious homemade pickles? Try this Kosher Dill Pickle recipe.)
Timing on how to do this depends on the thickness of the chicken. With the chicken cut into smaller halves, an hour was perfect for getting all those reactions without curing the chicken for hours. If youโre using thicker pieces of chicken, consider letting it sit a little longer.
How To Make Pickle Fried Chicken
After an hour in the pickle brine, youโre ready to bread the chicken and start frying.
Youโll dredge the chicken in a seasoned flour mixture, then in a buttermilk and egg mix, and then again in the flour. This will coat the chicken nicely and turn out crispy and crunchy after frying.
Carefully place the chicken in a skillet of hot oil and cook on both sides for 5-6 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. The safe internal temperature is 165ยฐF. Work in batches if needed, so as to not overcrowd the pan.
I think this pickled fried chicken is best served as a chicken sandwich. With pickle slices, of course!
More Fried Chicken Recipes
You can browse our full collection of chicken recipes, or check out these other recipes for fried chicken.
Print
Pickle Fried Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Brine Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Entrรฉe
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Thatโs right! Pickle juice is the secret to a popular fried chicken sandwich everyone loves. Now you know and can totally make it yourself.
Serve on hamburger buns with pickle slices.
Ingredients
- 3 lb. chicken breasts
- 1 (24 oz.) jar mini hamburger dill pickle slices
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- Peanut oil
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts lengthwise. For larger pieces, cut the butterflied chicken piece in half.
- Place in a gallon bag and pour in 1 cup pickle juice from the jar of pickle slices. Close the bag and let rest in a flat layer in the refrigerator for 1 hour, flipping halfway between.
- While the chicken is resting, combine buttermilk and egg in one bowl, whisking until incorporated.
- In another large bowl, mix together flour, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Line a large plate with paper towels.
- When the chicken is done in the brine, heat a 12โ skillet with high edges over medium high heat with peanut oil filling the skillet about ยฝโ full. Use a candy thermometer to determine when the oil reaches 350ยฐF.
- While the peanut oil is heating, dip chicken pieces in dry mixture, covering entirely, then the wet mixture and back into the dry mixture. Set these aside on another plate until ready to fry.
- Carefully place chicken in the peanut oil, not crowding the skillet. Check the temperature of the oil once the skillet is full and adjust temperature if needed.
- Cook on both sides about 5-6 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ยฐF as read on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from skillet and place on paper towel lined plate. Serve immediately on a hamburger bun with dill pickle slices.
Love this recipe? Iโd appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know theyโll love it as well!
Notes
Optional: If youโd like to save the remaining hamburger dill chips left in the jar, top it off with white vinegar.
This post originally appeared in April 2019 and was revised and republished in January 2025.
Christine is the founder of TheCookful and also of her blog COOKtheSTORY. Her passion is explaining the WHY behind cooking โ Why should you cook things a certain way; Will they turn out if you do it differently; What are the pros and cons of the method? Learn more about Christine, her cookbooks, and her podcast.