FOOD NEWS
Embrace Tasty Brine For Perfectly Tender Chicken Wings
BY JOHN TOLLEY
Chicken wings are easy to cook at home, but they often fall short of restaurant quality. Brining is a simple yet underrated technique to make your wings more juicy and flavorful.
Wet brining uses a saltwater solution, usually 1 cup kosher salt per gallon of water, to create succulent, evenly seasoned, and tender meat through the process of osmosis.
The best part is that you can flavor the brine to make your chicken tastier. For lemon pepper wings, enhance the brine with halved lemons, black peppercorns, and celery seeds.
For wings brushed with Korean gochujang, you can include garlic, scallions, sugar, and gochugaru chili flakes in the brine to complement the spicy sauce.
To make a basic brine, add salt and water to a pot and boil to dissolve the salt. Add any extra flavorings, then turn the heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Allow the brine to cool to room temperature before adding in the chicken wings. Soak the wings for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator to achieve full flavor absorption.
Dry the wings thoroughly and bring them to a room temperature before cooking. For a quicker option, try boiling the wings directly in the brine, which cooks them in around 20 minutes.