Ree Drummond's Fried Chicken Features A Tangy, Unexpected Ingredient

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Ree Drummond knows her way around the kitchen, and she loves to elevate her favorite dishes with secret ingredients like beets in brownies and cayenne in coffee. So, it's no surprise to see that she also includes an unexpected ingredient in her recipe for Chicken Fried Chicken, which she shared on her Pioneer Woman blog: pickle juice. As Drummond explains, "A soak in buttermilk and pickle juice brings big flavor and tenderness to this crispy chicken."

In the recipe for the marinade she uses to flavor her chicken, Drummond features 1 cup of buttermilk, a quarter-cup of pickle juice, and an egg. After whisking the ingredients together, she allows her chicken to soak for at least 30 minutes, but up to four hours.

In addition to pickle juice lending the meat a tangy flavor, it also mimics the role of the buttermilk, which helps tenderize the chicken and make it moist. It also imparts acidity and sodium, which are great tools for breaking down proteins and keeping the chicken juicy while it's fried.

It's true that pickle juice is the ingredient that will change your fried chicken forever. We even have our own recipe for pickle juice-brined fried chicken. However, our recipe is a bit different than that of Drummond. Rather than using an egg in our marinade, we use equal parts pickle juice and buttermilk — 3 cups of each.

If you love the tang of the pickle juice-buttermilk combo, feel free to kick things up from there with your own secret ingredients. For example, if you'd like to add some heat, hot sauce pairs well with the duo. You could even skip the added ingredient and instead opt for the brine from a jar of SuckerPunch's Bold Burger Dill Pickle Chips. Or, for a garlicky spin, the brine of The People's Provisions' Spicy Garlic Pickles would offer an even more flavorful bite.

While Drummond prefers her Chicken Fried Chicken with a creamy white gravy, dipping your pickle-brined chicken into dill pickle ranch would add further tang, as would a remoulade dip. However, with this flavorful chicken, it might be just perfect by itself.