Chicken Pickle Skewers
Directions
- 1Remove the pickles from the brine in the jar and set them aside, keeping the pickle juice in the jar.
- 2Add brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to the pickle juice in the jar, then stir to dissolve.
- 3Add pieces of boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the brine in the jar, ensuring they are submerged.
- 4Cover the jar and refrigerate the chicken for at least a few hours (at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours).
- 5Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- 6Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto skewers, alternating with three pickle slices for each layer.
- 7Place the assembled skewers on the prepared baking sheet and pat them dry using paper towels.
- 8Brush the skewers with olive oil and season them evenly with ranch seasoning mix and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of salt.
- 9Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until water sprinkled on it sizzles, then sear the skewers for about 1 minute per side to get grill marks and color.
- 10Transfer the seared skewers back to the baking sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for 7 to 12 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken registers at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- 11While the chicken bakes, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan.
- 12Add minced garlic to the melted butter and stir together.
- 13Stir in 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning mix, then remove from heat.
- 14Whisk in fresh dill, chicken broth, and a little more butter (if desired) to create the garlic ranch sauce.
- 15Generously drizzle the prepared garlic ranch sauce over the cooked chicken skewers.
Ingredients
- 1 jar (24 ounce) dill pickle chips
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 1.75 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1.5 teaspoons ranch dressing mix
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 0.25 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
Equipment
jartongsgrill panbaking sheetaluminum foilpaper towelspastry brushgarlic presssmall saucepanwhiskskewer
Tips
- Never throw away pickle juice, it makes a great chicken brine.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours for best flavor.
- Sear the chicken skewers on a grill pan for grill marks and flavor before baking.