Fried Dill Pickle Chicken

Sounds odd, right!? But, if you love dill pickles and you love fried chicken, you’ll love this recipe! Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are marinated in jarred dill pickle juice and then fried with a light and crispy coating. Tossed in a sweet, dill pickle sauce with sliced pickles, Fried Dill Pickle Chicken is about as pickley as anything can get!

In our home, dill pickles seem to disappear faster than we can bring them home from the grocery store – or, at least that used to be the case. Before McKenna went to university, it was hard to keep dill pickles on hand. Now, even though John.e loves them too, a jar will last at least a couple of weeks. Well, not this current jar, because I cleaned out our stash by making this Fried Dill Pickle Chicken!

I was a little hesitant to share this recipe with you, Dear Reader. It does sound a little strange or weird – I fully admit it! But, the truth of the matter is that this chicken is really good! Think about it this way – in almost any instance where fried chicken is on a sandwich or burger, it is topped with pickles, right? And, when you see those platters of Nashville hot fried chicken, there’s always a side of pickles nearby. So, this recipe is not that strange after all!

Most fried chicken recipes start out with the chicken being marinated in a brine or in a buttermilk mixture. This, of course, is meant to impart flavour and tenderize the meat. When you marinate in pickle juice, which is mainly composed of spices and vinegar, the brine penetrates the meat and adds so much flavour. It’s the acid in the pickle juice that works well in contrast to the greasiness of the fried chicken. And, of course, if you love dill pickles, you love anything dill pickley, right!?

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

• Chicken – For best results, use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Lay the chicken flat and cut it into thin strips against the grain.
• Dill Pickle Juice – Just simply grab a jar of your favourite dill pickles and use the juice right from there!
• Ground Black Pepper
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is the key to a light and crispy batter.
• Honey – Honey sweetens the sauce, but also helps to keep it smooth and sticky.
• Water
• Pickles – These are optional, but I love to add sliced pickles to the sauce for colour and contrast. Plus, it will tell everyone exactly what the chicken is flavoured with!
• Fresh Dill

HOW TO MAKE FRIED DILL PICKLE CHICKEN

Step 1: Marinate the Chicken

This is the easiest step, but the most important step, because this step is where you will impart all of that dill pickle flavour deep into the chicken. So, once the chicken is cut into strips, pile it into a bowl and pour half of the pickle juice into the bowl with it. Toss the chicken so that it is well coated with pickle juice. Cover the bowl well and refrigerate the chicken for one hour. Do not marinate for longer than three hours, because depending on the strength of your pickle juice, the brine could begin to break down the chicken, which is not what you want!

Step 2: Toss Chicken with Cornstarch

Once the chicken is marinated, drain it well and discard the used pickle juice. Place the well-drained chicken back into the bowl and add the ground black pepper and toss to coat well. Because pickle juice is salty, there is no need to add any additional salt. Next, add the cornstarch and toss until all of the chicken is well coated. Set this aside until you are ready to fry the chicken.

Step 3: Prepare the Sauce and Prep the Frying Oil

Add the remaining pickle juice to a bowl along with the water and the rest of the cornstarch. Stir well to dissolve the cornstarch. Next, add in the honey and whisk well until incorporated. Set that aside. Next, add four inches of vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pot. Turn on the heat and heat the oil to 315 degrees F.

Step 4: Fry the Chicken

Once you’re all ready to go and the oil is hot enough, it’s time to fry! Using tongs, lower the chicken into the oil one piece at a time. Don’t overcrowd the pot. I tend to fry them off about four or five pieces at a time. The chicken fries really quickly; it only needs about 4 minutes.

Once all of the chicken is fried, increase the heat of the oil to 350 degrees. Carefully place all of the chicken back into the oil. This is what I refer to as the second fry and it will add further crispiness to your chicken. It only needs another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain well.

Step 5: Bring it all Together

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the sauce mixture and bring it to a boil. Once the sauce begins to thicken, add in the fried chicken. Toss the chicken well into the sauce until well coated. Next, add in the chopped fresh dill and the sliced dill pickles. Continue to move the chicken about the skillet until the sauce begins to caramelize and thicken more, sticking to the chicken. Remove from the heat and transfer all of the chicken to a serving plate. Garnish with more fresh dill and serve immediately.

WHAT DILL PICKLE IS BEST?

Well, Dear Reader, the best type of dill pickle for this Fried Dill Pickle Chicken recipe is quite simply the dill pickle that you personally buy each time you buy pickles. I find some dills too salty, but if that’s the type you like, buy those.

Some dills are too dilly, but if that floats your boat, get that kind! For us, there’s only one brand of dills that we buy and have never bought any other brand for the past 7 years. They’re the Bick’s Polskie Ogorki. They have just the right amount of dill-salt-garlic ratio and they’re always crunchy.

WHICH CHOICE OF CHICKEN WORKS BEST?

For this Fried Dill Pickle Chicken recipe, I would highly recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I love working with chicken thighs. No matter what cooking method I throw at them, they always come out tender and moist. I’m also a fan of dark meat. I think it’s more flavourful. So, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go in my opinion.

You can certainly use breast meat for this recipe too. Because breast meat tends to cook faster than dark meat, you’ll want to ensure that the breast meat is cut into larger strips. The breast meat can dry out rather quickly, especially if you’re planning to immerse it in hot oil. Using a larger piece of breast meat will ensure that it doesn’t become overdone and too dry. There’s nothing worse than dry breast meat!

Unlike chicken breast, you can cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into smaller strips. They don’t have to be perfectly even. My rule of thumb is as follows: fry the thigh meat until golden brown. It’s really that simple.

OTTAWA VALLEY MEATS

The chicken you see in the photographs is from Ottawa Valley Meats. I used one package of skinless boneless chicken thighs, which is one pound. Sourced from local generational family farms that organically feed and raise White Rock chickens in a free-range environment. All their chicken products are air-chilled; this process significantly limits water content and ensures a superior taste and texture.

You can find a complete list at Ottawa Valley Meats. If you are in Ontario, be sure to take a look at the website. Ottawa Valley Meats offers seafood, beef, poultry, pork, etc. And, they deliver right to your door! The product comes in a freezer-refrigerated truck, which means the box doesn’t need to be stuffed with ice packs or dry ice. And, the food doesn’t need to be packaged into those silver cooler bags. Do you know what that means for me? Less waste! Give them a try – you won’t be disappointed!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

If you’re much like me, you can be easily satisfied with just a plate of Fried Dill Pickle Chicken all on its own! But, I’m so used to preparing recipes for Lord Byron’s Kitchen and just eating them standing over the kitchen sink once the photographs are taken! If, however, I was serving this chicken as a meal, I would want to serve it with a few sides. Keep in mind that any fried chicken can feel heavy because of the oil, and in this case, it’s sweet and dilly. So, serve it with something rather plain, or go full throttle with everything dill pickle flavoured. Have a dill pickle party!

I’ve got lots of dill pickle sides that you can whip up to go with this chicken! I have this Creamy Dill Pickle Coleslaw that would add some added crunch and texture to your meal. And, it’s made with a lot of veggies which should make you feel less worried about the sodium in all of that pickle juice! I also have this Dill Pickle Ranch Pasta Salad. I love this one because dill and ranch are a perfect match!

Finally, I wouldn’t be doing my job well if I didn’t recommend this Dill Pickle Potato Salad! I love this salad; it’s absolutely delicious! I think that should cover it. Now, if you don’t want that much dill pickle flavour on your plate, how about just plain steamed white rice? It works too! Enjoy!!