This brine for chicken wings is one of the easiest brines you will make! It requires only 7 ingredients and takes a few minutes to throw together! Soaking chicken wings in brine makes for a perfectly tender and juicy piece of meat!
This is the best brine recipe for chicken wings because it makes them so tender and juicy! Once the wings have been brined, you can cook them however you please- air fryer, smoker, oven, or BBQ grill. The wings can be eaten plain, or you can add a sauce for extra flavor.
The wings are a super versatile food option- you can eat them as an appetizer, an entree or take them to a party for a game day snack!
Looking for more game-day snacks? Check out my healthy buff chicken dip or spinach artichoke dip!
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What is Brining?
A brine is a mixture of salt and water. Often, other spices and sugar are added in for flavor. The term brining simply refers to placing the meat in a salt water solution to improve moisture and tenderness of the meat.
Salt and liquid is absorbed into the muscles of the meat via a process called osmosis. The salt breaks down muscle fibers to create a more tender meat. The meat also holds in liquid, which prevents it from drying out during cooking.
There are two types of brine: wet brine and a dry brine. This recipe is considered a wet brine. A wet brine means that you use liquid and completely submerge the meat. It consists of a mixture of salt and water. Often, other spices and sugar are added in for flavor.
Many restaurants and popular culinary schools are well known for brining their meats. They say this is the secret to a juicy cut of meat!
Why Brine Chicken Wings?
Brining wings adds moisture to the wing. Wings are a small and tender cut of meat. They tend to dry out easily, so it’s important to brine them to help maintain moisture.
It’s especially important to brine your meat if you plan to cook it at a high temperature, such as via BBQ or by smoking it for an extended time period. Brining is also a great way to get a crispy chicken wing!
Ingredients Needed
The traditional chicken wing brine consists of water and salt. Everything else varies based on your spice preferences.
Salt- you must use kosher salt!
Garlic- use garlic cloves- these can either be purchased whole and minced or you can buy the version which is pre-minced garlic in oil.
Rosemary- adds flavor; this is optional and you can sub with other herbs if desired (good subs are parsley or thyme).
Brown Sugar- helps counteract the salt flavor and promotes the browning of the meat.
Red & Black Pepper- added for flavor.
Chicken Wings- choose a wing that has the skin and bone on it. You can also use wing drummettes, which are just smaller chicken wings. You can also purchase whole wings and cut them smaller. Here is more info on how to cut a chicken wing.
How to Brine Chicken Wings
Make a brine: combine water, sugar, salt, and spices in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Once the mixture boils, allow it to cool in the refrigerator. Add chicken wings to the cooled brine. Place in the refrigerator and soak for 1-2 hours.
Remove the wings from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Cook via your preferred cooking method.
How Long to Brine the Chicken Wings?
Allow the wings to soak in the brine for 1-2 hours. Letting them soak too short will not have any impact. Too long and the wings will become overly salty and mushy. Since wings are a small cut of meat, they do not need to soak long for the brine to take effect.
How to Cook the Wings
Once the wings have been soaked in the brine, they can be cooked using the method of your choice! Cook them plain or add a sauce, such as buffalo sauce or BBQ sauce.
- Air Fryer: place in air fryer basket evenly spaced and cook at 400F for 16 minutes. Flip halfway through.
- Bake in the Oven: Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a sheet pan with foil. Place a cookie cooling rack on top of the sheet pan, and spray generously with nonstick pan spray release. Spread brined chicken wings evenly on the cooling rack. Cook for 30-35 minutes, turning halfway through.
- BBQ Grill: Grill over high heat for 5-6 minutes on each side.
- Stove Top: Add oil to pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes on each side (20 minutes total).
Recommended Sauces for the wings
I’m a sauce gal, so always recommend topping wings with a sauce. If topping with a sauce, cook the wings via your desired cooking method, then top the wings with a sauce, and cook for another 3-5 minutes to help the sauce stick to the wings. Here are some of my favorite flavors of wings:
- Wings topped with BBQ Sauce
- Chicken wings with Buffalo Sauce
- Honey Chipotle Wings
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Best foods to serve with chicken wings
Chicken wings go with almost anything! If you are serving these as an appetizer, I recommend pairing them with another appetizer, such as mango corn salsa or pizza quinoa bites.
If serving these as an entree, pair them with sweet potato fries, spinach and feta salad, or healthy cowboy caviar.
Expert Tips
- Pat the wings dry after brining. This is essential to help the wings get crispy. If the brine is left on the wings, it may cause the skin to steam, rather than get crispy.
- Brine the meat for 1-2 hours total. Letting the meat soak in the brine for too long will result in spongy, mushy meat.
- Use kosher salt. The brine will be too salty if table salt is used. Table salt is more fine/granulated than kosher salt, meaning it is saltier than kosher salt when going off the stated measurement.
Frequently Asked Questions
The wings should be defrosted before adding them to the brine. This will allow the meat to absorb the brine better.
Experts recommend not washing poultry before cooking, as this will increase the spread of bacteria.
Add 1.5 tablespoon salt for every cup. This recipe has 6 c of water, so use ½ cup of salt
Wings are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 165F. This can be measured with a meat thermometer. Stick the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat to get a temperature. Do not touch the bone with the thermometer, as this will produce an inaccurate temperature.
More Delicious Appetizers
Brine for Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon rosemary
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds chicken wings
Instructions
- Combine water, salt, sugar, pepper, rosemary and garlic in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Stir until combined. Heat until it begins to boil, about 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly.
- Remove the brine from the heat and cool completely in the refrigerator.
- Once cooled, add the wings to the brine. The wings should be covered completely with brine. Place in the refrigerator for 1- 2 hours..
- Remove from brine and pat dry. Cook using preferred cooking method.
Notes
- Brine must cool completely before adding the wings. Adding the wings to a hot brine will partially cook them.
- It is important to use kosher salt (not table salt). Using table salt will make the wings too salty.
- Air Fryer: place in air fryer basket evenly spaced and cook at 400F for 16 minutes. Flip halfway through.
- Oven: Preheat oven to 400F. Line a sheet pan with foil. Place a cookie cooling rack on top of the sheet pan, and spray generously with nonstick pan spray release. Spread brined chicken wings evenly on the cooling rack. Cook for 30-35 minutes, turning halfway through.
- BBQ Grill: Grill over high heat for 5-6 minutes on each side.
- Stove Top: Add oil to pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes on each side (20 minutes total).
Benjamin says
This made my wings really tender. I mixed them w barbecue sauce and put them and baked them in the oven then dipped in spicy honey and blue cheese.
Taylor says
Excellent recipe- grilled my wings and they turned out great.