Pickle Juice Marinade or Brine for Chicken
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!
The result? Super juicy, flavorful pickle brine chicken. It’s the perfect way to use your leftover pickle juice!
And a little secret, I usually make this right in the jars! Once all of the pickles are out, there’s no reason you can’t add the sea salt, spices and other ingredients directly into the jar. Then, just screw the lid back on and give it a good shake!
You’re fine to store this brine at room temperature or in the refrigerator until it’s needed. One the chicken is added it needs to be kept in the fridge.
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
Pickle Brine Recipe Additions
This quick pickle brine recipe is flexible! There are plenty of additions you can make to add extra flavor to your recipe. Here are a few suggestions:
- Herbs and spices are a wonderful addition! Try adding fresh dill, bay leaf, rosemary or red pepper flakes.
- 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.
- Add a few whole garlic cloves for extra garlic flavor. Sliced shallot or onion are also delicious aromatics to add!
- Add whole black peppercorns, coriander seeds or mustard seeds for extra savory taste.
- Herbs and spices are a wonderful addition! Try adding fresh dill, bay leaf, rosemary, fresh thyme or red pepper flakes.
Dill Pickle Chicken Marinade or Brine
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups dill pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add ingredients. Whisk vigorously until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add chicken pieces to a large Ziploc bag. Pour the brine/marinade over the top of the chicken, and seal.
- Massage the brine into the chicken, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, up to 8 hours.
- Place brined chicken on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Smoke or grill chicken to the internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
