Dill pickle chicken wings are crispy outside and juicy inside, thanks to a pickle juice marinade. You’ll love this easy recipe for perfectly baked crispy chicken wings!
This Dill Pickle Wings recipe follows my Crispy Baked Chicken Wings recipe, with a few tweaks.
When you tell people that you know how to make incredibly juicy, crispy wings without deep frying them, they may not believe you. But honestly, by using one special ingredient, you can make crispy oven baked wings that are better than anything fried in oil!
We’ll get to the special ingredient that makes chicken wings crispy in a minute.
Before that, you need to know that the key to moist and juicy chicken is using a marinade. And the best chicken marinade around is dill pickle juice!
Marinating chicken in pickle juice? REALLY?
Yes, really! You see, pickle juice is very acidic. So, just like lemon juice, vinegar, and other acidic foods, it acts as a tenderizer for the chicken wings.
By the way, pickle juice is also a great tenderizer for any tough cuts of meat. Use it to marinate pork butt for pulled pork, beef shoulder for pot roast, or even a steak!
You don’t need to add anything to it, either; all you will need is the juice/brine from a big jar of dill pickles!
How to make baked crispy chicken wings
1. Marinate the chicken.
So, we already know that the first step in this recipe is marinating the chicken to make it tender and juicy. You’ll marinate them for an hour. But without deep frying, how do you get crispy chicken wings?
The answer is our special ingredient – baking powder!
Using baking powder on chicken wings
There’s a bit of food science behind why baking powder makes chicken skin crispy. It has to do with baking powder increasing the pH level, which causes the chicken skin to dry out. The drier the chicken skin is before baking, the crispier it will become in the oven.
2. Coat in spices.
After the wings marinate for an hour, you’ll remove them from the pickle juice marinade and then use paper toweling to pat them dry. Then you’ll toss them in a mixture of baking powder and spices.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some people are sensitive to the taste of aluminum, and some brands of baking powder have aluminum in them. If you are concerned about this, you will want to read the labels and buy aluminum-free baking powder.
3. Bake them using TWO temperatures.
Another key to making extra crispy baked chicken wings is to oven bake them partially at a very low temperature, then finish baking them at a high temperature.
When the oven is at a lower temperature, the baking powder will continue to dry the chicken skin. As a result, when the oven temperature is increased, the skin will become very golden brown and crispy. Also, baking at a low temperature allows the fat under the skin to render down. Less fat means crispier skin!
FAQ – Dill Pickle Chicken Wings
- HOW MUCH CHICKEN WILL YOU NEED?
If you buy the chicken wings already cut (with the tips removed) then you will only need 3.5 pounds. Otherwise buy 4 pounds.
If you buy them uncut, use a sharp kitchen knife to cut the tips off. You can discard the tips, or save them to make chicken stock. Then, use the knife again to split the wing into the drumstick and flat portions. I typically serve thinking a pound of wings per person (taking into account the bone weight).
- STORING, REHEATING, AND FREEZING
Store any leftover chicken wings in an airtight container or zip top plastic bag in the refrigerator. They’ll keep well for up to 5 days.
The best way to reheat any leftovers is on a sheet pan in the oven. If you microwave them, they will become very soggy.
If you would like to freeze any of the wings for later use, store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months. Before reheating, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
crispy chicken wings recipe video
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Baked Dill Pickle Chicken Wings + Video
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken wings (See Note 1)
- 4 cups dill pickle juice/brine (from empty pickle jar)
- 5 tsp baking powder (NOT BAKING SODA!)
- 2 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper (optional)
- PAM/Oil spray
Instructions
Marinate
- Place chicken in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag. Pour pickle juice over the top and try to ensure all chicken is submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours (longer the better flavor penetration).
- Remove from fridge, rinse and pat dry.
Prep
- Heat oven to 250°F with racks in upper and lower positions. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- In a small bowl whisk together the baking powder, dried dill, garlic powder, salt and white pepper.
- Remove any moisture from chicken wings using a paper towel, patting dry all over.
- Place chicken wings in a large bowl or zipper lock plastic bag and add the baking powder/spice mixture. Stir to coat or seal bag and shake to coat evenly all over.
Bake
- Lay the chicken wing pieces in a single layer skin side up on a wire rack sprayed with cooking spray (PAM /Oil) in the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake on lower rack for 30 minutes (this slowly renders the fat UNDER the skin). Move wings to upper rack, increasing the temperature to 425°F and bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating sheet pan if necessary for even golden brown crispiness.
- Remove from oven and rest 5 minutes. Serve with sauce of choice. I prefer Ranch dressing with chopped dill and a diced dill pickle.
Notes
- If wings are already cut (not whole, tips removed) then use 3.5 pounds. Otherwise buy 4 pounds, remove tips and discard or save for chicken stock. Then using a sharp kitchen knife, split the wing into the drumstick and flat portions. I typically serve thinking a pound of wings per person (taking into account the bone weight).
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
I did these in the air fryer and they were perfect….except way too salty. I know BP has salt in it, so I didn’t add the 3/4 tsp and still way too strong. Not sure how to remedy that, but excellent in every other way!
Maybe it could have been the amount of salt in the dill pickle juice brand you used? Needless to say, glad you enjoyed these Sarah!
Can I cook them in my air fryer at the same temps?
Haven’t tried it myself, but I see no reason why not Sandi.
We are having a wing off with our neighbours tomorrow and I
am going to make these. what sauce would you recommend to serve with them?
Fantastic and good luck! My go to would be My Ranch Dressing.
Thank you for this recipe! I decided to make them for my picky husband and picky son. We all loved them even my toddler. This recipe will now be a staple in our home. They are delicious
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing!
Can you use chicken thighs instead
I have only tried wings! If you thighs let me know how they turn out!
I tried thighs and they actually turned out really good 😊
That’s great to hear! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you
We are a fan of boneless chicken. How long would you cook chicken tenderloins prepared this way?
Chicken tenderloins are skinless so I could not say. I would marinate as described and pan fry to your liking then Heidi.
I found this recipe in the summer and have made it more times than I can remember already, so I guess it’s about time I leave a 5-star review 🙂 Seriously, these are so good and crispy. I usually marinate for 3-4 hours. The baking technique renders the fat perfectly, and there’s minimal smoke in my kitchen. Sometimes we toss them in buffalo sauce because I love a buffalo-dill combo, but they’re just as good without sauce. Thanks to this recipe, I now have multiple half-drained jars of pickles in my fridge at all times, but it’s so worth it!… Read more »
I am so glad you enjoy this recipe Cara! I cannot wait to make it Super Bowl weekend!
Delicious and crispy !! I added more dill and marinated for 5 hours. So so tasty !
Thank you! I am so glad ou liked it!
Created tons of smoke in my kitchen? Not sure what I did wrong? Waiting to taste them…i hope they taste good.
Hi Tom! How did they turn out?
NEVER HAVE 4 CUPS OF PICKLE JUICE, WHAT ABOUT VINEGAR?
Mary,
you can buy gallons of just pickle juice on amazon
Thanks for sharing that great info, Kevin!
I make pickle brine just for these wings! Here’s my recipe, enough for 1 pound of wings:
combine 3/4 cup white vinegar with 1/2 cup water in small saucepan and heat to a bare simmer. Add 1 tablespoon pickling salt, 1 teaspoon dill seed, 1 clove crushed garlic, and 1/8 teaspoon turmeric. Stir and let cool.
Thanks so much Kim!
Oh, and thanks to you for the fantastic recipe Kevin! I used your technique to finally get good, crisp BBQ chicken legs also!
Excellent! So happy to read this Kim. Cheers!
We’re really excited to try these tonight. The print recipe and your text both say marinate one hour; the video says 4 hours. Which do you recommend?
Looks like a typo glitch Amy, thanks! Cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours (longer the better flavor penetration).
I made a 1/2 recipe and soaked the wings for about 3 hours. These were amazingly crispy! So good! Can’t wait to make them again!!
I am so glad you enjoyed them!