Pickles go fast in our house – like “a jar in a weekend” quick. The brine usually goes into BBQ sauce or a vinaigrette, but in an deliberate effort to try new things, I brined chicken parts in pickle brine. This isn’t some audacious new idea. Google has a pickle brine chicken hit from nearly every major food publication. A well-talked about short-lived menu item at a not-so-talked about Chicago tavern (The Monarch) was Dill Pickle wings.
This is a affirmation that pickle brined chicken is pretty great. Actually, really great.
Also, it is an affirmation that while pickle-brined chicken skin is better than many things, it is not better than pickle-brined chicken. I tried, twice. This chicken skin is really good, but the dill pickle juiciness is ever present in the chicken. The chicken skins have dill pickle flavor and have the benefit of it being one of the greatest parts of a chicken, but eating it gives you no blast of pickle juice.
The best part. Pickles are great and they almost always come with brine. When you are finish the last pickle, your tears will be wasted. Use that brine. Submerge chicken parts in that brine for between 6 and 12 hours. The cook it and toss the brine. When you finish that chicken, then you can cry.
