Jump on that dill pickle everything bandwagon with these juicy, grilled Pickle Brined Chicken Thighs! For this recipe, we’re using the salty, flavor packed brine that comes in the form of pickle juice from a jar for the easiest brine you’ve ever tried. Simply pour the leftover pickle juice over some chicken thighs, let them rest, rub them down with olive oil and easy spices, then pop them on a hot grill and enjoy!
serve it with:
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce
A cross between a barbecue sauce and a honey mustard sauce, my Copycat Chick-fil-A sauce has less than half the calories of the original!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this super simple recipe at home:
- Chicken thighs – Boneless, skinless thighs work best in this recipe. See my notes below on tests that I did with chicken breasts and why I prefer thighs here.
- Dill pickle juice – Specifically, Claussen pickle juice is best for this recipe. More on that below too! You could also use your own refrigerator pickle juice if you make your own pickles.
- Olive oil – Before grilling, the thighs get rubbed down in olive oil to help prevent sticking on the grill.
- Seasoning – I used a mix of salt, pepper, and Oh My Spice Lemon Pepper Dill seasoning. The dill in there was the perfect complement to the pickle brine!
An Important Note on Pickle Brands
After trying this recipe with 3 or 4 dill pickle brands from the dry goods section, I switched over to refrigerated pickles and had much more success. Claussen Dill Pickles were the right balance of salty and sweet to get lots of flavor in the chicken without so much vinegar that it began pickling the chicken instead of just brining it.
If Grillo’s Pickles are all you can find for refrigerated pickles, dissolve an extra teaspoon of kosher salt into a couple tablespoons of hot water and mix that in with your brine before pouring it over the chicken.
Can I Use Chicken Breast?
I tested this recipe several times with chicken breast cut up into chunks for air fryer chicken bites, but had a really hard time getting tender, juicy chicken bites. Even with a shortened brine time, the vinegar in the pickle juice started “cooking” the chicken breast before much flavor and brine could get in, leading to tough, dry chicken.
Although the results are better with chicken breast when using the “right” pickle brand, chicken thighs were much more forgiving with the pickle juice and I was able to get juicy bite size pieces in the air fryer as well as whole thighs on the grill.
how to
Make It Bite Size!
Turn this recipe into a fun after school snack or appetizer by cutting the chicken into about 1″ pieces instead of serving them whole. Here’s how to adjust the recipe:
- Brine for 30 mins to 1 hour.
- Pre-heat air fryer on broil setting (if available) or regular air fry at 400°F.
- Cook for 12-13 minutes, flipping once about 7 minutes into cook time.
I prefer the broil setting on my air fryer for this recipe in order to get as many crispy/browned edges as I can during the short cook time, but your air fryer may behave differently.
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Recipe
Pickle Brined Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
- 1 24 oz jar Claussen Dill Pickles, pickle juice only
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Oh My Spice! Lemon Pepper Dill Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add chicken thighs to an airtight container or resealable bag. Pour pickle juice over the chicken, then move the chicken around to ensure the juice has gotten to all the chicken. Set aside in the refrigerator to brine for at least 1 hour, but preferably about 2 hours.
- Preheat grill to 450°F.
- Remove chicken from pickle brine onto a paper towel lined baking sheet. Pat dry with more paper towels, then discard the paper towels. Drizzle with olive oil and rub it in to ensure all sides are evenly coated (use more oil if needed). Season chicken with lemon pepper dill seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Place seasoned chicken thighs, smoother side down, onto preheated grill grates. Grill for 7 minutes on first side, then flip and continue grilling for 4-6 more minutes or until internal temperature of thickest part of chicken thigh reaches 165°F.
Tips & Tricks
- I do not recommend making this recipe with chicken breast. See the notes in the post for more details about why.
- Turn this into bite sized appetizers – instructions here!
- The sodium content displayed in the nutrition info is estimated, but will vary depending on the brine time and sodium content in your pickle juice.
- Scan the barcode below or search for “Peanut Butter and Fitness Pickle Brined Chicken Thighs” to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
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