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+ servings
Air fried breaded pickle brined chicken on a plate drizzled with Hot Honey Sauce.
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5 from 1 vote

Pickle Brine Chicken - Air Fryer

Time is on your side here so plan ahead but with simple ingredients you will have Fried Chicken the whole family will love.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Chill Time1 day 7 hours
Total Time1 day 8 hours 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 577kcal

Equipment

  • air fryer
  • Oven if working in batches
  • racks Racks are preferred for breaded chicken to chill on and/or stay warm in the oven if working in batches. Platters or sheet pans will also work.

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs chicken pieces See Note 1.
  • Olive oil for spraying

Brine

  • ¼ cup sugar See Note 2
  • 3 Tbsps white vinegar See Note 2 to substitute dill pickle juice.
  • 2 Tbsps pickling spices
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ cup kosher salt Kosher salt is preferrred but if you have to use table salt reduce to 2 Tbps.
  • 2 cups water

Marinade

Breading

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon dried dill
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 2 tsps garlic powder
  • 2 tsps onion powder
  • 2 tsps sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon table sea salt
  • Hot Honey Sauce optional

Instructions

Brine

  • Combine all brine ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve salt and sugar. Allow mixure to cool to room temperature. (Set pot in cold water half way up if you want to speed this up).
  • Arrange chicken skin side down in a sealable container. Cover with brine. (If chicken is not completely covered add more water to ensure it is submerged. See Note 3.) Brine at least 4 hours or overnight is even better.

Marinate and Bread

  • A few hours before cooking - drain the brine off the chicken. Lightly rinse or brush off any residual pickling spices. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken in the same container you used to brine it. Marinate at least 20 minutes if at room temperature or 1-4 hours in the fridge. See Note 4.
  • At least 45 minutes before starting to cook - Mix all the breading ingredients in a large sealable bag. Drain the buttermilk from the chicken. Lay chicken out in one layer on paper towels. Cover with more paper towel and pat dry.
  • Toss the chicken pieces in the breading mix to coat liberally. You will have to work in batches with about 3 pieces of chicken at a time. When breaded arrange the chicken pieces on a wire rack in single layer - not touching. Optional-Allow breaded chicken to rest in the fridge at least 30 minutes or up to several hours. See Note 5.

Air Fryer

  • When ready to cook, spray the breaded chicken liberally with olive oil on all sides. Grease your air fryer racks according to your manufacturer's instructions. Cook on Air fryer setting. Timing will depend on size of your chicken breasts. Large breasts took about 35 minutes for me. Use a temperature probe to ensure chicken has reached 165° F internal temperature. See Note 6.
  • You may need to Air fry in batches. If so - transfer the cooked chicken to your oven at 325° to keep warm while the other batch cooks.

Skillet Fry

  • Heat enough oil in a heavy skillet to come about ⅓ of the side of the skillet. Oil should be enough to come half way up the chicken pieces. Heat oil to between 360°-375°. Watch oil carefully so it doesn't over heat. Add chicken in one layer and fry turning once until internal temp reaches 165°. This may take about 6 minutes per side. If working in batches transfer cooked chicken to an oven tray to keep warm. Return oil to temperature before adding each batch of chicken. Do not over crowd the skillet an you may need to adjust burner temperature if chicken is browning too quickly.
  • Serve with Hot Honey Sauce if desired.

Notes

Note 1:  You can use any combination of chicken pieces that you like. You can use skinless or boneless or any combination.  I used bone in, skinless breasts and full skin, bone in thighs.
Note 2:   You can just use dill pickle juice for the brine if you prefer. You will need at least 2 cups or more to ensure the chicken pieces are submerged. If using dill pickle juice you can reduce the brine time to 8 hours and have plenty  of flavour.
Note 3:  I prefer not to dilute the brine so choose a container that you can pack the chicken pieces in fairly tightly and cover with brine. If the brine just reaches the top of the chicken you can turn the chicken half way through the brining process.
Note 4:  Timing here is forgiving.  The pickle brine has served to tenderize the chicken so the buttermilk here is adding flavour and helping the texure of the breading.  20 minutes minimum at room temperture or several hours in the fridge will still be okay.
Note 5:  Chilling the breaded chicken is optional but I find it makes the breading sturdier and also means I can prep the chicken well ahead of serving time.  If you skip this step jut transfer the breaded chicken to a rack or platter and proceed to cook.
Note 6:  Timing will depend on the power of your machine, size of chicken pieces, skin on, skin off etc.   Large breasts skin off, and thighs skin on took about 35 minutes for me.  I have 2 racks in my Pampered Chef so I also switched the rack positions half way through.  Just make sure chicken reaches 165 Degrees internal temp.

Nutrition

Calories: 577kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 4006mg | Potassium: 487mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 596IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 4mg