Pickle Brined Chicken Sliders (Printable)
Juicy pickle-brined fried chicken on soft buns with zesty toppings—crispy, tangy mini sandwiches.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken and Marinade
01 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into slider-sized pieces
02 - 1 cup dill pickle brine
03 - 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
→ Breading
04 - 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
05 - ⅓ cup cornstarch
06 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
08 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
10 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
→ Frying
11 - 2 cups vegetable oil
→ Assembly
12 - 8 slider buns
13 - 8 dill pickle slices
14 - 4 lettuce leaves, halved
15 - 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
16 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
# Directions:
01 - Place chicken pieces in a bowl and submerge in pickle brine and hot sauce. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for optimal flavor penetration.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper until evenly combined.
03 - Remove chicken from the brine and discard the used liquid. Pat each piece dry thoroughly with paper towels. Coat chicken pieces in the seasoned flour mixture, pressing firmly to ensure full adhesion on all sides.
04 - Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet or heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F. Carefully lower chicken pieces into the oil in small batches, frying 4 to 6 minutes per side until deeply golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
05 - Stir mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl. Spread the sauce on the bottom half of each slider bun. Layer with a lettuce leaf half, a piece of fried chicken, and a dill pickle slice. Cap with the top bun.
06 - Serve the sliders immediately while the chicken is still hot and the coating is at peak crispiness.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The pickle brine does something almost magical to the chicken, keeping it incredibly juicy while adding a tangy depth that regular buttermilk just cannot match.
- Cornstarch in the breading creates an extra shatteringly crisp crust that holds up even under a pile of toppings.
02 -
- Do not skip patting the chicken dry before dredging, because wet brine on the surface turns the breading into a gummy paste instead of a crisp shell.
- Frying too many pieces at once drops the oil temperature fast, leaving you with greasy soggy chicken rather than something shatteringly crisp.
03 -
- Overnight marinating in the brine transforms the chicken from good to genuinely memorable, so do it whenever time allows.
- Mix the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard sauce while the chicken fries so everything comes together hot and ready at the same moment.