While brining chicken wings isn’t necessary if done right it always results in more tender juicy and flavorful meat. First let’s define what a brine is. It’s pretty simple: a brine is just salt and water. Everything else is irrelevant to the definition of a brine. How much salt? It varies. Technically a brine is at least as salty as seawater or about 3.5% salt concentration but it can be saltier. A fairly common brining ratio for meat is 1 cup of salt to 1 gallon of water or about 6.25% salt.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
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 Molly Thompson | 2023-02-16 17:58:36 |  39,541 Views |
How to Brine Chicken Wings to Enhance Flavor!! (Best Chicken Wing Brine)
Why salt? Salt helps tenderize meat in two ways. First soaking the meat in a saltwater solution helps the meat absorb water. (It has to be a saltwater solution; soaking meat in water without salt will not cause it to absorb as much water due to the laws of osmosis.) Cured meat loses just as much water as meat that hasn’t been cured. (Muscle fibers contract when heated which forces water to the outer edges of the meat. This is why your meat sizzles when you cook it.) However because the meat starts out with more water you end up with a juicier product. Second the salt in the brine works to break down the muscle fibers in the meat. (This is why a dry brine works even without water.) The salt causes the tightly coiled muscle fibers to relax resulting in more tender meat that’s easier to cut and chew.
You’ll notice that there are other ingredients in this brine like sugar and spices. While sugar isn’t necessary in a brine it does help create a crispier caramelized meat thanks to the Maillard reaction a fancy term for the browning process. (It’s very important to pat your wings dry after brining though or they won’t caramelize.) Sugar also helps give a more subtle rounded flavor to a brine since salt alone can be a bit harsh. You don’t have to worry about your wings tasting sweet though since you’ll be rinsing off the brine before cooking them. As for the spices they’re purely for flavor and don’t affect juiciness or texture. Feel free to adjust them to your liking. The vinegar in the brine is there to further tenderize the meat but it’s not inherent in the definition of a brine.
This recipe calls for brining chicken wings for 2-4 hours so you’ll need to plan ahead a bit. If you’re pressed for time and can’t make this recipe the same day don’t worry: You can leave the brined wings in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Just don’t leave them in longer than that or you’ll risk the meat becoming spongy soggy and overly salty. (However overly salty meat can be remedied to some extent. Read the recipe below for tips on how to do that.)
