This recipe has been a dream of mine for a long time. I saw some similar recipes on Pinterest and Instagram, so the idea isn’t original, but I knew I needed to put my own twist on this one. I have been craving a really good Fried Chicken Sandwich for a long time. I decided to combine my two ideas and I came up with this idea for Pickle Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches. This recipe has a few more steps than most of my recipes, but if you know how to fry chicken, it shouldn’t be very complicated for you to make. These Pickle Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches make a great dinner and are perfect for a football watching Sunday. Here is a list of the ingredients you will need to gather:
Ingredients
- 3 Large Bonelss, Skinless Chicken Breasts, trimmed, cut into smaller , thinner pieces.
- 3 C of Pickle Juice + 3 T, I used two large jars of pickles, drained the juice for this recipe and filled the jar back up with vinegar to preserve the pickles.
- 3 C of Flour
- 4 T of Corn Starch
- 4 eggs whisked
- 1 C of Milk with 3 T of Pickle Juice whisked in.
- 4 to 6 C of Veggie Oil for Frying
- Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Paprika, Dried Parsley, all to taste. I used about a Tablespoon of each.
- Any sandwich fixings you prefer. I chose brioche buns, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo.
This recipe does take some time to marinate. I recommend about 4 hours for the chicken to sit in the brine. The amount of time in the brine depends on how think your chicken is. If your chicken is very thin, the brine will start curing the chicken so keep and eye on it to make sure that isn’t happening. Here are the steps you need to take to make the Pickle Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches:
- Prep your chicken breasts by slicing them into thinner, more manageable pieces. I also cut the excess fat off of mine and any skin.
- Place the chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the pickle juice into the bag. Seal and place in the fridge for about 4 hours. I would not let the chicken marinate longer than 6 hours as the saltiness of the brine will start to cure your breasts.
- While the chicken marinates prepare your flour by adding the corn starch, salt and pepper and all the dry spices.
- Whisk your eggs.
- Combine your milk with pickle juice.
- Make a breading station with three separate bowl holding the eggs, milk and flour.
- After your chicken has brined, drain it and pat it really dry with paper towels.
- Now it is time to batter your chicken. Follow this chicken dipping process. Dip the chicken in milk, then the flour, then the egg, then the flour, pressing the flour into the chicken. Repeat this twice on each breast.
- Place the chicken on a foil lined cookie sheet and allow the chicken to rest for about 30 minutes until you see the coating sort of “shingling”. You can keep the chicken in your fridge or out. Just make sure it is out of the fridge for about 15 minutes before frying so that it fries properly.
- I use a cast iron skillet for frying, you need to use a deep skillet. Add your oil and heat your skillet until it is very hot but not smoking. You can test the readiness of the oil by throwing in a little bit of batter, if it fries up quickly and floats to the top it is ready. BE VERY CAREFUL.
- Add chicken 2 or 3 pieces at time. Do not crowd the pan or add too much at once or this will cool the oil and your chicken will be greasy.
- I flip the chicken very carefully once halfway through cooking. Each piece will fry for about 10 to 15 minutes each, but this depends on the thickness of your chicken. You can use a thermometer and take the chicken out at 155 degrees, remember it will continue to cook another ten degrees outside the oil.
- When you remove the chicken have it drain on a rack over some paper towels.
- Work in batches until all your chicken is fried.
- Assemble your sandwiches or enjoy the chicken on it’s own.
I have to be honest that this was some of the best fried chicken I have ever eaten in m y life. The pickle brine added such flavor to the chicken sandwiches. This chicken wad delicious all on it’s own.
I toasted some brioche buns and made some great sandwiches. the next day we ate the chicken in some salad for lunch. While this recipe took some extra time it was definitely worth it and I will be making it again.
For another great recipe, check out my recipe for Honey Mustard Brats.
