Pickle Fried Chicken! Was it something I dreamed? I couldn’t find the recipe that I thought I had seen ANYWHERE! I searched all of the food magazines I’d bought recently, and not so recently, and all of the none food magazines, too. I searched the Internet. I looked in my files. There’s not a recipe for Pickle Fried Chicken anywhere… A memory is a terrible thing to waste. Luckily though, I DID remember part of the recipe I thought I’d read: brine the chicken in “pickle juice until it turns a bit green… Stay with me here…!” I remember that part word-for-word!* So that’s what I did. I brined chicken tenders in pickle juice for 30 minutes. For the battering and frying part I used a technique I had used before. Success! Pickle fried chicken! Tasty, as I knew it would be. Next time, I think I will make Poppers…, Pickle Fried Poppers! I’ll cut the tenders into thirds and proceed as below, but probably cooking the chicken for a little less time. It’s time for the Olympics. These would be great as part of a TV dinner. BTW…, while you’re making these and waiting for the Olympics coverage to air, watch “Cool Runnings”. What a great way to spend a Saturday!
PS. My elder daughter wants to try these in a sandwich…, ciabatta, Thousand Island dressing, lettuce, Pickle Fried chicken, and a few pickles…, YUM!
Polly’s Pickle Fried Chicken
1 lb. chicken tenders (8 or 9)
about 1 cup pickle juice (drained from a jar of pickles)
1 cup flour (divided use)
1/2 cup buttermilk
salt and pepper, to taste
Oil for frying
Brine the chicken tenders in the pickle juice for approximately two hours. Put ½ cup flour in shallow bow (like a pie plate), ½ cup buttermilk in another shallow bowl, ½ cup flour in third shallow bowl. Set a wire rack next to the third bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of salt (yes, the chicken does need a bit more salt) and pepper into both bowls of flour, and stir. In assembly line fashion, take each tender from the pickle juice, dredge in first bowl of flour, carefully dip and cover in buttermilk, then dredge in flour in the next bowl and then place on wire rack to dry for about 30 minutes.
You might need to test one. Don’t overcook the chicken. Drain cooked chicken on a rack or on paper towel. Serve warm. One of my daughters wanted Ranch Dressing on the side. I just wanted a bit more salt (Maldon’s Sea Salt, of course).
*Found the source! This recipe was inspired by “Andy’s Pickle Fried Chicken”, page 113 in the magazine Mixing Bowl 2010 (a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication).
Olympics here I come! And if you stop by…, I’ll have some Pickle Fried Poppers and Nanaimo Bars to share with you 🙂