By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 25 minutes, plus resting
- Rating
- 4(994)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Chicken wings turn out perfectly when they’re cooked in an air fryer. Here, they are tossed with a bit of baking powder before frying, which yields a particularly crunchy, browned skin with a rough, craggy texture. It’s a technique based on one from Ben Mims’s cookbook, “Air Fry Every Day” (Clarkson Potter, 2018), which he learned from J. Kenji López-Alt from Serious Eats. After frying, the wings are tossed with a honey and chile-based sauce spiked with fresh lemon juice and zest. Sticky, fiery and impossible to stop eating, they are an easier, leaner version of deep-fried chicken wings, made without the mess.
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Ingredients
Yield:3 to 4 servings
- 1¼pound chicken wings, cut in half through the joint into wingettes and drumettes
- 1¼teaspoons baking powder
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- 1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½teaspoon honey, preferably dark
- ½teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- ¼teaspoon Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
301 calories; 22 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 25 grams protein; 350 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
In a large bowl, toss chicken with baking powder, salt and pepper until the pieces are thoroughly coated. Spread the pieces out on a rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. (The longer, the better.)
Step
2
Heat the air fryer to 400 degrees, if preheating is necessary.
Step
3
Arrange chicken on air fryer rack so all of the pieces are standing up against the edges of the basket, with as much space around each one as possible. Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 20 minutes.
Step
4
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together butter, lemon zest and juice, honey, Tabasco and sriracha.
Step
5
Immediately transfer the fried chicken wings to the bowl with the honey-chile sauce and toss well. Serve at once.
Ratings
4
out of 5
994
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Cooking Notes
Sparky Rose
I've never used an air fryer, but I always bake my wings and I always use baking powder. The recipe says "thoroughly coated," do *not* do this. Baking powder has a very metallic taste and you'll ruin your wings. First, I dry them with a paper towel and toss them in a bowl. I then lightly sprinkle some baking powder/seasoning over the wings and toss a little, sprinkle/toss, sprinkle/toss. I'd say you want them to be "coated" in the same way you might apply baby powder to your skin. Good luck!
Eli W
I can't speak to how this will work in an air-fryer, but when I make wings, I:-Air out in the fridge for a while-Toss in a big ziploc (or bowl) with salt, flour & vegetable oil-Then make a spice rub (pepper, garlic powder, paprika), toss that in the bag & shake to coat-Bake on an oil-sprayed rack at 425 for 45 mins. Turn halfway through-Meanwhile, make sauce(s) on stove -Take wings out, brush with sauce, bake for 5 more minutesAmazingly crispy every time & healthy(er)!
Pat
I make these and I use Mrs. Dash's Lemon Pepper Seasoning mixed with a little salt. They come out amazing. The first time I made them, I was angry with myself for not making enough. Also, I have made sweet potato fries in the air fryer.
Jen
I found that since it was only 1 1/2 tsp baking powder that “thoroughly coating” worked great. My family loved them as is...
cj
Used a convection oven instead of an air fryer. Raised the temp to 450, and placed the wings on a rack over a sheet pan. The wings were perfect.
Benny
Hello Janet. Short answer is yes, but it is not the same. Oven will be more like baking due to the difference of an air fryer and an oven. The heat is highly circulated in an air fryer hence how it is like frying, but with air. Think of it like the air is the oil that is consistently at the set temperature with a metal spinning blade blowing around the food. Nevertheless, baking chicken wings could be rewarding but the chicken oil will be at the bottom which will then be soaked back in the wing.
William Wroblicka
You should have used baking powder (as the recipe calls for), not baking soda, Baking powder has a mostly neutral taste, whereas the taste of baking soda is definitely nasty.
josh
Great recipe! My wife is vegetarian, but I’ll often make 1 or 2 extra wings for her if she’s in the mood. With this sauce recipe, she ate half a dozen! I’ll definitely be reusing this baking powder technique in the air fryer (we’re thinking tofu next), and I’d recommend being generous with the spice: I used a TSP of Sriracha PLUS a TSP of Korean chili paste. Delicious!
Janet
Can those of us who don't have an air fryer use this recipe in an oven? 400 or 450 degrees?
Anne
use above mentioned techniques to toss with baking powder flower etc then place on rack (I don’t) in sheet pan. Lightly spray with oil before baking @425 using convection if you have it. Turn half way. They get very crisp.
Stephanie Scoggin
It's so good! These wings are now in regular rotation. I haven't gotten takeaway wings in ages. I skipped the propping and just turn the wings halfway through the cook time.
bill
Why would it be "healthier" than using an air fryer? One of the points of an air fryer is that you don't have to use oil, etc.
Adam
Standing up on the edges was not happening for me. Non-stick surface made this very difficult for me. I had it (I HAD IT), but then when the basket went in and the air started flowing--plop, plop, plop--three fell down. Maybe it's because I tried to stand them on end? There wasn't enough room in the basket to have over a pound of wings on their sides. Anyone have a technique to make this work? Not sure that it matters much, although I rather doubt Clark put that in the recipe to confound us.
IE
Followed the exact recipe. Used fresh wings from Costco. Air frying 400 for 20 min yielded perfectly juicy and crispy meat. Next time I’ll sprinkle salt after tossing to make it more even and controlled as some wings took on too much salt.
pnaz
Baking powder only leaves a metallic taste if you use one that contains aluminum. Make sure you buy a product that doesn’t contain it. An air-fryer is basically a super convection oven. Does the same thing except due to this increased circulation, crisps better and faster.
Carrie F
Delicious, but modified a lot. Used the base recipe, but instead of all lemon, I used Mandarin orange peel and lime juice for the citrus. I also added 1/4 tsp of garlic powder. Then used the "low and slow" oven bake of 30 minutes at 250, then about 40 minutes at 425. You will want to make more than a single batch, trust me!
Tanya
Came out excellent- very crispy and tasty
BC—
I used potato starch instead of baking powder after the “crispy tofu” air fryer recipe turned out so well. The wings were as good or better than baking powder.
Adam
Standing up on the edges was not happening for me. Non-stick surface made this very difficult for me. I had it (I HAD IT), but then when the basket went in and the air started flowing--plop, plop, plop--three fell down. Maybe it's because I tried to stand them on end? There wasn't enough room in the basket to have over a pound of wings on their sides. Anyone have a technique to make this work? Not sure that it matters much, although I rather doubt Clark put that in the recipe to confound us.
LM
Very good. Liked them better without the sauce. Flipped halfway through. Took more than 20 minutes.
Ncf
The instructions advise to refrigerate uncovered. Will it alter the recipe to cover them while in the fridge? I'm not a fan of raw meat out in the open when my family is in and out of the (smallish) fridge all the time. If it has to do with keeping the chicken dry, could I pat them dry with paper towels before coating?
Robin E
Made these tonight to enjoy while watching football. Followed the recipe and they are DELICIOUS!! A little bit lemony, little spicy - perfect. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Leah
These were crispy and perfectly done. I used the lemon-pepper wings recipe (Eric Kim) with this cooking method. One problem/question - I have the Breville air fryer toaster oven and after researching I put the wings in the basket with nothing underneath. There was so much smoke, which makes sense, but I'm not sure how I should do it differently and still have good air circulation. Advice? (and thanks)
Stephanie Scoggin
It's so good! These wings are now in regular rotation. I haven't gotten takeaway wings in ages. I skipped the propping and just turn the wings halfway through the cook time.
Win
Double the heat for more flavor
Corinne
We loved this. Added some cayenne to the baking powder mix. Upped the amount of hot sauce.
MPowell
This was ... fine. Had the seasoned winglets in the fridge for 8 hours, and mixed the sauce as written. Did a temp on the wings after 20 minutes, and they were good to go. Finished wings were not all that spicy nor note-worthy. Again, the wings were...fine, but undistinguished. Alas.
trish
Great but not the sauce, use a different sauce
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