Pickle-Brined Crispy Chicken Sandwich with Hot Honey

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When I have an empty jar of pickles with just the juice left, I know exactly what to do. That pickle brine is liquid gold, and it is the secret to the juiciest, most flavorful crispy chicken sandwich. This is one of those recipes that feels indulgent but is actually pretty simple once you get started.

Brining the chicken in pickle juice keeps it tender and seasoned all the way through. It adds a subtle tang that makes a huge difference after frying. The chicken stays juicy on the inside and gets perfectly crispy on the outside. That contrast is everything you want in a fried chicken sandwich.

The hot honey takes it over the top. A little sweetness, a little heat, and just enough drizzle to soak into the crunchy coating. It balances the salty chicken so well and adds that sticky, spicy finish that keeps you coming back for another bite.

I love pairing this sandwich with a simple slaw. Nothing heavy or overly creamy. Just crisp cabbage, a light dressing, and enough crunch to cut through the richness of the chicken. It adds freshness and keeps the sandwich from feeling too heavy.

This is the kind of sandwich I make when I want something really satisfying. It feels like something you would order at a great sandwich shop, but it is totally doable at home. The pickle brine, the crunch, the hot honey, and the slaw all work together in the best way.

So next time you finish a jar of pickles, do not toss that juice. Save it for a chicken sandwich like this. Crispy, juicy, a little spicy, and completely worth the mess.

Pickle-Brined Hot Honey Crispy Chicken Sandwish

This delicious dill pickle brined fried chicken topped with hot honey and homemade slaw makes for a show stopping sandwich that'll make your mouth water just thinking about it.

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Prep Time 1 day d

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Servings 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

  

Chicken

• 2 chicken breasts sliced in half crosswise (thighs also work here, if so use 4 and no need to cut in half)
• 2 cups dill pickle brine
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 stems fresh dill
• 1 cup buttermilk this is important to get the right crisp on your chicken
• 1 cup flour all purpose
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups canola or vegetable oil

Pickle mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 24 dill pickle coins 24 give or take, just chop up a large handful

Slaw

• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1/2 pickle-mayonnaise mixture
• 2 tbsp pickle brine
• dash fresh cracked black pepper optional

For serving

• 4 brioche buns toasted
• 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
• handful dill pickle coins
• hot honey drizzled on top

Instructions

 

• Begin with preparing your chicken to marinate. If you are using breasts, cut in half crosswise and use a meat mallet to tenderize until breasts are about 1.5 inch thick. If using thighs, no need to cut but also tenderize to 1.5 inch thick
• Add chicken into a plastic resealable bag, or food storage container along with the 2 cups of pickle brine, fresh dill and garlic cloves. Allow to marinate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours (the longer the tastier)
• Prepare the pickle mayonnaise by mixing mayonnaise with 24 (or so) chopped pickles
• Add half the mayonnaise mixture to 2 cups of shredded cabbage along with 2 tbsp pickle juice and fresh cracked black pepper
• When chicken is ready to be fried, place buttermilk in a shallow bowl, in a second bowl add the flour, cornstarch, onion powder and garlic powder
• Add your neutral cooking oil to a large dutch oven (should be about 2 inches deep), and heat on medium-high to 325°
• One at a time, remove chicken from pickle brine, dip and fully coat with buttermilk then into the flour mixture. I like to repeat this twice to get a good coat. Buttermilk one more time, and then coat in flour mixture. Transfer to a side plate and repeat steps with remaining chicken
• Once the oil is hot, one by one add chicken to the pan. Careful not to overcrowd, usually doing just 2 pieces at a time. Flip chicken every 2 minutes and remove when chicken is fully cooked through (about 7-8 minutes total) once chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165℉
• Toast brioche buns – option to use a toaster on "bagel" setting so it only toasts the inside, or adding cooking oil spray or 1 tbsp butter to a non stick pan, placing buns split side down and toasting for about 2 minutes
• Slather buns with remaining pickle mayonnaise, add chicken, drizzle with hot honey, top with sliced red onions, pickle coins and slaw

  ENJOY

Notes

The buttermilk and cornstarch are both key components to making this fried chicken crisp perfectly, try not to use any substitutions. 

Salt is hardly needed due to all the sodium in the pickle brine used throughout the recipe, but feel free to add it where you feel you want it. 

If you’d like to add more spice feel free to add some hot sauce (such as Franks Red Hot) to the pickle mayonnaise, start with 1 tbsp!

Keyword dill pickle, fried chicken, pickle brined, sandwich, slaw

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