Our delicious Dill Pickle Chicken Rice Bowl is a fun, new rice bowl recipe that you are going to love! Made with tender chicken, grilled onions, grilled pickles, and a homemade sauce all on top of a bed of rice. The perfect light & refreshing summer dinner!
The Best Pickle Chicken Rice Bowl
We have a house full of dill pickle lovers! Whether we purchase our favorite store-bought pickles (Claussen) or we make our own homemade pickles from cucumbers growing in the garden, we love them all. There is just something that is so refreshing about that fresh dill taste. It has us coming back again and again. And since we also love a good rice bowl, we knew we had to combine these two favorites! Can’t wait for you to try this new pickle chicken rice bowl recipe!
Looking for another chicken rice bowl recipe? You have to try our Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowl!
What You Will Need
- dill pickle juice – this fresh juice makes the perfect chicken brine – results in juicy chicken every time!
- bone-in skin-on chicken thighs – we highly recommend this cut of meat, but option to sub with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- salt and pepper – simple seasonings that are always a must!
- mayonnaise & sour cream – these combine to create the creamy texture base of this tasty sauce.
- dill pickles – chopped pickles in the sauce and some spears tossed on the grill.
- fresh dill – this fresh herb is perfect for this dill pickle rice bowl.
- fresh garlic – everything is always better with some garlic in the mix.
- white onion – a mild onion that brings all the best flavor to the brine mixture, sauce, and sliced rings for the grill.
- olive oil – lightly coat the onions and pickles before grilling to prevent sticking.
- cooked rice – any variety of rice will work! We used white rice, like jasmine rice or basmati rice, but brown rice would be good too!
How To Make A Pickle Chicken Rice Bowl
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to put the chicken thighs in a large bowl with the pickle juice. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
While the chicken sits in the brine, place all of the pickle chicken sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.
Once the chicken is ready, preheat the grill to a high heat and clean the grates. Place the chicken thighs, with the skin-side down, on the hot grates to cook for 3-5 minutes. Flip and continue the cooking process on the other side until their internal temp reaches 165 degrees F (use an instant-read thermometer). Remove from the grill and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
While the chicken rests, place the onion slices and pickle spears directly on the grates to char for about 2 minutes.
Now build the bowl with rice on the bottom, chicken, grilled onions, grilled pickles, pickle sauce, fresh dill, and some freshly cracked pepper.
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Other Rice Bowl Recipes You Might Like
Pickle Chicken Rice Bowl
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
A summer must-have! Perfectly grilled pickle chicken with grilled onion, grilled pickles and an amazing sauce over rice!
Ingredients
Pickle Brine Chicken:
- Approx. 1 cup pickle juice*
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
Pickle Chicken Sauce:
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup sour cream (reg. or dairy-free)
- 1/3 cup dill pickles, chopped (remove seeds)
- 2–3 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons white onion, minced
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 1/8 teaspoons ground black pepper
Other Bowl Ingredients:
- 8 pickle spears
- 4–8 slices white onion
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- fresh dill
- fresh cracked pepper
- 4 cups rice of your choice, cooked
Instructions
- Brine Chicken (optional: see Notes): Place chicken thighs in a medium bowl. Pour pickle juice over top. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
- Prep Sauce: Be sure to remove the seeds from the pickles prior to chopping (otherwise the sauce will be too runny). Combine Sauce ingredients in small bowl. Stir and taste – add additional pickles, dill, etc. – as desired. Set aside (or cover and store in the refrigerator until later).
- Prep Onion + Pickles: While the chicken marinates, place the sliced onion and pickle spears on a plate. Brush both lightly with olive oil. Season the onion with a little salt and pepper (the pickle has enough flavor already and doesn’t need anymore salt/pepper).
- Grill Chicken: Remove chicken from brine (discard brine) and place on plate. Pat dry with clean paper towel. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Bring grill up to high heat (about 450 degrees F). Place chicken skin-side down on clean grill grates over direct heat (directly over flame) for 3-5 minutes and then flip. Cook on other side until internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. (use a meat thermometer). Remove from grill and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Grill Onion + Pickles: While the chicken thighs rest, clean off your grill quick, and keep it at a medium-high temp. Sear the onion and pickles over direct heat for approx. 2 minutes or until they are charred on one side. You can flip the onion if you desire, but you only need char marks on one side of the pickles, otherwise they will dry out too much. Transfer both to a plate and set aside.
- Build Bowl: Divide rice between 4 bowls. Top with grilled chicken, grilled onions, grilled pickles, plenty of sauce, and garnish with more fresh dill and some fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
- Brining Optional: you can just skip the brining process if you want to cut down on prep time! If you do skip it, just make sure you season the chicken with salt and pepper, per your liking. It will still taste amazing – the brining process just results in an even juicier, more flavorful chicken.
- *Pickle Juice Recs: I recommend the juice from these Refrigerator Pickles or a high-quality brand like Claussen. You want the pickle juice to be pretty clear, not yellow.
- Chicken Breasts: you can also use chicken breasts, boneless chicken thighs, etc. – this will work with any cut of chicken, but I prefer using bone-in chicken thighs. Adjust cook time if you use something else other than bone-in chicken thighs.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 323
- Sugar: 0.8 g
- Sodium: 791.1 mg
- Fat: 13.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Protein: 18.2 g
- Cholesterol: 77.2 mg
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