Dill Pickle Brined Chicken Tenders
I might be obsessed with pickles and thats OK with me! I love to enjoy my tenders with a side of Dill Pickle Ranch- Whats your favorite AIP dip?
Being on an elimination diet doesn’t by any means require that you give up the occasional fried food! Remember fat is not your enemy here, though you do want to ensure you’re frying in a fat that has a high smoke point and is not going to become damaged by the heat; Avocado and Coconut Oil are excellent for frying or high oven temperatures, I do not recommend frying in Olive Oil.
Some of the best fried chicken recipes rely on brining the chicken pieces in buttermilk, its acidity providing a means of tenderizing the meat, while also helping it absorb the flavors of the seasonings and retain moisture (you can thank osmosis for this). Since Buttermilk isn’t AIP we’re going to borrow one of the oldest fried chicken-hacks utilized by a few of the tastiest chicken places in existence—pickle brine. If you stop and think about it, pickle brine is the perfect partner for chicken, especially white meat chicken; its already seasoned and has been marrying its flavors since it was packed in that jar, the even bigger bonus is that its basically FREE! You all know that gets me going.
With a little forethought you can have delicious fried chicken tenders on the table in under 20 minutes. The chicken does need to hang out in the brine for several hours, so plan accordingly. There may even be some seasoned coating mix leftover, if you’re like me remove any clumps and pop it in a freezer bag and save it for the next time a craving hits!
Ingredients
6-8 Chicken Tenderloin Pieces or 2 Breast pieces sliced into tenders
1 cup (approx) Dill Pickle Brine (I love Grillos!)
1/4 cup Coconut Yogurt (optional)
1 recipe Grain Free Shake and Bake
Equipment
Deep non-reactive bowl, glass or SS
Heavy bottomed skillet (cast iron is great)
Neutral Oil for frying, about 1“ deep in 10” skillet (about 1 cup)
Splatter screen
Candy/Frying thermometer
Tongs
Cooling rack lined with paper towel or brown paper bag
Meat Thermometer
Method
Combine chicken pieces and pickle brine (+optional coconut yogurt) in a deep bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours, it can go longer, but I don’t recommend going beyond 8 or the texture of the chicken may suffer. Remove from the fridge about an hour before cooking so it can come up to room temperature.
Prepare your work area:
Put oil in your skillet, attach thermometer and set to medium-low heat until temperature reaches 350F
Set up your cooling rack and get your tongs handy
For the Coating Mix: combine the cassava flour, tapioca starch, salt and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Set aside. (see Grain Free Shake and Bake for measurements)
Remove chicken from brine a couple pieces at a time, placing in the coating mix. Press the coating in to the chicken and flip. Repeat until all the nooks and crannies are covered. Shake gently to remove excess and carefully transfer to hot oil using a fork or tongs, and always laying it down away from you. Cook for about 4 minutes and carefully turn over, cook the remaining side for 3-4 minutes. Remove and place on cooling rack. Repeat for remaining chicken pieces.
Notes: Don’t crowd the pan, it will make turning the chicken much more difficult and will also cause the temperature of the oil to drop too much. For my 10” skillet I can fry about 3-4 tenders at a time. If it takes multiple batches to get all of the chicken cooked, keep the chicken warm in a 300F oven on the cooling rack, it should stay nice and crisp without drying out.
Nutrition Facts are approximate. Generated based on recipe ingredients rather than what is in finished product.