Pickleback Chicken Wings

Inspired by pickleback shots, these chicken wings are marinated in pickle juice before being seasoned with bourbon, honey, and Smoke Kitchen’s Honey Garlic rub, which gives these wings the perfect balance.

And, considering how easy these wings are to make, they certainly pack a lot of flavor. The key is in the marinating – time definitely equals flavor.

Grill them over high heat and serve with ranch. As soon as you take a bite, you’ll note the pickle brine flavor with a sweetness from the rub.

Pickleback Chicken Wings

Ingredients you’ll need

• Chicken wings – I like to use a mix of drums and flats, separate if they’re whole. 
• Smoke Kitchen Honey Garlic Rub
• Pickle juice – Any pickle juice will work; you’ll need 2.5 cups, so I suggest finding a bottle of pickle juice vs using the juice from a pickle jar.
• Bourbon – Any bourbon will work, use your favorite
• Honey

Equipment you’ll need

• Charcoal Grill – I like direct heat for my wings, so I prefer a charcoal grill to a smoker. Any cooker will do, it may just alter cooking times.
• Wire rack – with a baking tray underneath to catch any drips.
• Paper towels
• BBQ tongs
• Instant read thermometer

What are pickleback wings?

Pickleback wings are inspired by the pickleback shot, which is a shot of whiskey chased with a shot of pickle juice.

These wings are marinated overnight in pickle juice before being seasoned with a mix of bourbon, honey, and spices to bring out maximum flavor. 

What kind of grill to use

For the perfect wing, you need crispy skin with a juicy inside. To achieve that, I prefer using a charcoal grill to cook my wings over direct heat. 

Cooking over direct heat will help you get crispy skin while caramelizing the rub, and by cooking at the right temperature (350-375°F), you can maintain a juicy, perfectly cooked inside. 

If you prefer to use a smoker, like a pellet smoker, I would recommend finishing off your wings over high heat or in the air fryer to get the skin crisp. 

How to make Pickleback Chicken Wings

1. Marinate

Remove the chicken wings from their package. Pat them dry with paper towels, and cut them into flats and drums if they are not already. 

Place them into a bowl or gallon-sized ziploc bag. Pour in enough pickle juice so they are all completely covered.

To achieve that pickleback shot taste, you need to marinate overnight. If you just found this recipe and really want to make it tonight, you’ll need to marinate for at least four hours.

2. Brine

Dry brining dries out the skin, which helps it to get crispy and caramelize while cooking.

Remove the wings from the pickle juice and pat dry with paper towels. 

Place wings on a wire rack. Leave them uncovered in the fridge for 3 hours. This will help dry out the skin. The dryer you get them, the crispier they will be.

3. Season

In a bowl, add the wings and bourbon, and give it a good mix. The bourbon adds flavor here and also serves as a binder. 

Add in Smoke Kitchen Honey Garlic Rub and honey. Give them a toss and make sure everything is evenly coated.

Because the honey is sticky, I prefer to mix them with my hands (with a glove on for easy cleanup) compared to mixing with a spatula

4. Fire up the grill

Fire the grill up to 350-375°F.

For wings, I find charcoal grills to be the best because you get crispy skin from the direct heat without overcooking them. However, if you have a preferred grill to use for wings, use that.

Cooking at 350-375°F, wings will typically take around 30 minutes to cook. Make sure to give them a flip halfway through so they cook evenly or flip as needed so one side doesn’t burn.

Wings are safe to eat when an internal temperature of 165°F is reached. However, I prefer my wings at an internal temperature of 180°F. Once they’ve reached your desired internal temperature, remove them from the grill.

5. Serve

Place wings on a platter and garnish with pickles and fresh dill. Serve with ranch or blue cheese sauce.

Can you ever get enough wings?

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• Smoked Fried Wings with Honey Garlic Sauce
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