Brining chicken wings in pickle juice makes them extra tasty and also juicy. Here we add a touch of baking powder to the brine to help the wings get extra brown and crispy on the outside as they bake.
Calling all pickle lovers! These pickle brined wings are so amazing and get gorgeously crispy when you use my baking method. They have a mild pickle flavor that you can enhance with a bit of fresh dill. The wings are in the brine for two hours and are then oven-baked. You can alternatively grill or fry them.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Why Brine Wings?
I used to think brining wings wasn’t necessary since they’re already juicy and flavorful dark meat. My usual baked wings with baking powder were crispy enough, or so I thought. Then I tried brining them with baking powder mixed into the brine. They came out even crispier and more tender inside.
Brining works to make chicken more juicy because salt helps meat absorb more water. That makes chicken, and therefore chicken wings, juicier and it also seasons them throughout. Adding baking powder changes the pH of the skin, making it crispier, sometimes even bubbling up like fried wings.
After perfecting brined wings, I had to try it out with pickle juice (like in this Pickle-Fried Chicken recipe, inspired by a certain fast-food chicken chain!). And I added baking powder to that, of course. The pickle brine adds flavor and moisture, and the baking powder helps with crispiness. The wings turn out juicy, tangy, and crispy every time!
Note: If you’ve found baking powder too strong in dry rubs before, you might still like it in the brine—it’s much milder. But you can leave it out if you prefer.
What Kind Of Pickle Juice?
I like to use dill pickle juice as the brine liquid. You can use any kind of pickle that you love the taste of, but I recommend staying away from any sweet pickles for this recipe.
You’ll need 2 cups of pickle juice for the brine. The liquid from a 32 ounce jar of pickles should be perfect.
Not enough pickle brine? You can make up the difference by mixing up 1 cup of water with one tablespoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon white vinegar. You will want at least half of your brine coming from the actual pickle jar to achieve the flavor we want for our chicken wings.
How To Pickle Brine Chicken Wings
The brining process is simple and straightforward. You’ll mix a teaspoon of baking powder (not baking soda) into the pickle juice brine and add in the chicken wings.
Make sure the wings are fully submerged in the liquid, and then let them brine in the fridge for 2 hours. If you don’t have 2 hours to spare, 1 hour is alright but they won’t be as good. If you leave them for more than 2 hours, the chicken can start to get too salty.
After brining them, you’ll cook them. Here’s how.
Baking the Brined Chicken Wings
After brining, preheat the oven to 250°F and line a baking pan with aluminum foil to make clean up easier. Lightly grease an oven-safe rack to help prevent the wings from sticking.
Remove the wings from the brine and pat them dry with a paper towel.
Arrange the wings in a single layer on the baking rack set over the baking pan, and cook at the low 250°F temperature for 30 minutes. This low temperature helps to thoroughly dry the chicken skin, and it gives the baking powder some extra time to start working its magic.
Then increase the temperature to 425°F, without removing the wings from the oven, and continue to cook at the higher 425°F until brown and crispy, another 30 minutes.
At that point, I do like to pull the wings out of the oven and flip them over. Continue to cook for another 15-30 minutes until the the tops have perfectly browned.
If you’d like, you can garnish your wings with fresh dill and some chopped garlic. And of course, grab some of those pickles to serve alongside your wings.
Frying or Grilling the Wings
If you’d prefer to fry or grill the pickle-brined wings, you absolutely can. You’ll take the wings out of the brine and pat them dry. Then, follow the instructions in these recipes:
More Chicken Wing Recipes
I love wings! If you do too, check out my collection of over 20 chicken wing recipes. And here are some of my all-time favorites:
Podcast Episode: Pickle Brining Chicken Wings
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Pickle-Brined Chicken Wings Recipe
Pickle-brined chicken wings are perfectly juicy inside from pickle juice brine and crispy outside from my well-tested baking method.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Brine Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 cups pickle juice*
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 7–10 whole chicken wings, cut into 14–20 pieces
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh dill (optional)
- 8 thin pickles spears (optional)
Instructions
- Measure the pickle juice and baking powder into a medium bowl. Stir well to combine.
- Cut the whole chicken wings into drums and flats. Cut off wing tips, if you’d like, and discard or save for another use.
- Add wings to brine mixture, making sure all wings are submerged. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Top it with an oven-safe rack. Lightly oil rack.
- Remove wings from pickle brine and pat dry with paper towel.
- Arrange wings on prepared rack and put into oven for 30 minutes. Without opening oven, increase oven temperature to 425°F and cook until wings are golden brown and crispy, 30 minutes more.
- Pull wings out of oven and flip them over. Bake for another 15-30 minutes until the tops have browned.
- Remove sheet pan from oven. Use metal tongs to slide under wings and dislodge any skin that has stuck to the rack.
- Serve, optionally with fresh dill and pickle spears.
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Notes
*If you don’t have enough pickle brine, you can make up the difference by mixing 1 cup of water with one tablespoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon white vinegar. You’ll want at least half the brine to come from the pickle juice though.
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