Pickles and poultry have been quite the pair for a long time. Professional chefs know it and your favorite franchises have been putting pickles on their crispy chicken sandwiches for decades. Hello, Chick-fil-A®. Even the infamous Nashville hot chicken is not without its sour counterpart.
Chefs often use the brine to marinate their chicken and or turkey and its quickly catching on. There’s nothing new about brining poultry, in fact, it’s hard to avoid all the hype and hoopla of brining your turkey starting in October through the new year. It’s on the Food Network, social media, online news programs, and on the cover of nearly every food or lifestyle magazine at the checkout stand of your favorite grocery retailer or market.
Why?
Pickle juice brining your turkey really does improve the quality and flavor substantially. It is the ultimate upgrade to your Thanksgiving turkey.
Especially if you love pickles and the subtle taste of dill, which goes so well with the savory flavor of both chicken and turkey. But don’t take our word for it. Below are a few link to articles extolling the virtue of pickle brining your turkey.
- https://thekitchentoday.com/pickle-juice-brined-turkey/
- https://thekitchenknowhow.com/pickle-juice-brined-turkey/
- https://thisishowicook.com/best-pickle-brined-turkey-breast-brine-recipe/
Typically, the leftover brine resulting from a single Great Lakes Pickling Company easy-to-make pickling pouch is about 2 cups. For your Thanksgiving turkey, you’ll want to use the pickle juice brine from three pouches worth of its seasonings combined with its required vinegar and water. Three pouches generally do the trick for a 12-pound turkey if brined in a turkey brining bag; which can be found on Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot and cookware shops such as William Sonoma or Sur la Table.
Photo Credits: Liquid Solutions, Fire & Flavor, Majestic Chef
Photo Credit: William Sonoma
Still not convinced? Then why not take a “test drive” with a smaller version by roasting a chicken? The principle is the same and you may just discover a wonderful, NEW favorite way to enjoy chicken. This pickle juice brining method works fantastic with all poultry.
Depending on your personal tastes, you can either go ALL dill using either our Polish Dill or Spicy Garlic Dill (or a combination of both), OR, a slightly sweeter brine version using our Granny’s Bread & Butter pickle pouch.
While you can choose any flavor, we most recommend our Polish Dill or our Granny’s Bread and Butter flavors to make your pickle juice brine.
