Air-Fryer Spicy Chicken Wings
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.
- Total:
- Serves: 3 persons
Ingredients
- 1 ¼pound chicken wings, cut in half through the joint into wingettes and drumettes
- 1 ¼teaspoons 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
Instructions
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.