Pickle-Brined Chicken Bites with Blue Cheese Dip

If you've been pouring the leftover juice from your pickle jar down the drain, this recipe is about to change that habit for good.

That brine is liquid gold. Soaking chicken in pickle juice and dill seasons and tenderizes the meat from the inside out, so every bite is tangy before it ever hits the coating. Then a crushed cornflake crust brings the crunch — the shattering, hear-it-across-the-room kind — and a cool blue cheese sauce ties it all together with a bold, creamy finish.

Fair warning: these disappear fast. They're the first thing to go at backyard cookouts, game day spreads, and holiday parties alike, so doubling the batch is less a suggestion and more a survival strategy.

Ingredients

Chicken Brine

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Pickle juice, to taste
• Pickle chips, to taste
• Dill, to taste

Blue Cheese Sauce

• 2 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt
• Blue cheese crumbles, to taste
• Chopped chives, to taste
• Sea salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Chicken

• Cornflakes, to taste
• 1 egg, whisked
• Flour, to taste
• Fry oil, to taste
• Toothpicks

How to Make Pickle-Brined Chicken Bites

1. First, slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to a bowl. Pour pickle juice and dill over the top and let marinate for at least one hour or overnight.
2. Next, add cornflakes to a zip-lock bag and pound until they form a coarse crumb. Then set up a dredging station with flour in one bowl, whisked egg in a second, and crushed cornflakes in a third. Add fry oil to a deep pan.
3. Working a few pieces at a time, coat the chicken in flour, then egg, then the cornflake mixture, making sure each piece is evenly coated.
4. Once the oil reaches 350 degrees F, add the chicken a few pieces at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes depending on the size of the pieces, flipping halfway through, until the outside is browned and crispy and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. After that, transfer to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate.
5. Meanwhile, make the blue cheese sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mixing until thoroughly combined.
6. Finally, to assemble, thread a piece of chicken, a small dollop of blue cheese sauce, and a pickle chip onto each toothpick. Repeat with remaining pieces and serve.

Tricks for the Crunchiest Bites

• Marinate overnight if you can. An hour works, but a full night in the brine gives you the deepest pickle flavor.
• Pat the chicken dry before dredging so the flour actually sticks and the crust stays put.
• Keep the cornflake crumb coarse, not powdery — those bigger flakes are where the crunch lives.
• Don't crowd the pan. Too many pieces at once drops the oil temperature and you end up with soggy instead of crispy.

These are made for grazing outdoors — passed around the patio before dinner, or set out during the game while half the crew wanders off toward the hot tub. And if frying up appetizers for a crowd has you wishing for more counter space and a better setup, it's worth seeing what a custom outdoor kitchen can do for the way you host.

If backyard hosting is your thing, come browse the showroom in Coeur d'Alene or Post Falls, or reach out for a free consultation. We'll help you build a space that keeps the party outside.

Credit: Recipe courtesy of Abigail at Bon Abbetit