Love the tangy, garlicky flavor of dill pickle juice? You aren’t alone! I am entirely enamored with dill pickle flavor on popcorn, dips, and as a pan sauce for this chicken recipe.
You’ll get the luscious pickle flavor from the pan sauce and a stovetop sear in a skillet without the time involved from brining chicken quarters overnight.
While this recipe uses bone-in chicken quarters, you’ll want to reduce the cooking time if you use boneless meat.
Use a meat thermometer whenever possible so you don’t overcook or undercook the bird. Internal temp should read 165F.
How long to cook chicken quarters
The baking time of chicken quarters will depend on the temperature of your oven. As a rule of thumb, you can bake bone-in chicken quarters covered at 375⁰F for 40-45 minutes.
Be sure to use a meat thermometer for the most accurate way to tell if chicken is fully cooked.
How do I reheat chicken quarters?
The trick to reheating chicken quarters with the bone in is not to cook them too long or too fast so that the meat doesn’t get tough and dried out.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Don't lose this recipe! Enter your email and we'll send it instantly.
For a saucy dish, move to a microwave-safe dish, cover, and reheat one piece at a time for 30 seconds on high, turn, and cook again for 25 seconds. Or, reheat on medium in a skillet on the stove top, covered, for about five minutes, spooning the sauce over the meat and flipping it once.
For one or two pieces that have no sauce, you can wrap the chicken loosely in a moist paper towel and heat on high in the microwave for 30 seconds, then turn, and heat for an additional 20 seconds. Let it rest in the microwave for one minute, remove it, and then take it out of the paper towel before serving.
Some microwaves are stronger than others, so check and turn your meat.
Braised Chicken Thighs
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Don’t lose this recipe! Enter your email and we’ll send it instantly.
Ingredients
- 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 3 –4 cloves fresh garlic
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs approximately 3 lbs.
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ c. dill pickle juice
- 1½ c. organic chicken broth divided
- Salt to taste (optional)
- 3 T. fresh parsley
- 1 pkg of frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 T. extra virgin olive oil.
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel garlic and mince finely.
- In a large 12” oven-proof skillet, heat one T. of extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously to prevent garlic from burning.
- Season chicken thighs with pepper, to taste. Sear chicken thighs in batches. Place 4 thighs in hot skillet, skin side down, and sear until the skin is golden brown and releases easily from the surface of the skillet. Turn thighs and repeat on the other side.
- Remove browned chicken thighs and set aside. Cover with a plate to keep the thighs warm.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and repeat the process with the remaining chicken thighs.
- After browning all chicken thighs, return the first 4 thighs into the skillet. Arrange them in a single layer.
- Add pickle juice and ½ chicken broth to the pan.
- Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, covered.
- Turn each thigh over with tongs and continue cooking for another 30 minutes until the meat is tender.
- Once the meat is tender, remove chicken thighs from skillet and place on serving dish. Allow resting for 5 minutes
- While the chicken is resting, cook cauliflower rice according to directions.
- To make the pan sauce, add the remaining cup of chicken broth to the first skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer until sauce reduces to half. Scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and stir the pan sauce occasionally to prevent burning. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
- Place chicken thighs over a bed of cauliflower rice and drizzle with pan sauce. Chop fresh parsley and add as a garnish, if desired.
Nutrition
Pat Chicken Quarters Dry
If you want your chicken quarters to get that nice and crispy skin during browning, make sure to pat them dry before cooking. Use thick paper towels to pat down the chicken quarters removing as much excess moisture as possible.
You can also add some seasoning on chicken quarters before browning them, as the seasoning will also help create that yummy crust.
Take it Easy on the Salt
Keep in mind that pickle juice already contains a fair bit of salt before you use it as a sauce, so don’t add any salt before tasting the pan sauce! In fact, some people might find that the pickle pan sauce is a bit too overpowering.
If that is the case, you can add a bit more chicken stock to help mellow the flavor.
Braising chicken quarters is a great way to have tender, succulent chicken for dinner. However, keep an eye on the simmering liquid to make sure that it doesn’t get over-reduced – no one wants a burnt pan sauce!
This sounds so delicious!
i remove the skin because of the fat. i love pickles and sometimes drink the brine, not sure if i would like it on my chicken. i usually make my meats plain because i sometimes share with my dogs.
Can I marinade my chicken with vinegar to make it tender?..