Beer Gives You The Juiciest Chicken Wings - Here's Everything You Need For A Tasty Marinade

Beer and wings are a match made in sports bar heaven. Whether you like them sweet and sticky or finger-licking, fiery hot, there's nothing better to accompany a plateful of chicken wings than an ice-cold beer. And with so many reasons to be glued to the TV watching sporting events, it seems like the perfect time to master making chicken wings at home. To gather some expert tips, Tasting Table reached out to Erin Colombi and David Jutras, the senior vice president of operations and chef, respectively, at Fat Patty's, a popular burger joint with locations in West Virginia, Kentucky, and soon in New Jersey. As it turns out, they told us beer is also a great addition to your marinade for chicken wings, and it will have a great impact on their flavor and texture.

"Using beer to marinate chicken wings can add a depth of flavor and help tenderize the meat," they say. "Beer adds a complex, slightly sweet, and malty flavor to the wings. The hops in the beer can also add a subtle bitterness that balances well with other seasonings." Adding beer to marinades is a common practice, anyway, and there are recipes that incorporate it into a flavorful lager brine for turkey or a marinade to yield a malty crust on grilled steaks, so why not use some beer to marinate your chicken wings before grilling, frying, or roasting them to a perfect crisp? As a bonus, "The carbonation in beer helps to tenderize the meat, making the wings juicier and more tender," say Colombi and Jutras. 

When choosing the best type of beer to use in your wing marinade, Erin Colombi and David Jutras agree that you should go for a light-bodied beer. "A light lager or pilsner is often the best choice for marinating chicken wings," they say. "These beers have a mild flavor that won't overpower the wings, but will add a subtle malty sweetness and slight bitterness." While you might prefer to drink a more full-bodied, darker beer, they suggest you don't use it for a wing marinade. "Avoid using very dark or heavily flavored beers, as they can dominate the taste," Colombi and Jutras insist. 

Surely, you will serve your wings with some favorite chicken wing sauces, but that doesn't mean they have to be plain — you want a flavorful marinade for these babies! To make a basic beer marinade for chicken wings, Colombi and Jutras suggest using a cup of your favorite lager or pilsner and mixing it in a large bowl with olive oil, some soy sauce (which they say "adds umami and saltiness," and is "a great replacement for salt"), honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar "for a touch of sweetness that balances the bitterness of the beer," and lime or lemon juice, which "adds acidity to brighten the flavors." For seasonings, you can add your favorite spices, but Colombi and Jutras have a few favorites they suggest. Start with garlic and onion powder as "these add a savory depth to the marinade." 

Meanwhile, they say "paprika or smoked paprika adds a smoky flavor and a bit of color." You can also add cayenne pepper "for a bit of heat," and "fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, or parsley for added freshness." Then, our experts say to add the chicken wings to the bowl "and ensure they are fully coated. Cover and refrigerate [them] for at least two hours, preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat." We have a few tips to make crispy chicken wings at home that can beat those from any fast food chain, and now you can add this simple beer marinade to your bag of tricks come Game Day. Try it with our crispy baked chicken recipe to get started.