Dill Pickle Chicken Marinade (or Brine)

This Dill Pickle Chicken Marinade or Brine adds a nice little twang of flavor to your chicken! It’s a quick and easy brine that uses simple ingredients for grilled chicken or smoked chicken.

I came up with this easy recipe as a way to use leftover pickle juice! Pickle juice is naturally briny and has that tangy vinegar flavor, I knew it would make a delicious chicken brine for grilling or smoking! People use pickle juice as a salty liquid to rehydrate, so I figured it could do that for cuts of chicken (I prefer chicken legs and chicken wings) as well!

Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken | Dill Pickle Marinade for Chicken | Grilled Chicken Marinade | Smoked Chicken Marinade

The result? Super juicy, flavorful pickle brine chicken. It’s the perfect way to use your leftover pickle juice!

Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken | Dill Pickle Marinade for Chicken | Grilled Chicken Marinade | Smoked Chicken Marinade

You will need just a few key ingredients for this simple dill pickle brine:

  • leftover dill pickle juice
  • brown sugar
  • kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • hot sauce (or cayenne pepper)
  • water
Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken | Dill Pickle Marinade for Chicken | Grilled Chicken Marinade | Smoked Chicken Marinade

A hearty dash of hot sauce will add moderate heat to the brine. Feel free to add additional hot sauce or 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for spicy chicken.

Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken | Dill Pickle Marinade for Chicken | Grilled Chicken Marinade | Smoked Chicken Marinade
Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken | Dill Pickle Marinade for Chicken | Grilled Chicken Marinade | Smoked Chicken Marinade

Dill Pickle Chicken Marinade or Brine

Yield: Enough for 1.5 pounds of chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Use up your leftover pickle juice for this easy chicken brine!

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups dill pickle juice
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 cup cold water

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, add ingredients. Whisk vigorously until the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Add chicken pieces to a large Ziploc bag. Pour the brine/marinade over the top of the chicken, and seal.
  3. Massage the brine into the chicken, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, up to 8 hours.
  4. Place brined chicken on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
  5. Smoke or grill chicken to the internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 345Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 0mgSodium 14766mgCarbohydrates 83gFiber 1gSugar 79gProtein 1g

The nutrition for this recipe is calculated by an app and may be incorrect.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram