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Do you see what I did there? Do you appreciate a good food pun, or do you find it tacky? Normally I’d consider myself in the latter camp, but for some reason this time I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The title of this recipe really fits the food to a T, so I just decided to go for it. And so here we are.

Just a little heads up for this recipe. If you don’t LOVE pickles, I would suggest skipping this one. If I’m being honest it just won’t be your thing. During the overnight marinate, I can honestly report that the pickle brine really gets all up IN these chicken wings. The brine finds every last molecule of chicken existence and it penetrates it and turns it into some sort of pickle/chicken hybrid. It’s quite fascinating, because the pickle flavor from my Southern Style Chicken Sandwich, which is also marinated overnight in pickle juice, is nowhere near as intense as these wings somehow turn out to be. Maybe it’s because there’s a bone in this recipe that isn’t in the sandwich? Maybe it’s because chicken wings are so much smaller than chicken thighs? I’m no food scientist, but it would be really cool to know exactly why, when you take a bite into one of these wings, you are questioning if you’re actually eating a chicken wing after all. All of this to say, the pickle flavor is THERE, my friends.

Break out the old air fryer and let’s cook!

thehungryhungryhiker

Dillicious Air Fried Pickle Wings

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 8-10 chicken wings
  • sea salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • ½ cup dill pickle juice check labels for Whole30, I use Grillo's
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and sliced along the length
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • Ranch dressing, for serving optional

Equipment

  • Air fryer

Method
 

  1. Lay the chicken wings out on a flat surface and pat dry. Season generously with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper on both sides. Place in a large bag for marinating. Add in the dill pickle juice and the garlic gloves and massage to make sure the chicken is submerged in the pickle juice. Place in the refrigerator to let marinate overnight, at least 8 hours.
  2. When you are ready to cook, mix the baking soda, garlic powder, and dried dill together in a small bowl. Add a pinch of fresh ground black pepper and stir to combine.
  3. Remove the chicken wings from the marinating bag and dry the wings as much as possible. Distribute the seasoning mixture evenly over the wings and use your hands to rub the mixture in all over each wing. Place the wings on your air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving room around each wing as your air fryer will allow.
  4. Air fry at 400° F for 6 minutes. Use tongs to flip the wings over. Air fry at 400° F for 6 minutes more, or until each wing is cooked through. Serve hot with pickle spears and ranch dressing on the side for dipping and enjoy!