Hey Friends! Are you ready for the easiest and dreamiest chicken tender recipe ever? Today, I’m going to share this recipe for Skillet Pickle Chicken with ya! Technically, it should probably be called ‘Pickle-Brined Crispy Chicken Tenders’ or something along those lines so that you’re not all like, “What in the heck is Skillet Pickle Chicken?!” Eric thought I was nuts when I told him at first I was making Pickle Chicken. I just like the name! It doesn’t taste all that strongly of pickles… unless, that is, you leave it in the brine for a VERY long time. I did this, and It was honestly some of the best dang stuff I’ve ever eaten! But his opinion was that it tasted too pickle-y when I did that, so I found a happy medium on how much pickle juice to use, and for how long, yada yada. I am loving this Pickle Chicken and I think you will too!
Since I thought up this recipe, we’ve been eating this a lot… it’s like I’m living my best life as a toddler. Pepper and I are in heaven! It turns out there are only so many times a man can take eating chicken tenders and fries, so Eric’s a little over it. but this might just be my favorite meal ever! The only real downside to this recipe is that the brining process is of the utmost importance. And to do it right, it’s going to take some time, it really won’t work otherwise. So if you and your family want to enjoy these amazingly tender, delightfully flavorful, lightly breaded chicken tenders, I Promise it’s worth your time.
Let’s chat for a minute though! How’s it going? What month is it? June, you say? How in the world?!? For us livin here in the midwest, this spring was weird and very Wintery… and then all of a sudden it was like someone switched on a big light, and the bright sunny heat of Summer dropped right on top of us! I guess it beats the prolonged, gray, muddy springtime transition we endure most years, but it was kind of a shock.
Apparently, between this seasonal whiplash effect and my business trip out west for the food blogger’s conference, I completely lost my sense of time. Because I haven’t gotten a recipe up for weeks now! Not making excuses. I’ve just been loving my family, and cooking from the heart, you know? That’s my favorite kind’a cooking, where you’re not measuring and writing down all the ingredients. The downside to all that noise is that I gotta go back and redo everything and try to get it exactly like it was before, so I can share with y’all on this lil ol’ blog. But I’m gonna go ahead and wrap up the small talk because I know all y’all are here for this lil thing called Pickle Chicken! You’re gonna love it, and want to make it every single day for the rest of your life. (and if you have a 2-4 year old, I’m going to say this will be their new favorite thing. Unless they’re being extra toddler-ey… then they may decide to hate it. Because, toddlers, right?)
Let’s get in the kitchen!
Let’s start with some raw chicken. (I know, everyone’s very favorite pictures, right?) I usually use tenders, but I’ve also cut breasts into tender-shaped strips, and it works out well. It’s up to you. Yes, there is a tough, annoying strip of tendon tissue on tenders… I usually trim the upper part of the tendon out with a sharp knife or scissors real quick. That tends to be the most annoying part of the tender tendon. No pun intendered. Ha ha! I’m cracking myself up here!
If you’re still reading after that terrible joke I just made: I LOVE YA.
Now back to this chicken! It’s really simple. Ya see… you simply put it in a deep enough Tupperware, pour about 1 and 1/4 cups of pickle juice and about 3/4 cup of water over the chicken until it’s completely covered. Then cover with a tight fitting lid, and pop it in the fridge for about 8-10 hours. Yep, that’s all she wrote folks!
Let’s make it extra delicious though, okay?
When your chicken is done brining, grab a small bowl and add 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp onion powder.
Stir it all together until it’s combined well.
Important: After removing chicken from the brine, dab it dry with a paper towel. This will help the breading stick to the chicken better.
It’s time to toss the chicken into a large plastic bag with 1 teaspoon each of Olive Oil and Kosher Salt, and rub the oil and salt around enough to coat the chicken well.
Add the flour mixture to the chicken.
Then, Shake it! Shake it! Sh-sh-shake it!
Last but not least, warm a large skillet over medium heat then and add 2.5 tsp of vegetable oil. Swirl it around the skillet, then add the coated chicken to the pan and let the chicken cook and crisp up on each side for about 4 minutes, or until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees. Be sure not to crowd your pan! You’ll need to do this in two batches… when the first batch is done, just remove those steaming-hot tenders from the skillet and set them aside, add another 2.5 tsp of vegetable oil, and repeat!
Isn’t that just the prettiest plate of chicken you ever saw?
I swear I can smell these pictures!
Be sure to let the chicken sit on a plate and “rest” for 5-10 minutes. Letting the chicken rest just helps keep it super tender and juicy. Let’m rest before digging in. It’s non negotiable.
While these tenders were takin’ their lil siesta, I finished up some really, really yummy french fries in our Air Fryer! I’ll be sharing the recipe for those some time soon, so stay tuned for that.
Here’s some photos to make ya drool a lil:
Chicken n’ pickles go together like peanut butter n’ jelly, I’m tellin’ ya!
Y’all, get in that kitchen, and make yourselves some Skillet Pickle Chicken! And, as always, you know I wanna know how much you loved it. So please, let me know in the comments!
With love from my kitchen to yours,
Star
Skillet Pickle Chicken
Tender, juicy, and flavorful pickle brined chicken tenders lightly breaded and sautéed in a skillet.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups dill pickle juice
- 3/4 cup water
- 1.5 lbs chicken tenders raw or chicken breast cut into strips
- 5 tbsp white flour
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt divided
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 6 tsp vegetable oil divided
Instructions
To Brine Chicken:
- If using chicken tenders, trim the white tendon out of the top of the chicken tender. Lay raw tenders in a Tupperware, then cover them with pickle juice and water. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 8-10 hours. The longer the brine time, the more "pickle" taste will come through.
To Cook Pickle Chicken:
In a bowl, add flour and spices, and stir together well. Set aside. Remove the raw chicken from brine, dab each piece of chicken dry with a paper towel, and then place into a plastic bag.
- Add 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp vegetable oil, then massage the bag to make sure the chicken is completely coated.
- Add seasoned flour to the baggie and shake the chicken well until the pieces are completely coated.
- Warm up a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2.5 teaspoons of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add half the chicken, and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown (And until internal temp reaches 160 degrees). Remove and set aside.
- Put remaining chicken in skillet and simply repeat above instructions again. When the chicken is finished cooking remove from pan, set aside, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes as needed.
Recipe Notes
Serving Size: 5 ounces, cooked 2 Weight Watchers Freestyle Smart Points 195 calories, 6g fat, .5g saturated fat, 6g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 27g protein 3 SP/5 PP (previous weight watchers plans)
Made this tonight for my two guys, The younger being fussy. Everyone loved it. Definitely a new mix in our rotation. Paired it with Greek salad and fries for them and cauliflower mash for me. SOOO GOOD!
So happy everyone loved it, Michelle! Thanks for stopping by to rate and let me know!
I had some of this chicken last night and it was fabulous!! Could you tell me the sodium amount for this recipe? Thanks so much!
Made this last night, and it was delicious! So tender and flavorful! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I’m so happy you loved’m, Sarah! Thanks for letting me know!
Any clue how many smart points this recipe is
Hey Lara! In each and every blog post at the end there’s a printable recipe card in the notes section you’ll find the Smart Points information along with the nutritional content of the entire recipe. I hope this helps you in the future and I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Here’s the info for Skillet Pickle Chicken: Serving Size: 5 ounces, cooked
2 Weight Watchers Freestyle Smart Points
195 calories, 6g fat, .5g saturated fat, 6g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 27g protein
I’m so excited to try this! I am truly a pickle lover! Would I be able to bake these instead of frying in the skillet? Thanks!
Hey Kristen! I haven’t given them a go just in the oven so I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think the breading would work well. I will try to work on an air fryer/oven baked version of these!
Made this for the Super Bowl viewing. YUMMY! Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Made this tonight…..amazing!!!
Awesome thank you!
I was wondering if you could use almond flour instead of white flour??
Hi there! You can use almond flour in place of the white flour. I’ve seen a few others change it out and said it worked beautifully. enjoy!
Hi Star! I am excited to try this recipe! But, I am having a hard time making the calories you listed here match up when I add to it the recipe builder I’ve been using. Are there certain ingredients I should leave out when calculating calories? I only do this so that I can quickly re-calculate if I change something in the recipe for myself (like using 1 lb instead of 1.5 lbs of chicken). Thank you so much for your help!
Hi there! Let me double check things on my end and I will let you know.
3rd time making this recipe and enjoy it everytime. I marinated tge chicken in Claussen Kosher pickle spear juice, and it came out just as good as regular dill pickle juice.
I do want try in air fryer next time.
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
happy you enjoy it
How long would you do in the air fryer? Marinating now. Can’t wait to try it! May do some in skillet and some in air fryer to compare!
We love this chicken! We are Weight Watchers who are careful about what we eat. Our grandkids live with us and they BEG me to make this recipe again and again. I now cook it about once per week. Someone told me it reminded them a little of Chick-fil-A chicken.
That’s awesome to hear that y’all love it so much! From what I understand, Chick-fil-A brines their chicken in pickle juice as well so i’m guessing that’s where it reminds them of it!
I’m making tonight for the first time, what did you serve with it?
I do homemade fries and/or a salad. They also taste great on sandwiches. Hope you enjoy!
This is hands down one of the BEST meals I’ve made since joining WW over a years ago!!! I made oven fries and corn on the cob and was in heaven. Going to make it again later this week. Thank you so much, Star!
So happy you loved it!!
Do u happen to have an exact recipe for the dipping sauce?
This chicken is so good! Thanks for the great idea! Even my preschooler ate it despite hating all non-nugget chicken.
I made this today. Actually soaked them in pickle juice about 18 hours. They were very tender. Not a strong pickle flavor but tasty. I put them been Nature’s Own butter hamburger buns with fresh spinach, sliced tomato extra pickles and Chick Fil’a honey roasted barbeque sauce and barbeque chips. Delicious! Thanks for sharing great recipes.
My husband and I thought this was way too salty, but otherwise loved it. We will definitely make again, but take out the additional salt. Also, the some of the seasoning fell off, any tips?
Cooked in a cast iron pan, and paired with broccoli & cauliflower tater tots in the air fryer 🙂
try brining it for a little less time and that should reduce the salty taste a bit.
ooooooh girl! I made this with your garlic parmesan drop biscuits…my picky 5 year old calles it the beat meal ever…we all really enjoyed it. Thanks for helping to make eating on weight watchers yummy!
Looks yummy! You should make up a recipe for fried pickles so that we have something to do with all those extra pickles in the fridge.
Also, do you use cast iron?
OMG so good!!!! I just couldn’t get them crispy, what am I doing wrong?
I’ve accidentally left the chicken in the pickle juice 30 hours. Is it still ok?
I always marinate the chicken at least 24 hours and it tastes great!
My skillet skills aren’t strong, do you think this chicken could be baked after preparation? Love your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing your skills. Heading to the grocery tomorrow to get pickles and chicken!
I’m not good with my skillet skills. Do you think I could bake the chicken? Or switch out the flour with some Panko? Love your recipes. Trying this tomorrow. Thank you for sharing.
I did it with Panko in an air fryer and it was delicious!
Perfect! So happy you enjoyed. Thanks for letting me know, Stacey!
I made this for my husband recently, and he told me it was one of the most favorite things I’ve ever made for him. I’m making it again tonight with spicy dill pickle juice as we both love spicy things, and I’m so excited. You are absolutely the best, Star! ❤️
Yay!! So happy you and the hubs enjoyed, Sarah!
Tried the pickle chicken and the whole family loved it! We will definitely make thing again! Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
Thank you Thank you …It’s been deemed the best chicken my husband ever ate and he doesn’t like chicken mostly due to it always being dry. Very moist and delicious!
I over marinated mine and it turned out just fine!!!
Crossing my fingers, hoping my efforts to update my recipe binder today and get re-organized in my home are not for naught… hoping early this coming week to be offered a job transfer, which will mean a little less time at home in the evenings. Have printed several of your recipes today that I’ve saved over the last few weeks/months and just have to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for making them all so perfectly printer-friendly! It is SUCH a blessing! THANK YOU!
I came up with 3 points using ww calculator not 2 pts. Excited to try it tonight
Star, the pickle chicken was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Can’t wait for the air fryer recipe. The only issue I see is buying jars of pickles just so I can make this chicken every week. LOL
I had a quick question– Is it 1/4 cup of flour or 5 tbsp of flour? Also, I used all purpose flour bleached, I hope that was okay. It tasted delicious!!
Really good! I will definitely make this again. I served it with some homemade honey mustard dipping sauce for 2 extra points. I also came up with 3 Freestyle points in the recipe builder. Still, a very low point delicious and easy meal! Thank you!
This was so easy and tasted fantastic. Definitely a keeper and will make again. Now keeping all pickle juice when jar is empty. I marinated 24+ hours (just worked out that way) and it had a hint of pickle not overwhelming. It was perfect, got a taste of fried chicken like Chick Filet. I served on a slider roll that is similar to Hawaiian rolls but not a sweet. PERFECT! LOVE IT.
THIS was the review i have bern searching for, thank you. I was panicking as I read a recipe that I THOUGHT said “marinate 2 hours or overnight” but when i just put my glasses on it ACTUALLY said “marinate 2 hours overnight will be too long”. Whoops. Its been in there soaking for almost 24 hours!
Can I just tell you how much I love this recipe?! It’s amazing!! My execution kind of stunk (could be because I was playing referee to my 2 year old twins and trying to cook), and it still tasted delicious! I am a huge fan of ALL your recipes, and this one is my new fav!! Thanks for all the deliciousness! I was trying to give it 5 stars, but I’m on my phone so I’m not sure it worked.
Made this last night so good!!
This was so good! My girls loved it too. My husband, who hates pickles, gave it a “not bad.” That’s a win in my book!
Can’t wait to try this. I can pickles every year and use the juice to make ice cubes for my beer!!! it’s a very delicious combination. But, now I’ll try this when my sister gets here tomorrow from Seattle. She’s also a master canner. Our whole family cans. Everyone LOVES them and thinks we should sell our recipe.
Wow! Pickle juice in beer! Sounds good! I may try that!
Still sitting at the dinner table with a piece or two left to eat. This has been deemed – “best chicken ever”.
I made this last night & all my boys loved it! The chicken was so moist! Another great recipe – Thank you, Star!
Though I have really enjoyed all of your recipes that I have tried, I must say Puckke Chicken was the one that my son was most excited about. It did not fail! Absolutely delicious! Thank you!!!
Pickle! Not puckkle…sorry about that.
This was awesome. My breading kept falling off in the pan but I think it’s bc there was a but of brine in the ziplock bag that dripped off the chicken. Maybe next time I will check if that happened and drain it off before adding the oil. The flavor here was everything I hoped for! Thank you so much.
Can you buy just pickle juice at the store or do you just use the juice from a jar of pickles? If so, is there enough juice in 1 jar of pickles? Thanks! Looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
Could you bake these instead of the skillet?
do you think this would be easy to do while camping?
I’m not very experienced with camping and cooking so I’m not sure, but I will say it’s super easy to throw the chicken in the brine let it set all day and then shake the chicken in a baggie with the flour and spices. I’d say it should be easy!
Looks delish… Going to try it with Atlantic Cod for supper. Sure it will be tastey too..
Love this recipe. The chicken taste so yummy. I created the recipe in the WW app and I keep getting 3 freestyle pts for a serving Love this recipe. The chicken taste so yummy. Still a win! Thank you for this delicious recipe
I’ll double check the points, thanks! I’m so happy you enjoyed!
I’m new to WW and I must be doing something wrong. Trying to track this and I’m getting 5 SP for 5 oz. that can’t be right!
I was just going to ask this same question! I plugged the nutritional details AND the ingredients in and both are coming up as three points (Still a STEAL, as far as I’m concerned!)
Do you think using the air fryer for the Chicken would work, I am currently obsessed with my Air Fryer.
Or does it need that little bit of oil in a pan?
You did it again!!
Love love love!!!
I even enjoyed the pickle joke!
What kind of Skillet are using when you fry chicken?! I think I need an update.
Thanks!!!
Star,I have my chicken in the pickle brineI decided this morning to make it for dinner great minds huh? I’m going to air fry mine
Yay!
Is there a certain type of pickle juice you use for this recipe?
dill pickle juice. I’ll specify. Sorry!
I decided to not buy more jars of pickles for the juice, so I checked at Amazon.com for dill pickle juice. Turned out that shipping cost the same as the juice which totaled about $22 delivered. I found exactly the same brand and size of pickle juice at Walmart for less than $6 (for a gallon).
I was just going to ask where in the world do I get pickle juice. So I can buy the juice without the pickles??
Dill or sweet pickle juice?
Dill
Do you think this could be done in an air fryer?
I am testing out the Air Fryer version right now. This exact recipe does work in the air fryer just fine, but the breading doesn’t stick as well and that bothers me.
I Was watching a video on air fried pickle chips and they let them rest in the fridge after breading to supposedly help the breading stick. Worth trying with the chicken
One reason I love Chick dil a, this is what they do to their chicken!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Have you tried cooking the tenders in your air fryer?
I have. It worked, but the breading doesn’t stick as perfectly as it does in the skillet. I am planning on doing an Air Fryer version of these in the next month or so.
I would love the air fryer recipe!
I second this! I struggle with the stove & use my air fryer for EVERYTHING so an air fried recipe would be devine!
I have prepared this recipe several times and it is a favorite. I’ve also tried it in an air fryer and did not get good results – the chicken was cooked, but not seared or crispy.
so happy you enjoyed, Chris! I have it on my to-do list to create an air fryer version with a different breading. I haven’t had luck with this particular breading in the air fryer.
This sounds so yummy. Do you use dill or bread and butter pickles?
Dill pickles. I hope you enjoy!
Oh my delicious!! Can you tell me what kind of pickle chips you laid on the chicken for the pics? They look divine!