How do you make chicken wings in an air fryer

Chinese chicken wings are made easy using the air fryer, to create a flavorful taste with juicy crispy texture, just like the ones at the Chinese restaurant. You only need a few pantry ingredients and 5 minutes to put it together. It’s also perfect for making ahead. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

If you like those flavorful crispy fried chicken wings from Chinese takeout spots, you can’t miss this recipe. By using an air fryer, you only need to use a minimal amount of oil to create a great result – juicy tender wings with a crunchy crispy crust. It takes no time to put together, requires little hands-on time, and it cooks super fast.

I’ve shared quite a few Chinese chicken wings recipes in the past, such as Baked Sichuan Chicken Wings, Easy Sticky Wings with Hot Sauce, Chinese Baked Hot Wings, and Honey Soy Oven Baked Chicken Wings. I love them all for different reasons, but I cook these air fryer wings the most frequently, because they are just so easy to prepare and are always a guaranteed hit.

Ingredients for air fryer chicken wings

You only need a few pantry ingredients to make these amazing Chinese chicken wings. If you cook Chinese food at home often, you probably already have all of the ingredients on hand. 

One word on Shaoxing wine

I often get questions on Shaoxing wine. It’s a key ingredient in the recipe and will add a lot of umami to the marinade. Dry sherry is the best alternative and you can easily find it at a liquor store. You can also use Japanese sake as a replacement. However, if you do not wish to have any alcohol in your dish, you can omit the Shaoxing wine from the recipe.

Dry spice vs. fresh aromatics

I often prefer to use fresh ginger and garlic to make a marinade. However, I tried to use dried garlic and ginger powder in this recipe to further simplify the prep process, and the result turned out great. If you wish to use ground fresh ginger and garlic, definitely go for it! 

How to cook air fryer Chinese chicken wings

1. Marinate the chicken in a big ziplock bag overnight.
2. Drain the chicken thoroughly before cooking
3. Coat the wings with flour and cornstarch
4. Place the wings in the air fryer basket and spray with oil
5. Air fry for 6 to 8 minutes, then flip
6. Keep air frying until golden crispy

Air fryer Chinese chicken wings cooking notes

A large ziplock bag is your friend

I prefer to marinate the Chinese chicken wings in a large ziplock bag because the wings will be marinated more evenly without the need to stir them every couple of hours. If you do not plan to cook the wings immediately, you can easily throw the bag into the freezer and take it out to thaw when you’re getting ready to cook.

To flip or not to flip

I flipped the wings in between while shooting this recipe, because the wings would be crisped more evenly. However when I’m feeling lazy, I won’t bother to flip the wings and the result will still be really good, with the top of the wings extra crispy, and the bottom a bit soggy. If you do not plan to flip the wings, make sure not to line your frying basket with parchment paper, so the air will circulate under the wings and cook them properly.

How to reheat the wings

To reheat the wings, air fry them at 350°F (176°C) for about 8 to 10 minutes without preheating. The wings will crisp up nicely and remain juicy. 

Tweak your cooking time accordingly 

Depending on the type of air fryer and the size of the chicken wings you use, the cooking time might differ. 

I use a Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven currently. It is quite powerful and sometimes it takes less time. 

When I tested this recipe, I noticed that bigger wings will take up to 15 to 16 minutes in a preheated air fryer. Smaller wings only take 12 minutes. If you do not preheat the air fryer, the cooking time will need to be increased by a few minutes as well.

When you’re using an air fryer recipe, always check on your food a few times during cooking, and slightly adjust the cooking time so you get the best result.

What dipping sauce to serve with Chinese chicken wings

These crispy Chinese chicken wings are seasoned with the intent to serve them without any sauce. However, I do like to dip them in mayonnaise (my favorite is kewpie mayo). You can also serve them with different types of hot sauce, such as Sriracha sauce and chili garlic sauce, or any hot sauce you prefer. A light squeeze of lemon juice over the wings is super tasty as well.

Afterthoughts

I’m quite happy with this recipe because these air fryer Chinese chicken wings offer a healthier and tastier alternative to deep-fried chicken wings. They take about 5 minutes to put together and reheat very well. No matter whether you’re whipping up a quick dinner, hosting a party, or doing bulk prep for your meals for the week, this is a winning recipe for sure.

Other delicious air fryer recipes

• Air Fryer Garlic Ribs (蒜香排骨)
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
• Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken
• Air Fryer Fries with Spice Mix
• Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Chinese chicken wings are made easy using the air fryer, to create a flavorful taste with juicy crispy texture, just like the ones at the Chinese restaurant. You only need a few pantry ingredients and 5 minutes to put it together. It’s also perfect for making ahead. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

To make this dish gluten free, use dry sherry to replace Shaoxing wine.

Author: Maggie Zhu

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: homestyle

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 24 minutes

Marinating time: 1 day

Total Time: 1 day 29 minutes

• 2 lb (900 g) chicken wings
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Oil spray

• Add the chicken wings, peanut oil, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, ground ginger, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper powder into a large bowl or a large ziplock bag. Mix everything well and massage the chicken (or the bag if using) until the seasonings are evenly coated. Marinate in the fridge overnight (highly recommended), or for a minimum of 2 hours at room temperature.

• Right before cooking, preheat the air fryer to 350°F (176°C).

• Drain the chicken thoroughly and discard the marinating liquid. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add the cornstarch and all-purpose flour to a small bowl and stir to mix. Add to the bowl with chicken. Mix to coat the chicken well. It should form a dry-ish coating on the chicken with some dry flour on the surface.

• Place the chicken wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer, skin side down (*Footnote 1). (Cook in batches if they don’t fit.) Spray with oil so there’s no dry flour left.

• Air fry the chicken wings for 12 to 15 minutes (Footnote 2), or until the chicken turns golden crispy. Flip once in between.

1. I prefer to flip the chicken once during the cooking so it crisps more evenly. However I’ve tried cooking without flipping the chicken, and the result was really good. If you do not plan to flip the chicken, place the wings skin side up.
2. For smaller wings, flip the wings at the 6-minute mark. For larger wings, flip the wings at the 8-minute mark.

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 260kcal, Carbohydrates: 10.3g, Protein: 33.6g, Fat: 8.5g, Saturated Fat: 2.3g, Cholesterol: 101mg, Sodium: 356mg, Potassium: 300mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 2.2g, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 2mg

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