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I’ve made all kinds of fried chicken and have marinated in buttermilk, or not at all, dredged in a combo of panko and flour and have deep fried on occasion. But, this particular combination of overnight marination in pickle juice (I swear by Claussen’s juice.) followed by a yogurt (Fage) and Sriracha bath, is by far the best I’ve ever made. The flavor can’t be beat and the chicken is just so moist! You are going to want to try my Fried Dill Pickle Chicken Thighs.
I have been making tons of sliders and burgers all summer, and was staring at a jar of pickle juice with just one lone pickle left. I ate the pickle and then thought, what could I do with the juice? I mean, it is seasoned and packed with flavor so I decided to try it as a marinade on some chicken. I left it sit overnight in the fridge to really soak into the meat.
When the yogurt has done its job (about two hours), wipe off any excess and then dredge the chicken through the heavily seasoning flour. Make sure the thighs are completely coated.
Heat your oil in a cast iron skillet until it reaches 400 degrees F. on a thermometer. Gently add the breaded chicken, skin side down, and let cook for 8-10 minutes. You want the chicken golden brown. Gently flip the chicken over and cook an additional 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. If you are using very large chicken thighs, you don’t want to skin to get too dark. You can place the fried chicken on a rack set over a baking sheet and put in a 350 degree F. oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes to cook through.
This is a great tip for entertaining large groups or making large quantities of fried chicken. You can “hold” the chicken in a warm oven while cooking off the rest of the chicken. It is really hard to overcook chicken thighs, so frying them up in batches and keeping them in a warm oven (200-250 degrees F.) is a great way to keep food hot until ready to serve.
If serving the chicken right away, remove them from the oil and place on a rack over a baking sheet to let excess oil drain. This will keep the chicken crispy. Sprinkle with salt as soon as they come out of the oil .
I don’t know how often I’ll have a jar of pickle juice laying around, but now I have another reason to purchase them…I want that juice! Give this one a try. You are going to be blown away by the flavor. It is an easy recipe but you do have to plan ahead so you have time to marinate and bathe your chicken, but it is so worth it.
Like chicken thighs? Be sure to try some of my other chicken thigh dinner recipes like my Cast-Iron Skillet Chicken with Baby Potatoes or my Plum Glazed Chicken Thighs. Don’t forget to try the Chicken, Peaches & Cream too, it is a family favorite.
If you are searching for other fried recipes, check out some of my favorites.
Ebi Tempura (Japanese Shrimp Tempura) with Ginger and Lime Dipping Sauce
Fried Dill Pickle Chicken Thighs
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
- 1 Cup Dill pickle juice (Claussen is my pickle juice of choice)
- 1 Cup Greek yogurt (FAGE is my fav!)
- 1 Tbsp. Sriracha
- 1 1/2 Cups All purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. Paprika
- 1 Tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
- Kosher Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
- Canola Oil for frying
Instructions
- Trim the chicken thighs of any excess fat and/or skin. Place in a bowl and cover with the pickle juice. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight.
- Drain the pickle juice from the bowl with chicken. In a separate bowl mix the yogurt and Sriracha. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken thighs on all sides. Add to the yogurt mixture and coat the chicken on all sides. Let marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours. Remove from the fridge at least 1/2 hour before cooking.
- Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet. The oil should be no deeper than half way up the side of the skillet. Bring the oil to 400 degrees. (Check with a thermometer.)
- Meanwhile place the flour, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and large pinches of salt and pepper to a plate or shallow bowl. Mix well.
- Remove the chicken from the yogurt and wipe off excess. The chicken will still be coated with yogurt. Roll the chicken in the flour dredge and completely coat the thighs.
- Gently add to the skillet, skin side down and let cook until golden brown. 8-10 minutes. Gently flip the chicken over and cook until the second side is golden brown. Another 8 minutes.
- If the chicken thighs are large and the crust is really brown (you don’t want to overcook the crust), simply place on a rack set over a baking sheet and put into a 350 degree oven for another 10-15 minutes to cook all the way through.
- Place on a platter and sprinkle with salt. Enjoy.
