Pickle popularity has been on the rise for a few years, but summer 2025 is definitely peak pickle. Pickle juice smoothies, pickle bourbon, pickleball … we are having a hot pickle summer.
Pickles — pickled Kirby cucumbers or gherkins, that is — have been around for thousands of years, but had a popularity surge about a decade ago when you couldn’t throw a cucumber without hitting a serving of fried pickles. Do you remember the pickle pizza craze a couple of years ago? Then there were pickle-based drinks, including, but not limited to, pickle bloody marys, pickle margaritas and pickle lemonade. You can find pickle flavored popcorn and potato chips. Even candy.
Even though we usually roll our eyes at trends, especially ones that explode on social media, the fact is that pickles are amazing, and we love them. We make bread and butter pickles every summer, and almost always have a jar of pickled red onions and pickled radishes in our refrigerator.
Recently we were grilling up some chicken and I realized we had finished up the ramp butter I had planned on using. So I got to thinking, what other compound butters would be fun to play around with?
After a little searching, I found the New York Times recipe for pork chops with pickle butter and decided to adapt it into our own version which we use to top grilled chicken.
don’t throw out that brine!
When you buy a jar of pickles, you’re not just getting cucumbers, you’re getting a delicious, tart brine that you can use in so many ways. It’s great in vinaigrettes, to brighten up a coleslaw, or you can add a splash to an ice cold martini. Or what we do here; brine chicken in it.
Besides infusing the chicken with a mild dill pickle flavor, the acidity in the brine, primarily from vinegar, helps break down the proteins in the meat, resulting in a more tender texture. It also helps the chicken retain moisture during cooking, preventing it from drying out.
We add a few smashed garlic cloves to the brine just to pump up that flavor a little. Once the chicken is in the brining bag or sealable container, move it around with a pair of tongs to ensure the brine is coating every piece. Refrigerate it for at least 6 hours, or overnight, if you have the time. Move the bag or shake the container every once in a while, to make sure every piece has a chance to brine.
Dill pickle butter: as good as it sounds
Compound butter is one of our favorite ways to elevate simple dishes. We’re famous* (*in our own minds only) for our ramp butter, which we make every Spring and freeze to use the rest of the year. We top grilled steak with blue cheese and chive compound butter. Finally, our chicken with miso butter is a winter favorite.
But this dill pickle butter is going on our Spring/Summer (and probably Fall/winter) roster from here on out. And it’s so easy to make.
First, make sure your butter is at room temperature. (It’s hard to mix if it’s cold.) While you can mix it by hand in a bowl, pickle brine and butter don’t mix easily because of their opposing molecular properties. (Water is a polar molecule, a little like magnets, while butter is primarily composed of fats, which are non-polar molecules). Because of this, we found a food processor to be a much easier way to get them to combine.
So if using a processor, roughly chop the pickles and herbs and add them, along with the butter, garlic powder and brine, and whizz it up until it’s combined.
If mixing by hand, chop the pickles and herbs very fine, add them to a bowl with the butter, the reserved brine, herbs and garlic powder. Keep mashing and mixing until it comes together.
Don’t forget to add a good pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter) and a good crack of black pepper and mix again. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you’re ready to grill.
You can make the dill pickle butter up to a week ahead. Make sure it’s well sealed, because nothing takes on weird fridge flavors as fast as butter.
Grill, baby, grill (sorry)
In summer, we’ll do anything to keep from heating up the house. And this has been a hot summer. Grilling is fast and easy — if you have a grill and the space for it. If you don’t, look below for other methods for cooking chicken.
When you’re ready to grill, take the butter out of the refrigerator and let it soften a bit. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high. We try to allow 15 minutes to make sure the grill is fully preheated. That will go a long way to prevent the chicken from sticking.
Lay the chicken onto paper towels and pat fully dry. Wet chicken will stick and won’t brown. Thank the brine for its service and discard it. Drizzle chicken fairly liberally with oil and season it lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. The brine has salt so don’t go too heavy.
When grill is hot, clean and oil the grates, then add the chicken and cook, flipping once. If using a gas grill, close the top while cooking so it stays hot. (Incidentally, we love our Grill Grates, which sit atop your existing grill, keeping heat focused on your food and preventing anything from falling down into the flame. We don’t have an affiliate deal with them, we just love the product. Pitch over.)
what temperature should chicken be grilled to?
Our temperature guide for chicken is a little different than most. While thighs are technically safe to eat at 165ºF, they have the best texture when cooked to about 185ºF. Thighs have a lot of collagen that breaks down at a higher temperature.
So if you’re using thighs, cook until they’re 185°F in the thickest part, about 3 to 6 minutes a side, depending on thickness.
If you’re using chicken breasts, be much more careful about overcooking and remove them from heat when they hit 160ºF, about 2 to 4 minutes a side. Carry over cooking will bring them up to the recommended 165ºF.
Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a platter and while it’s still hot, top each piece with a tablespoon or so of the softened pickle butter. Allow it to rest, and allow the butter to melt, for 5 minutes or so. Before serving, top the chicken with extra chives and dill, if you want. Serve it with more of the butter alongside.
grilling is not the only option
If a gas or charcoal grill is not an option, there are several other ways to make this. No matter what method you use, make sure you dry the chicken well, and cook it to the temperature listed above (185ºF for thighs, 160ºF for breasts).
- A grill pan on the stovetop. We love our inexpensive Lodge grill pan, but stovetop grilling can get a little smoky. Heat it until it gets nice and hot, and don’t crowd the pan, flipping the chicken once. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Work in batches if necessary.
- Pan sear in a skillet. Get a large cast iron, carbon steel or stainless steel skillet nice and hot. Add a little oil and cook the chicken until it’s cooked through and golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Work in batches if your pan isn’t large enough to lay the chicken flat without overlapping.
- Bake in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Add the chicken to a large baking dish, ideally with a little room between each piece. Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. If you want it more brown, change to the broil setting, and move to an upper rack for a minute or two.
- Broil on a sheet pan. Position the top rack about 3 – 4 inches from the heating element. Set the oven to high broil and let it preheat. Line a baking tray with foil. Transfer the thighs to the baking tray and move them around, so that the pieces are as directly under the heating element as you can get them. Broil the thighs for about 7 minutes, and breasts for 4 or 5, until cooked through and nicely browned.
what else to do with pickle butter
- Slather it on grilled or steamed corn.
- Spread it on sandwiches. It’s particularly good with ham and cheese.
- Let it melt on top of a hot burger, just off the grill.
- Serve it with warm dinner rolls or buttermilk biscuits.
- Serve it with crisp radishes on a crudités platter.
- Melt it over hot popcorn.
Grilled Chicken with Dill Pickle Butter
Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
- Grill or grill pan (optional)
Ingredients
For the brine:
- 6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or 4 breasts)
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 cup dill pickle brine plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Extra-virgin olive oil
For the Pickle Butter:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 cup 2 or 3 medium roughly chopped (or finely minced if hand mixing) dill pickles
- 2 tablespoons pickle brine
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives (or use scallions) plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill optional, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- If using chicken breasts, halve them horizontally, making 2 thinner cutlets. In a large sealable bag or container, add the chicken, smashed garlic, sugar and pickle brine. Move the chicken around to make sure the brine is coating all the pieces. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or up to overnight, flipping the bag (or shaking the container) every once in a while to make sure all pieces brine evenly.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor (or a medium bowl) add the butter, pickles, 2 tablespoons brine, chives, dill, and garlic powder. Pulse (or mash with a fork) until fully combined, with small bits of pickle remaining. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (Butter can be made up to 1 week ahead).
- When ready to grill, take the butter out of the refrigerator to soften. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high (make sure it’s fully preheated to prevent sticking). Lay the chicken onto paper towels and pat fully dry, discarding the brine. Drizzle chicken with oil and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper.
- When grill is hot, clean and oil the grates, then add the chicken and cook, flipping once. If using thighs, cook until 185°F in the thickest part, 3 to 6 minutes a side, depending on thickness. If using breasts, cook until 160ºF, 2 to 4 minutes a side.
- Transfer the chicken to a platter and while hot, top each piece with a tablespoon or so of the softened pickle butter and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Top with extra chives and dill, if desired. Serve with more of the butter alongside.
Notes
- It’s much easier to get the pickles and butter to amalgamate in a food processor, but you could mix by hand with some patience.
- The butter is fantastic on grilled or steamed corn, if it’s in season.
- The chicken can also be pan-seared in a good, heavy skillet, or broiled in the oven.
- Extra butter can keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.