Honey Garlic Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
Crispy, juicy and sticky, these air fryer honey garlic chicken wings are the best! An easy meal to cook in the air fryer, and one the whole family will love. They are coated in a delicious honey, garlic and ginger sauce.
Fried chicken is one of the best things to make in the air fryer and it will become a family favorite. You can still get beautifully crisp chicken without deep frying, perfect for busy weeknights (and fewer calories.)
The trick to getting perfectly crispy wings is in the dry coating on the chicken. Then it’s cooking them first at a lower heat to render the fat, and secondly at a higher heat to crisp them up. This is the trick used in this Korean fried chicken too!
Ingredients
Find the ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.
- Chicken wings – You could use bone-in, boneless chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks too but the cooking time will be longer. Don’t use chicken breast as this will dry out too much.
- Cornstarch – This is a gluten-free recipe if your cornstarch is gluten-free. Or use rice flour or potato starch.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Black pepper or red pepper flakes
- Olive oil
Honey garlic sauce
- Low-sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce can be a bit salty.
- Apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
- Honey
- Sesame oil
- Fresh garlic cloves (or garlic powder)
- Fresh ginger
- Sesame seeds and green onions for serving.
See the recipe card for quantities.
The crispy chicken
The chicken is coated in a very simple dry rub consisting of corn starch or potato starch, baking powder and seasoning.
Baking powder is a key component in creating a lovely crispy coating around the chicken. It helps to dry the chicken skin out a bit and encourages crispy chicken wings.
The chicken undergoes two different cooks. The first air fry is at a low temperature to render the extra fat. Then for the second fry, the heat is cranked up in the last 15 minutes of cooking. This is what will give a beautiful golden brown skin.
Equipment
Air fryer – These sticky chicken wings are made in a 5.8-quart air fryer. If yours is smaller the chicken may need to be cooked in batches.
Instructions
Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken wings and place them in a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle the baking powder, cornstarch and seasonings over the chicken pieces and toss them well to coat them in the dry mixture.
Place the chicken pieces in as close to a single layer as you can in the air fryer basket. If they are very snug, don’t worry, they will shrink as they cook.
Air fry the chicken at 350°F/175°C for 5 minutes. Remove the air fryer basket and use tongs to flip the chicken pieces upside down. Fry for another 3-4 minutes at 350°F/175°C. This low heat will help to render the fat from the chicken.
Turn the heat up to 400°F/200°C and fry the chicken pieces for another 10-12 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through cooking until it’s golden brown and crispy.
The sauce
While the chicken is cooking, begin the sauce.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, fry the garlic in the sesame oil until fragrant. In a small bowl, stir together cold water and cornstarch into a slurry. Set this aside.
Once the garlic has fried a little, add in soy sauce, honey, sugar and ginger. Stir through the cornstarch slurry and bring to a boil, whisking until the sauce is glossy and thick. Take it off the heat.
Once the chicken has finished cooking, brush the cooked chicken generously with the sticky sauce on all sides.
Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle over sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Serving and storing
This is perfect as a side to brown rice and steamed greens.
Store leftover chicken once cooled down to room temperature, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can be reheated in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 350°F/175°C until warmed through.
Related recipes
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Crispy, juicy and sticky, these air fryer honey garlic chicken wings are the best!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs / 1kg chicken wings
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Honey garlic sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider or rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- Sesame seeds and green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken wings and place them in a large mixing bowl.
- Sprinkle the baking powder, cornstarch and seasonings over the chicken pieces and toss them well to coat them in the dry mixture.
- Place the chicken pieces in as close to a single layer as you can in the air fryer basket. If they are very snug, don't worry, they will shrink as they cook.
- Air fry the chicken at 350°F/175°C for 5 minutes. Remove the air fryer basket and use tongs to flip the chicken pieces upside down. Fry for another 3-4 minutes at 350°F/175°C. This low heat will help to render the fat from the chicken.
- Turn the heat up to 400°F/200°C and fry the chicken pieces for another 10-12 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through cooking until it's golden brown and crispy.
- While the chicken is cooking, begin the sauce.
- In a small bowl, stir together cold water and cornstarch into a slurry. Set this aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, fry the garlic in the sesame oil until fragrant.
- Once the garlic has fried a little, add in soy sauce, honey, sugar and ginger. Stir through the cornstarch slurry and bring to a boil, whisking until the sauce is glossy and thick. Take it off the heat.
- Once the chicken has finished cooking, brush the cooked chicken generously with the sticky sauce on all sides.
- Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle over sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 598Total Fat 40gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 23gCholesterol 124mgSodium 1602mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 2gSugar 10gProtein 28g
