Cooking chicken wings the right way can be tricky. Too low a temperature and the skin turns rubbery. Too hot and fast —yeah, you might get them crispy, but they dry out quickly. It’s a fine line. But no matter how you cook them, there’s one simple way to make sure your wings actually taste good all the way through: a wet brine.
I’ll admit — I slept on this method longer than I should’ve. I’ve used brines on other meats like steaks and pork chops before, so I knew it worked; I just never bothered doing it with wings. That changed when I hosted a cookout this past December for the SEC championship and to break in my new direct heat cooker. I made wings, which turned out great (a heck of a lot better than the actual game, in fact), but a buddy of mine mentioned using pickle juice as a brine next time to take them over the top. So, I figured the next time around I’d give that method a shot, and I’m really glad that I did.
Turns out, it makes a difference — a big difference in fact. The wings come out juicier and more flavorful, and, even better, you get that end result with just three ingredients: the wings, seasoning, and pickle juice.
So in this post, I’m breaking down my pickle brined chicken wings recipe so you can give these a try at home, too.
Jump to:
- Why You Should Be Brining Your Chicken Wings
- What Does a Classic Wet Brine Consist Of?
- How long Should You Brine Chicken Wings?
- Ingredients for This Pickle Brined Chicken Wings Recipe
- How to Pickle Brine Chicken Wings
- What’s the Best Way to Cook Pickle-Brined Chicken Wings?
- Enhancements to Try
- Equipment You’ll Want
- Storage & Reheating Tips
- Recipe
Why You Should Be Brining Your Chicken Wings
A proper chicken wing brine works so well for a very simple reason: like a dry brine, the salt in a wet brine not only helps the chicken wings retain moisture but also carries it deep into the meat, providing flavor from within. It may sound basic, but this technique makes a noticeable difference compared to wings that have not been brined. A simple taste test between the two, and you’ll be able to taste a clear difference in flavor. If you’re like me, you probably won’t want to make chicken wings without some sort of brine again.
What Does a Classic Wet Brine Consist Of?
The great thing about a brine is that it’s incredibly easy to make from scratch, and you likely already have the basic ingredients you need to throw one together right now! Here’s a simple ratio that you can use as a starting point :
- 4 cups water
- ¼ cup salt
- ¼ cup sugar
This traditional wet brine ratio is great because it’s a simple way to ensure your wings are both tender and juicy, while providing a flavor profile that pairs well with your preferred dry rub. From there, you can adjust the ratio to your preferences and even add other ingredients to make it really stand out. From fresh oranges or lemons to apple juice and herbs, the possibilities are endless. No matter which route you take, simply combine all the ingredients and stir until everything dissolves (over heat if needed).
How long Should You Brine Chicken Wings?
I like to brine chicken wings in the refrigerator for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Because the wings themselves are so small, they don’t need as much time as something like a thicker steak or especially a roast, which is why the shorter end can still work well. On the flip side, you don’t want to overbrine wings because it can cause the skin to become rubbery.
Ingredients for This Pickle Brined Chicken Wings Recipe
- 1-2 lbs chicken wings, flats & drumettes
- ~1-2 cup pickle juice — the amount will depend on the number of wings you have, because you want to make sure the wings are submerged. I went with a spicy pickle juice variety to add a little heat, but a traditional version works well, too. Just make sure it’s a true dill pickle, not a hamburger dill or another sweet variety, as it won’t have the same result.
- BBQ rub (your favorite) — The world is truly your oyster here. I went with Heath Riles' chicken rub, but there are so many great options to choose from.
Why Pickle Brine Works So Well
Pickle juice is basically a fully built, easy brine that’s ready to go right off the shelf. That’s because it already contains the salt, vinegar, and spices needed to make some delicious wings, instead of you having to make the brine yourself at home. The only thing a spicy pickle brine, as I used, lacks is sugar, so if you’d like a slightly sweeter flavor profile or help the wings brown, I’d recommend adding it to my recipe.
How to Pickle Brine Chicken Wings
Step 1: Brine the Chicken Wings
Place your chicken wings in a bowl and pour in the pickle juice until they’re fully submerged. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll want to let them brine in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.
Note: If you’d like to see how I turn whole wings into flats and drummettes for this recipe, you can check out my chicken wing trim blog post here.
Step 2: Dry the Wings
Pull the wings from the brine, place them on a wire rack, pat them dry, and season them with your favorite seasoning. The goal here is to reduce as much moisture from the outside of the chicken wings as possible. This step is critical to ensure you end up with crispy, not rubbery, skin. If you really have some extra time, you can even let the wings sit in the refrigerator on a wire rack for an hour or two to dry out, which helps a lot as well.
From there, you can cook these any way you want.
Do You Rinse Chicken Wings After Brining?
For chicken wings in particular, I prefer to pat them dry with a paper towel rather than rinse them. For me, it comes back to the conversation around moisture. If I’m trying to get the crispiest skin possible for my wings, why add excess moisture if I can use another method that accomplishes the same thing?
What’s the Best Way to Cook Pickle-Brined Chicken Wings?
I built this pickle-brined chicken wing recipe for the grill—specifically my direct-heat cooker—but if you’re cooking indoors or want a faster option, here’s how to get similar results.
Direct Heat Cooker
To me, this method gives you the best results bar none. You simply grill the wings directly over the coal bed for 30-45 minutes at 300-325 degrees, flipping once, and they will be ready to serve. The key is making this functional for the traditional home cook. If you have a Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe, you can emulate this pretty easily by cooking directly over the coals. It can also work great on a drum smoker or on a Weber kettle using the vortex method. However, if you don’t have those options available, I’d use the next method.
Traditional Gas Grill
I like to make wings on a traditional gas grill using a two-zone cooking system, one side heated to 350-400 degrees, and the other side with the burner off for indirect heat to finish. Personally, I’ll cook the wings over high heat until crispy, then move them to the indirect heat side to finish at 175-185 degrees internal temperature.
Smoked Wings (Indirect Heat)
I don’t like smoking chicken —of any kind— at a temperature lower than 275 degrees. Going lower will risk giving you rubbery skin. And honestly, without prep work to the chicken (like letting the wings sit on a wire rack for a few hours, as I mentioned earlier), it’s still difficult to avoid that end result. But this method is fantastic for providing smoky flavor. It’s best to use the smoke-fried technique to give you the crispiest skin with a smoky profile.
Oven Method
I don’t prefer to make wings this way, but I can’t deny its convenience. If you go this route, preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the brined chicken wings on a wire rack over a baking sheet and cook for 40–45 minutes, flipping halfway through.
You’ll still get crispy skin—especially if the wings are fully dried before cooking. You just won’t get the same flavor you would from cooking on a grill or smoker.
Air Fryer Method
If you’re cooking indoors, this is the way to go. Simply set your air fryer to 400°F and cook the chicken wings for 18–22 minutes, flipping or shaking halfway through.
This is one of the easiest ways to get crispy brined chicken wings without firing up the grill.
Enhancements to Try
The beauty of this brined chicken wings recipe is that it works as a base for just about any way you want to serve wings.
Here are a few of my favorites that this technique works well with:
- Smoked Wings with Spicy Fig Jam
- Grilled Wings with Alabama White Sauce
- Direct Heat Chicken Wings with Hot Garlic Sauce
- Grilled Chicken Wings with Hot Honey BBQ Sauce
Equipment You’ll Want
- Grill, smoker, oven, or air fryer
- Wire rack & baking sheet
- Tongs
- Meat thermometer
- Prep bowls
Storage & Reheating Tips
No matter how you cook the pickle brined chicken wings, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend reheating them in an air fryer or oven at 375 degrees for 5-7 minutes (or until warmed through) for the best results.
Recipe
Pickle Brined Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Grill, smoker, oven, or air fryer
- Wire rack & baking sheet
- tongs
- Meat Thermometer
- prep bowls
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken wings flats & drumettes
- 1 C pickle juice plus more as needed
- Favorite BBQ rub to taste
Instructions
- Place the wings in a bowl and add the pickle juice until fully submerged. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours based on how much time you can spare.
- When you’re ready to cook, take the wings out and place them on a wire rack. Pat them dry, then season them until fully covered.
- Set the grill ~300-325 degrees. Once the grill is preheated, add the wings directly over the heat source and cook for ~30 minutes, flipping as needed until they develop a nice golden-brown color and the skin is crispy (I also check the internal temperature, which typically ranges from 177-185 degrees for wings). Once this occurs, remove the wings from the grill. Serve with your sides of choice and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t skip drying the wings: After brining, pat the wings completely dry. This is one of the keys to achieving crispy skin rather than a rubbery texture.
- Brine time matters: 30 minutes yields a lighter flavor, while 1–2 hours yields a deeper, more noticeable brined chicken flavor. Avoid going too long or the texture can get soft.
- Works with any method: This brined chicken wings recipe works on the grill, smoker, oven, or air fryer—just adjust cook time and temp.
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