An article about brining chicken tenders in the leftover brine from a jar of dill pickles caught my eye on Facebook. The original recipe was posted by Skinnytaste. My adapted version, while true to the basic concept of the original, is not as low in calories or fat. But it’s really simple, and very good!

Method:

1. The morning before the evening you plan to cook this dish, put chicken tenders in a glass bowl and cover them with the leftover brine from a finished jar of dill pickles. Cover and put in the refrigerator.
2. At dinner time, drain off the brine and blot the chicken dry with paper towels.
3. Dip the tenders in an egg wash and coat with a mixture of seasoned crumbs and seasoned panko. Put them in the refrigerator to set while you preheat the oven.
4. Preheat oven to 425. Spread some olive oil on a half sheet pan. Place the chicken tenders on the pan. Turn them over to lightly coat both sides with oil.
5. Bake for about 10 minutes until the bottoms are crispy and browned. Turn them over and bake for another 5-6 minutes until golden brown.

The taste of the brine really comes through. And the fact that you can use something that normally gets thrown away is a bonus.