The Briny Marinade That Will Supercharge Your Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is a classic American comfort food. The crispy skin and delicious, tender meat are an amazing combination that can get almost any mouth watering. But as good as it is, chefs never stop trying to come up with ways to make it better. One great way to enhance the flavor and juiciness of your chicken is with a brine. Brining involves soaking meat in some kind of salt water solution to add flavor and moisture. If you've done it before, you probably already have a favorite brine, but there's one you may not have considered and might have in your fridge right now: pickle juice. 

Pickle juice might seem like an unusual brine — which it is — but it can also be a great one. When used to brine chicken, it adds that signature herby, tangy pickle flavor and helps to make the meat incredibly juicy. Clearly, it's also a must for pickle lovers. Just put your raw chicken in a bowl, cover it with pickle juice, and leave it in the fridge for about three to eight hours before you begin the breading and frying process.

There are plenty of unusual ways to make your fried chicken juicier, like canned cream of chicken soup for the batter. The next time you make fried chicken, don't be afraid to experiment, starting with that spare pickle juice waiting in your fridge. You never know what fantastic combinations are waiting if you're only willing to try them.

If you don't have an empty jar of pickles handy for your pickle brine, don't worry! You can make your own pickle juice — or at least something very close — at home. All you need is one cup of vinegar, one of water, two cups each of kosher salt, sugar, and classic pickle spices like mustard seed, whole coriander seeds, black peppercorns, dill, and cloves. Boil it all together on the stove until the salt and sugar dissolve, then remove from heat, add two cups of ice cubes, and chill in the fridge.

Feel free to add your favorite spices and seasonings, too. This is still going to be a chicken brine after all, so garlic or onion powder, paprika, thyme, and rosemary are all great additions that work well with the base flavor of fried chicken. Don't be afraid to experiment further and bring in other, perhaps unexpected seasonings; even mayo can be a great ingredient for marinating chicken when used in the right amounts.

It's also important to remember that there are many different kinds of pickles. Sweet pickles have much more sugar than dill ones, which affects the taste and texture of your chicken. A little sugar in a brine can transform chicken and counteract the salt's flavor, but too much can over-accelerate browning and unpleasantly affect texture. In cases like these where the brine has an extreme of one ingredient, it's best to either use a different one or try to balance out the extra sugar with more salt.