Spicy Pickle Brined Wings
I. Love. Wings. It’s one of those cuisines where I can just not get enough of. I am not ashamed to admit that I have had them for dinner more than three times a week before. I cannot get tired of skin on, bone in chicken so the fact that there is a miniature version of this beautiful piece of meat makes me believe that the world is good again.
I do admit, however, that I can get tired of the regular buffalo, bbq, lemon pepper flavors, hell, even the garlic parmesan can get a bit much if you eat wings as much as I do. I also find that they’re a bit expensive. I wanted to make a flavor that I couldn’t get anywhere else, I wanted to make wings at home because my bank account told me to, and I also wanted to get rid of my large jar of pickles. So lo and behold, my Spicy Pickle Brined Wings!
The act of brining is when you add a salt solution to a piece of meat and allow it to marinate to eventually break down its muscle fibers. It mostly happens with large pieces of pork, chicken or beef, but I thought, why not do it to a small piece of chicken with pickle juice?
I did have to be careful with the brining time and chose not to do it overnight because I didn’t want to actually, well, pickle the wings, but wanted a subtle, tangy, sour flavor that we all know and love, all the while having tender and juicy wings!
I personally do not wash my chicken because I feel the potential for cross contamination is way too high for chicken that I am going to cook thoroughly anyways.
Also, it feels weird.
Anyways,
Take your chicken wings and place them in a very large ziplock bag, add 3 cups of pickle juice and massage slightly and place in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours. Do try not to exceed this time as the pickle flavor will be too prominent.
After you are done, take your chicken and pat dry, making sure that your wings are, well, dry.
Mix your seasonings (you can forego the cayenne if you have anyone that doesn’t like spicy), and toss your wings in oil. Hand dip your wings and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and you can go ahead and leave them! This is a low and slow method that does not require turning, and if you would like crispier skin, I’d recommend putting them in the broiler after they are done for about 5 minutes. Congratulations, you just made some pub worthy wings!
2-3 lbs of wings (not frozen)
3 cups of pickle juice
2 tbsp of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp of paprika
2 tbsp of oregano
3 tbsp of onion powder
3 tbsp of garlic powder
3 tbsp of black pepper
4 tbsp of avocado or olive oil
Directions:
Put your chicken wings into a large ziplock bag and add 3 cups of pickle juice
Leave in the fridge for 3-4 hours
Take out wings and pat dry
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Add 2 tbsp of cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp of paprika, 2 tbsp of oregano, 3 tbsp of onion powder, 3 tbsp of garlic powder, 3 tbsp of black pepper into a large mixing bowl
Coat your chicken wings in oil
Dip your wings and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Make sure not to crowd the pan
Bake for 1 hour
Optional: broil for two to five minutes on high for a crispier texture
Serve with ranch/blue cheese, celery, carrots and of course: pickles!
