Amazing Brined Chicken Wings
Course: Appetizers u0026amp; Snacks, Main DishesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings
2
servingsPrep time
15
minutesCooking time
20
minutesCalories
400
kcalTotal Carbs
0
gramsNet carbs
0
gramsFat
28
gramsProtein
40
gramsI’ve spent the last couple of weeks going all “America’s Test Kitchen” on chicken wings. I’ve tried multiple cooking techniques, ingredients, coatings and brines. I’ve come to the conclusion that brining is essential to making the best wing ever. From there, I settled on the easiest, tastiest, and lowest carb method. If you watch the video below, you can see all of the tests.
Ingredients
1 qt water (1 L)
2 pieces parmesan rind (optional)
2 TB kosher salt (30g)
2 TB black peppercorns (20g)
2 medium lemons
10-12 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2-3 bay leaves
1.5 lbs chicken wings (.7 kg)
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Add the water and parmesan rind (see note) to a medium sized sauce pan (3 quart works well) and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes or until the water is cloudy.
- Add the salt, peppercorns, lemons, garlic and bay leaves. Boil for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the brine from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. This process can be accelerated by adding ice to the brine.
- Place chicken wings into a container for brining (Cambro containers work great for this). And pour the brine over the wings. This recipe calls for 1.5 lbs of wings, but there is enough brine to submerge 4-5 lbs of wings. Place container in fridge and allow to brine for at least 4 hours.
- Remove the wings from the brine and pat dry. Brush with olive oil.
- Ideally, cook the wings in an air fryer at 390F (200C) for 20 minutes, flipping them at the halfway point. Alternatively, cook in a convection oven at 450F (230C) for 25-30 minutes, flipping them at the half way point.
- Serve with the wing sauce of your choice, though I think you’ll find these are so moist and flavor packed that you really can go without the sauce.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Nutritional information is based on a serving size of 6-7 wings and are approximate due to the weight of the bones
- Parmesan rind is an optional ingredient. However, I recommend it as a “secret” ingredient hack, as it adds a depth of flavor and umami that takes these wings to another level.
Your brine looks awesome. However, it made me wonder if you ever did a taste comparison between this brine and a plain salt brine, just to see if the extra effort is worthwhile.
A salt brine will add moisture, but not this level of flavor. Trust me…
One more thing, take a look at Alex Chung’s video where he compared six different cooking methods for wings:
https://prohomecooks.com/recipes/the-best-air-fryer-chicken-wing-ranking-6-methods/
Brining was not included in his comparison. He settled on “twice cooked” as the best method. I think I will try that in combination with your and see if that sends me to chicken wing nirvana! 🙂
Discovered you channel just last week and had just thawed out a mess of wings, PLUS I had some reserved parm rinds and lemons so… boom! I was ready to roll with this recipe and WOW did it deliver! Husband and I could not stop. Crazy good.
I added one tweak to enhance the Maillard effect: I added Allulose to the brine, a couple of tablespoons worth. I could not perceive any sweetness boost but I’ve found it really nice for any protein that is getting browned in an oven or air fryer.
Thank you!
I tried this recipe, and was underwhelmed. (Sorry) Wings are my “go to” every Friday night for several years. I have tried numerous methods. My preferred method is an oil, lemon jce. & spices marinade, for 2-3 hrs. In our Cdn. winter I cook them on a foil tray with holes plus a cookie sheet in a 400F oven, and in the warmer months on the BBQ. On the BBQ, I cook them first on the foil tray with holes, and then finish them directly on the grill for a few min. to crisp. They are perfection..and world famous ! ( LOL )
I had a Butcher Box delivery of 4 pounds of wings. I brined them as directed intending to do my usual baking powder afterwards. We did a test batch (air fried) without the baking powder and the wings were some of the best we’ve ever had. Thank you for the recipe.
I just made wings using your recipe/method. They are exceptional! The brining makes all the difference in taste and crispness. My husband is not keto but he eats whatever I cook with no complaint. When I offered him some Buffalo wing sauce his comment was,”they are really good just as they are”. No sauce for him
Amazing receipe. First try was a success, now doing it again! Question: can I reuse the liquid after one round, or is it ruined by all the meat residue after one brining process? Thanks!
I consider it “used up” after one use. Both because it’s had raw meat in it and I don’t know what impact that has over the long term, but I feel that because a certain amount of the salt has been absorbed by the meat, the brine would be less effective a second time around.
I had that suspicion 🙂 Thank you so much for introducing me to brining
Can the wings sit in the brine overnight without issue?
No. Wings, because of their small size will absorb too much salt if you brine them overnight.
Steve,
I put this together with 5 lbs of wings. I had them in the brine for about a day and a half. I have three grown sons and we have wings all the time. We were on a quest to find the holy grail! Well, we all agree this is it!!!! 20 mins in the Ninja air fryer at 390 flipped half way was perfect crispy skin with still a little ‘tug’ to the meat. And moist, moist, moist!! The wings were not salty at all, they tasted perfect. I put a couple in buffalo sauce just to see and we all preferred them without. Thank you for this recipe!
Okay, I didn’t have some ingredients, so I “winged it”. I didn’t have parm rinds, so I put in the powdered parm, about quarter cup. I didn’t have peppercorns, so I put in ground black pepper. I didn’t have kosher salt, so I put in sea salt. No bay leaves either – so I left them out. And I used lemon juice instead of lemons. That said, I made the brine and let my wings bring for 5 hours, then cooked them as specified.
Best darned wings I have ever eaten, hands down! It is hard to have a chewy, crispy, moist wing no matter the process, but this did it!
To conclude, I served my makeshift wings with your “KFC” coleslaw for a treat. My son detests coleslaw because of the “eggy-mayo” taste – but he downed 3 helpings and said he truly liked your version. And the wings are but a fond memory. My husband said this MUST be in our meal rotation and soon, too.
We are SOLD!! Thank you Steve – you are my inspiration on my keto journey and guide with these fabulous recipes.
Do you drain the brine?
Thanks!
I’m not sure what you mean. If you mean do I strain the solids out of the brine before soaking the wings, no.
Compared to the baking powder recipe, this is a fail. Yes, the meat had a bit more flavor. The meat was a bit more moist. But the skin, the skin was chewy and flabby. It was crisp on the outside, thanks to the air fryer. Past that it wasn’t pleasant chewing at all.
I wish I’d done part of the recipe in the oven to see if that would be better.
I followed the recipe exactly, except that after patting the wings dry I put them on a wire rack on a baking sheet and let them air dry in the fridge for 24 hours, as I did in the baking powder recipe. I’m baffled as to why so many found this recipe so good. The skin was not a pleasant chew, the opposite of the baking powder recipe. I found it easy to stop eating these, opposite those made with baking powder. To each his own, I guess.
You can’t really say you followed my recipe “exactly” if you added the step of leaving them in the fridge for 24 hours. Perhaps the reason people found this recipe so good is because they followed it. I suspect your issue is due to the brine being on the wings for so long. Even though they weren’t still soaking in, the brine was in the flesh for an extra 24 hours.
No argument there. I suspected the same thing. I’ll do it again, and will do a follow-up. My review is of the wings as I did them, using your brine recipe. If someone else learns from it then another failure may be averted by it.
I’ve been learning to cook since I was a wisp of a lad nine years old. That was 7 decades ago, and I’m still learning.
Can I brine 5 lbs. of wing & freeze parts for later? Is there any way of making part of this ahead of time so I can have wings quickly anytime I want?
The issue with brining small parts (like wings) is that if they spend too long in the brine, the protein starts to denature, resulting in a texture that is too soft. I had a viewer who did this brine for the suggested time, but then just left the wings in the fridge until the next day (by which time the the aforementioned denaturing occurred). I don’t know if freezing would stop this from happening…