Want to make the best and easiest brine for chicken wings? This easy brined chicken wing recipe is salty, slightly sweet and umami, with an optional spicy kick. Brining chicken wings is one of the best methods to get super crispy and flavorful smoked, grilled, baked or fried chicken wings! The flavor of this chicken wing brine is so incredible you don’t even need sauce!
This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through this link (at no extra cost to you).
If you want to brine chicken wings before grilling, air frying, baking, smoking or deep frying, you are in the right place! Brining chicken wings is one of the easiest ways to get flavorful and super crispy wings with minimal effort.
I am a huge chicken wing fanatic and they can be prepared in so many delicious ways. You can use spices and seasonings, brined or dipped in a delicious buffalo sauce, ranch or blue cheese dressing!
Some people chose to dry brine chicken wings, but wet brine chicken wings (by making a wet brine solution) allows for many fun ingredient options such as beer brined chicken wings, pickle brined fried chicken wings, buttermilk brined fried chicken wings and even jalapeno brined chicken wings!
That being sauce, I would argue that this chicken wing brine recipe is the best! I hope you give it a try.
If you are looking for some other easy chicken recipes, you will love these Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets, Frozen Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer or Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings!
Why this recipe makes the best chicken wing brine!
- These brined chicken wings are super delicious as a snack, appetizer or full dinner! Serve them up with a side of Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in Air Fryer or Air Fryer Tater Tots and you are good to go! Ok Ok. Maybe throw in a side of Roasted Asparagus for some veggies.
- Wet brining chicken wings adds so much flavor to the chicken wings that you don’t even need dipping sauce!
- Chicken wing brine is very flexible and allows you to add different levels of spice and seasonings based on your specific tastes. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
Ingredients for brined chicken wings
Chicken Wings
- Chicken Wings: You can use chicken wings or wing drummettes (drums and/or flats). Wing drummettes or wingettes (sometimes called “party wings”) are smaller than regular chicken wings. You can buy your chicken wings fresh or frozen in most grocery stores.
Chicken Wing Brine
- Water
- Soy Sauce: It is very important that you use light soy sauce for this recipe or your wings may turn out too salty.
- Kosher Salt: It is very important that you use Kosher salt for this recipe or your wings may turn out too salty. Kosher salt is a larger courser grain than table salt.
- Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar both work well.
- Fresh Ginger (Optional): This ingredient is optional but recommended. The brine will still turn out delicious without ginger but if you are a ginger fan, it does take the flavor to the next level delicious!
- Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic. I don’t dig the jarred garlic.
- Crushed Red Pepper/Red Pepper Flakes: If you don’t like spicy, you can omit.
- Cayenne Pepper: If you don’t like spicy, you can omit.
How to brine chicken wings
- Set 4 cups of cold water aside.
- In medium pot, on medium high heat, heat 1½ cups water, soy sauce, kosher salt, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper and cayenne pepper until brown sugar and salt are fully dissolved (2-3 minutes).
- Remove from heat and pour mixture into large bowl (large enough to fit all your chicken wings).
- Add your remaining cups of cold water to the mixture. Refrigerate the chicken wing brine mixture until fully cooled.
- Once mixture is fully cooled, add your chicken wings to the brine. Be sure they are fully submerged.
- Place bowl in refrigerator and brine chicken wings for approximately 2 hours.
- Remove wings from brine (discard unused brine) and place chicken wings on cooling rack on top of a sheet pan or a baking sheet covered in paper towels. This will allow the excess brine to drain.
- Pat wings dry to remove any excess brine. Allow wings to dry refrigerated on baking sheet for 10-15 minutes (minimum) or up to 60 minutes. The more time you allow your wings to dry, the crispier they will cook.
- Cook your brined chicken wings in the smoker, oven (baked), grill, air fryer or deep fryer.
Chicken Wing Brine Cooking Methods: This chicken wing brine recipe works for smoked brined chicken wings, baked brined chicken wings, grilled brined chicken wings, air fryer brined chicken wings and deep fried brined chicken wings.
Traditional Chicken Wing Brine: Omit soy sauce and ginger. Add additional ½ cup of water and 2 tablespoons salt. Add 3 springs rosemary and 3 sprigs thyme.
What does brining do?
Brining is a culinary technique that is used to flavor ingredients, typically meats, and help them to stay extra juicy after cooking. The brine is made of a salt and water solution with other selected ingredients added for flavor.
Salt and water from the brine are absorbed by the meat through osmosis and diffusion.
How long to brine chicken wings
How long to brine chicken wings depends in the salinity of your brine (water to salt ratio) and the size of your chicken wings. Chicken wings are generally smaller than many other cuts or types of meat that you might brine.
For example, a whole turkey or a chicken leg is much larger than a chicken wing. Since chicken wings are smaller, it is best not to brine them for too long or they can become too salty and the texture of the skin and meat can become unappealing. Chicken wings brine best when fully submerged.
What to serve with chicken wings?
I will argue that these brined chicken wings are so good that they don’t need any wing sauce, but if you must, you have to try the best sweet and spicy Buffalo Sauce! It is absolteuly incredible and super easy to make.
My next two favorite chicken wing sauces are Bang Bang Sauce and Chili Crisp.
Great sides for chicken wings can include some delicious carbs such as Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in Air Fryer, Frozen Garlic Bread in Air Fryer and Air Fryer Tater Tots.
And don’t forget to serve a side of super crunchy veggies, such as carrots, celery and cucumbers with a side of blue cheese and ranch dressing.
How to cut a chicken wing
Have you decided to take the plunge and make chicken wings from scratch?While I love making Tyson Frozen Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer for a quick and easy appetizer or Game Day snack, there is something about making fresh chicken wings that is the absolute best!
When you go to the grocery store, you might get lucky and find some pre-cut chicken wings or wingettes, but often you will find packs of chicken wings with the drums and flats still connected.
The good news is that cutting them into the pieces that you are probably used to seeing is really easy!
Be sure that you have a sturdy cutting board and a sharp knife. Above all, be VERY careful when cutting on or near chicken wing bones.
First, slice the wing “tip” off. I like to wiggle it around and sometimes you can snap it before fully cutting it off. Then, separate the wing and drug by cutting at the joint.
Again, you can wiggle it around and snap (if possible) and then you can cut to separate the two pieces.
FAQ and expert tips
Make your chicken wing brine. Brine the chicken for the appropriate amount of time based on the size of the chicken. Remove from bring mixture and allow to fully dry before smoking.
You can brine your chicken wings for approximately 2 hours. While the type of brine and size of the chicken wings may vary, anything longer you can run the risk of overly salted meat.
Making a brine for chicken wings requires a specific ratio of water to salt. From there, you can add other flavor components such as soy sauce, garlic, thyme, rosemary, crushed red pepper or cayenne.
Brining wings before drying allows for an extra flavorful wing and super crunchy chicken wing skin. Brining for approximately 2 hours is recommended before frying.
Brining wings before drying allows for an extra flavorful wing and super crunchy chicken wing skin. Brining for approximately 2 hours is recommended before smoking.
The standard ratio of salt to water in brine is 1 tablespoon salt to 1 cup of water.
Brining meat will make the meat salty if you are bringing a smaller cut of meat, such as a chicken wing. It is very important not to allow your meat to sit in the brine mixture for too long or it can become too salty and change the texture of the meat.
Yes, bringing makes a difference by infusing additional flavor into the meat. Additionally, it allows for extra crispy skin and juicy meat on the inside.
Looking for other delicious appetizers or snacks?
- Frozen Garlic Bread in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Frozen Dumplings
- Frozen Egg Rolls in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Corn Dogs
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my EMAIL NEWSLETTER and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for all of the latest delicious food!
You can also comment below. I LOVE hearing from you! If you loved the recipe, a 5 STAR RATING is the ultimate compliment as food is my love language!
Best Brine for Chicken Wings (Smoked, Baked, Grilled, Air Fryer and Deep Fried)
Equipment
- 1 small pot
- 1 large bowl
- 1 baking sheet and cooing rack
- smoker, oven, grill, air fryer or deep fryer optional
Ingredients
Chicken Wings
Chicken Wing Brine
- 5½ cups water
- ½ cups light soy sauce must be light soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt do not use table salt
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger optional but recommended
- 4 large cloves minced or pressed garlic
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes·
- 1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Set 4 cups of cold water aside.
- In medium pot, on medium high heat, heat 1½ cups water, soy sauce, kosher salt, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper and cayenne pepper until brown sugar and salt are fully dissolved (2-3 minutes).
- Remove from heat and pour mixture into large bowl (large enough to fit all your chicken wings).
- Add your remaining cups of cold water to the mixture. Refrigerate the chicken wing brine mixture until fully cooled.
- Once mixture is fully cooled, add your chicken wings to the brine. Be sure they are fully submerged.
- Place bowl in refrigerator and brine chicken wings for approximately 2 hours.
- Remove wings from brine (discard unused brine) and place chicken wings on cooling rack on top of a sheet pan or a baking sheet covered in paper towels. This will allow the excess brine to drain.
- Pat wings dry to remove any excess brine. Allow wings to dry refrigerated on baking sheet for 10-15 minutes (minimum) or up to 60 minutes. The more time you allow your wings to dry, the crispier they will cook.
- Cook your brined chicken wings in the smoker, oven (baked), grill, air fryer or deep fryer.
Kris S.
These were the best wings I and my partner have ever had! Will keep this recipe for sure! Served it with yum yum sauce (mayo and shriacha) and they were fantastic!
Aubrey
Thanks Kris! So happy you enjoyed. 🙂
Carol
I just made frozen wings in my air fryer. They turned out great, but I did make a few changes. I added a little bit of evoo over them after I patted them dry, then sprinkled a little bit of McCormicks Bourbon and brown sugar seasoning on them and added a tiny bit of baking powder to crisp them up. Some I tossed in BBQ sauce, some in ranch dressing sprinkled with Parmesan and just a few in Frank’s Red Hot sauce. They turned out nice and crispy. Hubby loved them too! What impressed me that most is that I was able to use frozen, raw wings, both flats and drummettes. I’m definitely going to start following you for more air fryer recipes. I don’t use mine as off as I could. Thanks for the temp and timing
R Collins
I have tried a lot of different brine’s before but this one worked the best for me, very good the chicken was more tender than not using a brine.
Caleb
I have never brined chicken wings and was curious how they would be compared to regular sauced wings. I was looking for a good chicken wing brine so I could make them on the smoker. East turned out super delicious. The flavor of the chicken wing brine was subtle yet flavorful. They also turned out crispy on the smoker. Definitely recommend
Smith
I made these brined chicken wings and they were delicious. I deep fried them and they were very flavorful without sauce.