Dill Pickle Chicken! What? Turns out if you are looking for tender and juicy chicken thighs, dill pickle brine is the marinade for you to use. This two-ingredient recipe is delicious!
Our daughter was telling us about the famous chicken sandwiches at Dollywood. And while none of us has ever been, (yet!) apparently they sell thousands of these chicken sandwiches daily. To be made into a sandwich, I am sure it is dredged in seasoned flour and deep fried. And by gosh that would be delicious, without a doubt! But the real discovery here is that the pickle juice not only flavors the meat, but the salt in the brine also keeps your grilled chicken juicy.
Brining meat for juicy tenderness only takes salt and water.
So I am pretty sure you could use any pickle brine and get good results. We had just finished a jar of pickled Dilly Green Beans, from the standard Ball Blue Book of Canning. Making it the perfect time to give Dill Pickle Chicken a try. And wow, we are glad we did, these grilled chicken thighs are so good! And so easy to put together in the morning or the night before. Speaking from personal experience, I will never look at an empty pickle jar of brine without seeing the possibilities of another delicious dinner, making it's way to the table!
Let marinate overnight for frozen chicken thighs, or all day for thawed and/or fresh with skin removed.
I love grilling season, and depending where you live, it may be all year long.
Fortunately, I have lived where grilling is possible the year round, for most of my life. But I have to be honest, even when we lived in Montana, we grilled the year round, we just put a little canopy over the grill! For a few reasons, like, I love the flavor of grilled food. Plus when you have someone on the grill helping get dinner on the table, not only is it a team effort, it is also easier on the main cook. And some days with so much outdoor work to be done, since I am out there helping, I like to have help with dinner preparations so we all get done for the day, at about the same time. And this really makes dinner, part of family time. With a grill cook outside, and a prep cook inside dinner gets done quickly and everyone eats together.
Ingredients needed for this recipe:
Combine brine and chicken, making sure the chicken is coated all over.
You don't need to be concerned about overdoing it with the brine.
Chicken thighs are a bit resistant to the salt, so feel free to get them brining the day before. Then when cooked, the thighs are not too salty. We let our chicken marinate all day after being set into the brine the night before. And it was just right, tender, and juicy but not over-salted. You can put the chicken and pickle brine together and simply get on with your day knowing dinner will not take long once you and the grill cook, get cooking! And never fear if your weather is not grilling friendly, you can also broil these chicken thighs, for a delicious dinner too!
Ingredients needed for this recipe:
- skinless chicken thighs, bone in or boneless
- dill pickle brine
You will also need the following:
- large freezer bag or covered container
- outdoor grill
Now we are ready to begin!
Pickle Chicken
adapted from: a story about the food from Dollywood!
 |
| Pickle Chicken |
Pickle Chicken
adapted from: a story about the food from Dollywood!
UPDATED: 04.22.2025
leftover pickle brine, at least 1 cup
skinless chicken thighs, skinless allows the meat to take in the brine
leftover pickle brine, at least 1 cup
skinless chicken thighs, skinless allows the meat to take in the brine
Combine brine and chicken, making sure the chicken is coated all over.
Important: you want enough brine so that each piece of chicken is in contact with the brine and not another piece of chicken.
Let marinate overnight or longer for both frozen and fresh chicken thighs.
Grill the drained thighs until golden and cooked thoroughly. We usually "temp" with a meat thermometer.
Let marinate overnight or longer for both frozen and fresh chicken thighs.
Grill the drained thighs until golden and cooked thoroughly. We usually "temp" with a meat thermometer.
Storage options for Dill Pickle Chicken. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days, I do not recommend freezing this dish.
UPDATE:
For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Dill Pickle Chicken has
been included below.
You may also enjoy: 
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Printable "copy and paste" version:
Dill Pickle Chicken
adapted from: a story about the food from Dollywood!
adapted from: a story about the food from Dollywood!
UPDATED: 04.22.2025
leftover pickle brine, at least 1 cup
skinless chicken thighs, skinless allows the meat to take in the brine
leftover pickle brine, at least 1 cup
skinless chicken thighs, skinless allows the meat to take in the brine
Combine brine and chicken, making sure the chicken is coated all over.
Important: you want enough brine so that each piece of chicken is in contact with the brine and not another piece of chicken.
Let marinate overnight or longer for both frozen and fresh chicken thighs.
Let marinate overnight or longer for both frozen and fresh chicken thighs.
Let marinate overnight for frozen chicken thighs, or all day for thawed and/or fresh with skin removed.
Grill the drained thighs until golden and cooked thoroughly. We usually "temp" with a meat thermometer.
Storage options for Dill Pickle Chicken. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days, I do not recommend freezing this dish.
~~~~
Oh this is brilliant! We buy huge jars of pickled peperoncini, and always hate throwing out that much brine. This is a perfect use for it! Can't wait to try it - thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara! Any brine will work, I loved it with the pickled green bean brine. We have used standard pickle brine and brine from pickled green tomatoes. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.
DeleteI am going to try this for sure.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part, is how easy this really is!
DeleteWe've been to Dollywood, I guess we missed the sandwiches. Sounds good though. Thanks so much for linking up at the Unlimited Link Party 83. Shared.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dee, it is fun to share and be inspired by others at your party!
DeleteGotta try this one...
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.
DeleteThis sounds so easy and so delicious! Thanks for linking up with Weekend Cooking.
ReplyDeleteMarg, thanks for hosting!
DeletePickle chicken! Sounds crazy to me!
ReplyDeleteDon’t knock it til you try it, they say! I have a friend who loves pickles in everything, and this sounds up her alley!
Thank you for sharing this recipe at the Homestead Blog Hop!
Laurie
Thanks Laurie, and thanks for hosting.
DeleteVisiting again to say thanks so much for linking up at #FoodFriday 27 for Grilling Recipes. Pinned.
ReplyDeleteDee, anytime! Thanks for hosting.
DeleteOh I am definitely going to have to give this a try! It sounds yummy.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, it is really good, simple and delicious. My two favorite things about food!
Delete