The BEST Chicken Brine Recipe Using Pickle Juice

This is the BEST Chicken Brine Recipe using leftover pickle juice to help to create the most tender, juice and flavourful chicken ever! Brining helps to infuse flavour and moisture as well as creating super tender chicken breast. Some actually claim that a dill pickle-brine is the way that Chick-Fil-A produces its amazing-tasting chicken!

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Chicken Brine Recipe

A pet peeve of mine is waste.

I once read on the internet that the average person wastes.

According to the US government, in 2010 the estimated food waste was between 30-40 percent of our entire food supply. This estimate, based on estimates from USDA's Economic Research Service that showed that 31 percent of food loss is at the retail and consumer levels

This corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food.

THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CRAZY!

With so many people having a hard time making ends meet, not throwing away food is a quick and easy way to start saving money.

And, who doesn't love the taste of dill pickles?

So, this recipe is a win-win!

By using leftover pickle juice and marinating your chicken in the brine, you can create deliciously moist chicken in no time all the while saving money.

How to Make Moist Chicken Breast

The secret to making the most tender and juicy chicken is by brining the chicken first. Just like my Instant Pot Corned Beef with Whole30 Dill Sauce recipe, this chicken brine recipe is super easy and always results in very moist and tender chicken.

The official definition of the word "brine" is water that is strongly infused with salt.  The high salt content creates an osmotic reaction which helps to pull the flavours of the brine into the chicken.

Also, by pulling liquid into the chicken, not only does it help produce a delicious flavour but it also helps to keep the chicken nice and moist.

Ingredients needed for chicken brine recipe

Leftover dill pickle juice - Whenever we finish a jar of dill pickles, I save the juice in the fridge until I have some chicken that I want to cook. Look for dill pickles that are organic and do not have any additives for the making the best pickle juice brine chicken.

Chicken Breast - For this chicken brine recipe, I used boneless skinless chicken breast. However, pork, turkey breast and even a small whole turkey or chicken can be substituted.

How do you make moist chicken breast

• Cut your chicken breast into the desired shape
• Add the chicken to a glass container
• Add in the dill pickle juice
• Toss to coat
• Place in the fridge for 12 hours or overnight

How do I cook chicken breasts?

There are several different ways to cook this pickle juice brine chicken. Use either the oven, stovetop, slow cooker, air fryer or on the grill, because you are brining the chicken first, you will always create super moist chicken!

In the oven:

• Arrange chicken breasts in a 9×13 baking dish
• Rub olive oil all over each chicken breast and set aside.
• Transfer your chicken to the oven and cook at 425˚F for 22 to 25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
• Thinner breasts will need less time, thicker breasts might need a little more time in the oven.
• Start checking for doneness at the 20-minute mark.

On the stovetop:

• Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat
• Once the pan and the oil are hot, carefully add the dill pickle-brined chicken breasts.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan with chicken.
• If you need more than can comfortably fit in the pan, you’ll have to cook the chicken in batches.
• If possible, cover the skillet to help trap the heat and keep the grease from splattering
• When the chicken looks white halfway up the side of the chicken breast, it is ready to turn.
• Flip the chicken over and continue cooking it on the other side.
• A general rule of thumb is that it takes about 5-7 minutes on each side for the chicken to be fully cooked

In a crockpot:

• Add chicken to the crockpot
• Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours

In an air fryer:

• Grease the air fryer pan well with avocado oil (or olive oil)
• Lightly grease the chicken and place the brined chicken in the basket, making sure not to overcrowd the basket
• Cook the chicken at 375˚F for 10 minutes
• Flip the chicken over and cook for an additional 5 to 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

On the grill:

• Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
• Place chicken on the grill for 7-8 minutes.
• Flip over and cook an additional 7-8 minutes or until no pink remains

Should you let the chicken rest before serving?

100% YES!

I am truly and utterly amazed at how much allowing the chicken to rest makes in terms of creating a deliciously moist chicken.

If you slice chicken (or other any meat for that matter) immediately after removing it from the heat source, the juices from the meat are able to escape.

This creates a drier chicken.

So, try to be patient and allow the chicken to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.

What if I don't have enough pickle juice?

You can always use the pickle juice and combine it with some water and salt to make more of the brine. You really need enough brine to submerge the chicken.

In order to make more brine, simply stir 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt into 1 cup of hot water until the salt dissolves. Allow the brine to cool to room temperature before adding it to the pickle juice.

Keto Side Dish Ideas to accompany this Chicken Brine Recipe

• For a side salad - Keto Broccoli Salad with Maple Bacon Dressing, Keto Winter Salad with Roasted Squash and Tahini Dressing or Healthy Crunchy Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad will complete this chicken dinner
• For a keto chicken sauce - Try this Keto Creamy Mustard Sauce, or this Easy Dairy-Free Keto Mexican Sauce
• And don't forget about dessert! - Try this Easy No-Bake Keto Chocolate Mousse Cake, these Keto Creamy Lemon Bars or these delicious Easy Keto Monster Cookies

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