Brine Chicken Wings: Salt Ratio and Time
Published
For 2 lb (0.91 kg) of chicken wings, dissolve 56.8 g (2 oz) of salt in 1 quart (0.95 L) of water, a 6% brine, and refrigerate the wings in it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The time applies to whole wings, or flats and drumettes, 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick or less.
A stronger 7.61% brine uses 72 g (2.54 oz) of salt in the same quart and has the same 30 minute to 1 hour window.
Quick answer
For chicken wings, use a 6% brine: 56.8 g (2 oz) of salt per quart of water. Brine 2 lb (0.91 kg) for 30 min to 1 hr.
- Diamond Crystal kosher, per quart of water
- 3/8 cup
- Morton kosher, per quart of water
- 1/4 cup
- Table salt, per quart of water
- 3 Tbsp
- For 2 lb (0.91 kg)
- 56.8 g (2 oz) of salt in 1 quart (0.95 L) of water
- Time window
- 30 min to 1 hr
Warnings
Do not brine meat that is labeled basted, enhanced, marinated or kosher (Morton Salt, It's Time To Brine). Destination BBQ (Brining math explained) says enhanced, self-basting and kosher meat has already been salt-treated and is essentially pre-brined, and that you might dry-brine it very lightly or not brine it at all.
Brine in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below. Do not brine at room temperature.
Discard the brine after use. Do not reuse brine that held raw meat, poultry or fish.
Do not brine longer than 1 hr. The Kitchn's 5 Smart Tips for Better Brined Meat page (https://www.thekitchn.com/5-smart-tips-for-better-brined-meat-223759) says that for pork chops, chicken and other small cuts, the meat can start to become mushy after a couple of hours in a brine. Amazing Ribs reports a test by Greg Blonder in which a half-pound boneless chicken breast held about 1.5% salt inside after 8 hours in a 6% brine, and calls an internal level of 1.5% to 2% much too salty to eat. That test shows meat becomes too salty over hours; it does not set the maximum shown here.
Notes
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults limit sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day. Brined and fermented food contains added salt.
The water shown is a default of 0.5 quarts per pound of food. Use enough water to cover the food completely. The salt follows the water: if you use a different amount of water, enter it and the salt changes with it.
Chicken wings calculator
Enter your own weight, brine strength and water amount, choose your salt type, and get the salt by weight and volume and the time.
Open the chicken wings calculatorBrine strength
The calculator has two strengths for wings. Both percentages are of the water weight, as the brine percentages explainer describes.
| Strength | Salt percentage | Salt per quart of water | Salt per gallon of water | Time for 2 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 6 g of salt per 100 g of water (60 g per liter), from Amazing Ribs. see warning | 6% of water | 56.8 g (2 oz) 3/8 cup Diamond Crystal kosher 1/4 cup Morton kosher 3 Tbsp Table salt | 227 g (8 oz) 1 3/4 cups Diamond Crystal kosher 1 cup Morton kosher 3/4 cup Table salt | 30 min to 1 hr |
| Stronger, short About 7.61 g of table salt per 100 g of water for a 30 to 60 minute brine, from America's Test Kitchen. see warning | 7.61% of water | 72 g (2.5 oz) 1/2 cup Diamond Crystal kosher 3/8 cup Morton kosher 1/4 cup Table salt | 288 g (10.2 oz) 2 1/8 cups Diamond Crystal kosher 1 1/4 cups Morton kosher 1 cup Table salt | 30 min to 1 hr |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
Warning
Do not brine longer than 1 hr. America's Test Kitchen gives 1 hour as the longest time at this strength. Amazing Ribs reports a test by Greg Blonder in which a half-pound boneless chicken breast held about 1.5% salt inside after 8 hours in a 6% brine, and calls an internal level of 1.5% to 2% much too salty to eat. That test shows meat becomes too salty over hours; it does not set the maximum shown here. Applies to: Stronger, short.
Standard (6%) is the default. Amazing Ribs defines a 6% brine as 60 g of salt in 1 liter of water and gives about 1/2 hour for meat 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thick and about 1 hour for meat 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Destination BBQ gives 1 to 8 hours for chicken pieces at 5% to 7%. The calculator uses the shorter maximum of 1 hour.
Stronger, short (7.61%) comes from America's Test Kitchen's chart for 4 lb of bone-in chicken pieces: 2 quarts of water, 1/2 cup of table salt, 1/2 to 1 hour. Wings are not named in that chart row, and only America's Test Kitchen gives this strength, so it is a single-publisher figure for wings.
America's Test Kitchen also has a gas-grilled wings recipe that uses a much stronger brine, about 11.41% with sugar, for 30 minutes. The calculator does not use it, because no second publisher gives that strength.
Both strengths share a window, so the choice is how salty you want the wings. The standard brine has less salt in the water.
Salt and time by weight
Weigh the wings before brining, without any liquid.
| Food weight | Salt by weight | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | 28.4 g (1 oz) | 3 1/2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 1 1/2 Tbsp | 0.5 quarts (0.47 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 2 lb (0.91 kg) | 56.8 g (2 oz) | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 3 Tbsp | 1 quart (0.95 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 3 lb (1.36 kg) | 85.2 g (3 oz) | 5/8 cup | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 1.5 quarts (1.42 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 4 lb (1.81 kg) | 114 g (4 oz) | 7/8 cup | 1/2 cup | 3/8 cup | 2 quarts (1.89 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
The stronger brine:
| Food weight | Salt by weight | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | 36 g (1.3 oz) | 1/4 cup | 2 1/2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 0.5 quarts (0.47 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 2 lb (0.91 kg) | 72 g (2.5 oz) | 1/2 cup | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 1 quart (0.95 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 3 lb (1.36 kg) | 108 g (3.8 oz) | 3/4 cup | 1/2 cup | 3/8 cup | 1.5 quarts (1.42 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 4 lb (1.81 kg) | 144 g (5.1 oz) | 1 1/8 cups | 5/8 cup | 1/2 cup | 2 quarts (1.89 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
At 2 lb (0.91 kg) and the standard strength, 56.8 g of salt is 3/8 cup of Diamond Crystal kosher, 1/4 cup of Morton kosher or 3 Tbsp of table salt. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts, so weigh the salt. The kosher versus table salt guide explains why.
Note
The water shown is a default of 0.5 quarts per pound of food. Use enough water to cover the food completely. The salt follows the water: if you use a different amount of water, enter it in the calculator and the salt changes with it.
Time depends on thickness
Time depends on thickness more than weight. The window applies to pieces 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick or less. Amazing Ribs lists about 30 minutes for meat 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thick and about 1 hour for meat 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, so thinner pieces belong at the short end of the window.
Handling wings
Whole wings, flats and drumettes all take the same 30 minute to 1 hour window, because the window is set by thickness (1 inch or less) and not by the form of the cut. Keep them fully covered in a refrigerated container and set a timer for the end of the window.
Pat the wings very dry when they come out. Amazing Ribs says a wet surface steams in the pan instead of browning, and Destination BBQ says to air-dry the skin after a wet brine. Amazing Ribs also advises a dry brine over a wet one for skin-on poultry, so if crisp skin matters most, see the dry brine chicken guide. Cook to 165°F (74°C) on a food thermometer, as FoodSafety.gov lists for poultry. The mixing, chilling and cleanup steps are the same for every wet brine and are in how to brine meat.
Safety
Warning
Do not brine longer than 1 hr. At the standard strength, The Kitchn's 5 Smart Tips for Better Brined Meat page says that for pork chops, chicken and other small cuts, the meat can start to become mushy after a couple of hours in a brine. At the stronger strength, America's Test Kitchen gives 1 hour as the longest time. The guide to over-brining has the salt-uptake test and what to do about meat that stayed in too long.
The refrigeration, brine disposal and pre-salted meat rules in the calculator above apply to every wet brine and are explained in the brine food safety guide. In short: brine at 40°F (4°C) or below, throw the brine out after use, and do not brine poultry sold as basted, enhanced, marinated or kosher. The USDA FSIS says those labels mean a solution was added during processing.
Practical problems
The wings are too salty. Use the standard strength and take them out at the short end of the window.
The wings steam in the pan or oven. Dry them thoroughly first.
You are cooking other chicken at the same time. Each cut has its own window. The guides to chicken thighs and chicken breast give those, and the chicken brine time chart lists them together.
Frequently asked questions
How long should you brine chicken wings?
The calculator gives 30 minutes to 1 hour at both strengths, for wings 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick or less. The maximum is 1 hour.
How much salt do you use to brine 2 lb of chicken wings?
At the default 6% strength, use 1 quart (0.95 L) of water and 56.8 g (2 oz) of salt. That is 3/8 cup Diamond Crystal kosher, 1/4 cup Morton kosher or 3 Tbsp table salt.
Can you brine wings overnight?
No. The calculator's maximum is 1 hour. Destination BBQ gives 1 to 8 hours for chicken pieces, but the calculator uses the shorter time where sources differ.
Does brining make wings crispy?
Amazing Ribs says wet brines make poultry skin soggy, and Destination BBQ says to air-dry the skin before cooking after a wet brine. Dry the wings thoroughly before cooking.
What size of wing does the brine time apply to?
It applies to whole wings, or flats and drumettes, 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick or less. Time depends on thickness more than weight.