Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Chicken wings air-fried until the skin turns golden and crisp, then tossed in a sticky honey, soy and garlic glaze with a hit of rice vinegar.
- Total
- 32 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 22
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Reducing · Rendering fat
- Standard
- Sweet & savory
- Asian
- Crispy
- Mild
- Air fryer
Instructions
-
Pat the 800 g chicken wings completely dry with paper towels. Toss them in a bowl with 1 tbsp cornstarch, 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper until evenly coated.
~6 min
Cornstarch absorbs surface moisture and gelatinizes in the hot air, creating a brittle crust that crisps faster than skin alone.
Dry the wings thoroughly before coating; surface moisture steams in the air fryer and blocks the crisp skin you want.
-
Arrange the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket, skin side up, without crowding. Air fry at 200°C for 12 minutes.
~12 min
Single-layer spacing lets hot air circulate around each wing so moisture escapes instead of steaming the skin.
Rendering fat High air-fryer heat renders wing fat through the skin, leaving it crisp; crowding traps steam and leaves it flabby.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the wings air fry, finely chop 3 garlic cloves and thinly slice 2 spring onions. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar and the garlic. Simmer 3 minutes until slightly thickened, then take off the heat.
~3 min
Simmering evaporates water and concentrates sugars, thickening the glaze so it clings rather than runs off.
Reducing Simmer gently and watch for a glaze that coats the spoon; boiling hard can scorch the honey and turn it bitter.
-
Flip the wings with tongs and air fry at 200°C for another 8 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and crisp and the thickest part reaches 74°C/165°F.
~8 min
Flipping exposes the underside to direct heat so both sides crisp evenly and the meat cooks through.
Rendering fat High air-fryer heat renders wing fat through the skin, leaving it crisp; crowding traps steam and leaves it flabby.
-
Transfer the hot wings to a bowl, pour over the honey garlic glaze and toss until every wing is coated and glossy.
~2 min
Tossing while the wings are hot lets the warm glaze spread thin and set glossy instead of pooling.
If the glaze tightens too much while the wings finish, loosen it with a teaspoon of water over low heat before tossing.
-
Scatter 1 tsp sesame seeds and the sliced spring onions over the wings and serve immediately.
~1 min