I am a firm believer in the pickle theory, which is the idea that a relationship can only be harmonious when there is one person who loves pickles and another who doesn’t. I must admit that I’m not the biggest fan of pickles, but my husband will happily take them off my plate. And I kid you not, my five-year-old loves pickles so much, he claims that pickle juice is his favorite beverage (we let him drink some pickle juice once). Sometimes he even requests that we refer to him as “Pickle.”

So when I learned about pickle-brined chicken, I knew my family would love it. Plus, it gave me something to do with all those jars of leftover pickle juice that have been accumulating in our fridge. I’m also happy to report that for those who don’t love pickles, brining your meat in pickle juice does make it taste overwhelmingly like pickles (though the longer you brine the chicken, the more pronounced the flavor will be). Instead, while it does lend a subtle pickle flavor to the chicken, the pickle brine mostly keeps the cooked chicken tender and juicy—and what’s not to love about that?

Ingredients for Pickle-Brined Chicken

• Chicken breasts: This recipe calls for 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Boneless chicken is perfect for quick-cooking on the stovetop.
• Pickle brine: This is the perfect recipe for using up that leftover pickle brine you always feel guilty about throwing away (or is that just me?). If you bought the jumbo jar of pickles and still have leftovers after making this stovetop chicken recipe, there are several other ways to use leftover pickle brine, and other pickle recipes for the leftover crunchy cucumbers.
• Seasoned flour: Flour seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper makes a flavor-packed coating for the chicken. The coating adds flavor and texture to the chicken and also helps to seal in moisture as it cooks.
• Olive oil: This flavorful cooking oil prevents the chicken from sticking to the pan as it cooks. Save the extra-virgin olive oil for dipping and dressings; regular olive oil is your best bet for cooking.
• Butter: The butter adds rich flavor to the chicken, and when you combine it with olive oil, there’s less of a chance it will burn as the chicken cooks.

Taste of Home