Pickle-Brined Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Anyone who’s been following me for at least a couple of months knows that my obsessed with Bubbies Pickles runs deep. I love their sauerkraut, I love their dill pickles, but most of all, I love their bread and butter pickles. They’re perfectly crisp, sweet but not too sweet, and I always have T least one jar in the refrigerator. I have pickle competition too – Mattis is can’t get enough of them.

Several years ago I started saving the pickle brine every time I finish a jar of pickles to marinate chicken or pork in. I usually throw the chicken straight in the jar, but that sort of looks like a Frankenstein science experiment, so for my IGTV I combined the chicken and brine in a ziploc. Do your thing!

A meat brine typically consists of water, salt and/or sugar, and lots of delicious spices. Guess what?! That’s exactly what’s in a pickle brine. Sure, it’s a little green from the pickles, but it doesn’t turn the chicken green, I promise!

You can grill up your chicken and serve it with a salad and some roasted veggies – or take dinner time up a notch and make these pickle-brined grilled chicken sandwiches. The chicken is perfectly juicy and tender, and the special sauce takes them over the top.

Pickle-Brined Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients

• Pickle-Brined Chicken
• 4 large boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
• 1 cup Bubbie’s Bread and Butter pickle brine
• cooking spray
• Special Sauce
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped Bubbie’s Bread and Butter Pickles
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Bubbie’s Bread and Butter pickle brine
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt

To assemble

• 4 brioche or potato buns
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
• 1/3 cup Bubbie’s Bread and Butter pickles

Instructions

• In a large bowl or ziploc, combine 4 large chicken thighs and 1 1/2 cups pickle brine. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature, or a maximum of 4 hours in the fridge. Don’t marinate for longer than that – the acid in the brine will make the chicken a funky texture.
• In a separate large bowl, make the special sauce. Whisk together 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup chopped pickles, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon pickle brine, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and a big pinch of kosher salt.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high and spray with cooking spray. Grill the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. While the chicken rests, quickly toast the inside of 4 buns for about 30 seconds.
• Slather the bottoms of the buns with special sauce, and pile iceberg on top. Then the chicken, some tomato slices if they’re in season, some pickles, more special sauce on the top bun, and close the sandwich. Devour immediately!

• Pickle-Brined Chicken
• 4 large boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
• 1 cup Bubbie’s Bread and Butter pickle brine
• cooking spray
• Special Sauce
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped Bubbie’s Bread and Butter Pickles
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Bubbie’s Bread and Butter pickle brine
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt

To assemble

• 4 brioche or potato buns
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
• 1/3 cup Bubbie’s Bread and Butter pickles