One of my favorite guilty pleasures is hands down fried chicken. When prepared properly there are few things that can compare to the flaky skin with the delicate juicy chicken. I always brine a chicken before cooking and thought that since pickles and fried chicken are kind of a classic together, why not combine the two?

Since chicken has the ability to take on flavor so well, brining it in pickle juice ensures that not only will the meat be exceptionally juicy, but the chicken will take on the flavors of dill along with the tanginess of the vinegar in the juice.

I like this chicken best when it’s left to sit in the brine overnight, but you can also make it in a pinch and still have a delicious outcome. Here’s how I make it.

For the brine:

2 Cups Pickle Juice

2 Cups Buttermilk

2 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Tablespoon Sugar

2 Tablespoon ground Coriander

1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill

2 teaspoons Black Pepper

For the flour coating:

2 Cups Flour

3 Tablespoons Cayenne Pepper

2 Tablespoons Paprika

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1/2 Tablespoon Black Pepper

For the finishing glaze:

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Cup Lard

1/4 Cup brown sugar

5 Tablespoons Cayenne Pepper

1 Tablespoon Paprika

How to prepare:

Combine all ingredients required for the brine. Using a pitcher or mixing bowl is best since you’ll dip the chicken back in the liquid once you’ve flower coated it. Once your brining solution is mixed together add your chicken thighs to the liquid, cover and store in the refrigerator. It’s best to let this sit overnight, or at least two hours for the sodium to actually absorb into the meat, however, if you’re under a 60 minute time constraint like I was in the MasterChef kitchen, just let it sit for as long as possible!

When you’re ready to fry the chicken fill a 16-inch cast iron skillet with oil about halfway up the pan. You’ll heat the oil to 350 degrees F and want to keep it around that temperature while cooking (note that when you add the chicken the temperature of the oil will cool down significantly, so you’ll want to make sure to bring it back up to 350).

Combine all ingredients for the chicken coating in a large bowl. Pull the chicken out of the brine and make sure to squeeze a lot of the excess liquid out of it then drench the chicken in the flour coating.

Place the chicken in the pan away from you to make sure that no oil splashes up onto you. Rotate the chicken onto the other side once the chicken has sufficiently browned and cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Set the chicken on a plate with a paper towel.

While the chicken is cooling combine all ingredients for the coating into a sauce pan over low heat. Heat until all ingredients are melted together and then brush coating over chicken once ready to eat.

For the Slaw:

2 Cups cleaned and very finely sliced celery root

3/4 Cup very finely sliced red cabbage

1/2 Cup mayonnaise

3 Tablespoons whole grain mustard

2 Tablespoons white sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon champagne vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

How to prepare:

Combine all ingredients. If you have time to make the slaw ahead of time, you can and it will allow to flavors to combine more together.

For the celery root puree:

1 cup cleaned and diced celery root

1 cup heavy cream

3 cups milk

2 Tablespoons butter

white pepper to taste

salt to taste

How to prepare:

In a sauce pan bring the heavy cream and milk to a very light boil and add the celery root. If a foam or froth forms while cooking, be sure to skim it off as it cooks, if the froth is left with the cooking liquid it will make your puree taste slightly bitter. Cook until the celery root is almost softened enough to puree then add the butter.

Once the celery root is softened drain it but make sure you keep the liquid you cooked it in as you will need to add some of it to the puree. Put the softened celery root into a blender on low speed along with 1/4 cup of the milk/cream liquid you used to cook the celery root in as well as a pinch of white pepper and a pinch of salt. Add liquid, salt and pepper until you have a smooth consistency and it’s properly seasoned. Serve and enjoy!