Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Air fryer chicken wings that genuinely crackle, using the baking powder trick. Ready in 24 minutes with no deep frying and no overnight marinating, finished in a two-minute honey garlic glaze.

Prep

10 min

Cook

24 min

Total

34 min

Serves

4

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes
• 1 tbsp baking powder (aluminium-free; NOT baking soda)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp honey
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

Method

1. Dry the wings. Pat the wings thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Any surface moisture steams the skin instead of crisping it, so take the time here.
2. Coat. Toss the dry wings with the baking powder, salt and pepper until every piece is evenly and lightly coated.
3. Air fry. Arrange the wings in a single layer in the basket with space between each piece. One kilo will not fit in one layer in most domestic air fryers — cook in two batches rather than crowding them. Cook each batch at 200C (400F) for 24 minutes, turning once at 12 minutes.
4. Make the glaze. While the wings cook, simmer the honey, grated garlic, soy sauce and rice vinegar in a small pan over medium heat for 2 minutes, until it thickens just enough to coat a spoon.
5. Toss and serve. Tip the hot wings straight into the glaze and toss to coat. Serve immediately: the coating softens as it sits.

Notes

• Baking powder raises the skin's pH and adds micro-bubbles of surface area, which is what produces the crackle. Baking soda is not a substitute and will taste metallic.
• Do not crowd the basket. Wings need airflow on every side, so a kilo is two batches in a typical 4-5 litre air fryer. Crowding steams them instead of crisping them.
• For an even crisper result, leave the coated wings uncovered on a rack in the fridge for 8 hours before cooking.
• Air fryer models vary. Treat the times as a guide, go by colour and crispness, and adjust the seasoning and glaze to your taste.

Air fryer models vary in power and basket size, so treat the times here as a guide — go by colour and crispness rather than the clock, and adjust the seasoning and glaze to your taste.

Recipe source: Baking powder technique from Serious Eats, The Food Lab (J. Kenji Lopez-Alt), and Cook's Country Oven-Fried Chicken Wings. Air fryer timings adapted from published air fryer versions of the method.