Dill Pickle Chicken Skewers
June 25, 2025
Get ready for a flavor explosion with these Dill Pickle Chicken Skewers! Boneless chicken thighs soak up all the tangy goodness of pickle brine before being threaded onto skewers with crisp dill pickles. After a quick sear in a grill pan, they're baked until juicy and finished with a zesty, buttery garlic ranch sauce that brings it all together. The key to this dish is the pickle brine marinade. The acidity in the pickle juice acts as a natural tenderizer for the chicken, breaking down muscle fibers and infusing the meat with tangy flavor. Beyond just tenderizing, it also helps the chicken retain moisture, resulting in juicy chicken.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Ingredients
1 (24 ounce) jar dill pickle chips
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1½ teaspoons ranch dressing mix
Sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
¼ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix
Directions
1For skewers, open pickle jar and transfer pickles to a small bowl using a fork, leaving pickle juice in the jar. Set aside.
2In the jar with pickle juice, add brown sugar and 1 teaspoon salt; whisk until dissolved. Add chicken to the jar, making sure all pieces are submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.
3Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
4Remove chicken pieces from pickle juice; discard juice. Thread 1 chicken piece followed by 3 pickle chips onto an 8-inch skewer; repeat layers once, then finish with a third chicken piece. Continue threading remaining chicken and pickles onto skewers as needed; reserve any extra pickles for another use. Place skewers on the prepared baking sheet; pat dry using paper towels. Evenly brush skewers with oil. Sprinkle chicken pieces evenly with ranch dressing mix and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt.
5Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until water sprinkled on immediately sizzles. Grill skewers, pressing down on chicken as needed, just until marks form on two sides, about 1 minute per side. Return skewers to baking sheet.
6Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers at least 165°F, 7 to 12 minutes.
Sauce
1Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until butter starts to brown and garlic is lightly golden, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat; whisk in broth, ranch dressing mix, dill, and salt until well combined. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter until melted and emulsified.
2Transfer skewers to a serving plate; drizzle with sauce and serve immediately. Garnish with more dill, if desired.
Recipe from All Recipes.
MaggieToo
June 26, 2025
I think the main reason I keep reading this blog is the abundance of pickle recipes. Someone should count them.