From the Kitchens of Amy & JJ

I recently learned about pickle brined chicken! Have some leftover pickle juice? Well, throw some chicken tenders in it to marinate before you cook ‘em up. Some recipes will tell you to marinate for an hour, some say up to 8 hours and others say 24 hours! So, I guess pick the timeframe that will work for you.
The person I learned about the pickle brined chicken from just used leftover pickle juice and chicken, let it marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then threw them in the air fryer. So, you don’t need to get fancy to try this idea.
However, there are a lot of recipes that spice it up a bit. Here’s one to try out if you are curious and want an easy weeknight meal. Serve with your favorite side or throw it on a salad.
Pickle Brined Chicken
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups dill pickle juice, or more to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
Whisk together pickle juice, brown sugar, kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 pinch cayenne pepper in a large bowl until sugar dissolves. Place chicken breasts in brine, using a plate or bowl to keep breasts submerged. Refrigerate (for at least an hour – or up to 24).
Remove chicken breasts from brine, discard brine, and dry chicken breasts with paper towels. Brush each breast with olive oil; season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cook chicken on the preheated grill until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F.
Better yet – throw your cast iron on your stove top, bake them or use your air fryer! Let’s be honest, not many of us are headed out to our grill this time of year.