A few weeks ago, we made some kick-butt honey garlic Brussels sprouts in the air fryer, and we knew that the honey garlic sauce would be insanely good on chicken wings.
After all, the sauce is inspired by Chinese honey garlic chicken. Hence, an air fryer honey garlic chicken WINGS just make sense.
So many good things start out with ginger and garlic, and this flavor-punch of a sauce is no exception to that rule. Combine the garlic and ginger with honey and soy sauce, then toss with crispy, air-fried wings, and you’ve got yourself a delicious dish you’ll want to make over and over again.
You’ll be shocked at how simple this recipe is to make, and by how NOT simple the flavors are!
Now, let’s get frying!
Table of Contents
Honey Garlic Chicken Wings Air Fryer Recipe Ingredients
✦ You can find the exact measurements of the recipe ingredients and customize the serving size in the recipe card after the detailed step-by-step instructions section.
Honey garlic sauce is super easy to make. It requires just a few ingredients that you probably already have.
- Chicken wings
- Honey
- Soy sauce (tamari) or coconut aminos
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Cilantro (for garnish, optional)
As a general rule, use whatever is available in your pantry.
Recipe Video
How to Air Fry Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Wings?
Like our other air fryer chicken wing recipes, this recipe consists of 2 simple parts: air frying the wings and making the sauce. It’s as easy as can be!
Once you make air fried wings one time, you’ll be wanting to make all the varieties you possibly can- that’s how good they are.
Step 1: Get your wings ready.
We prefer to use fresh chicken wings, in general. The frozen ones can hang on to a lot of water, which can make it hard to get them crispy, especially if they’re not totally defrosted.
If your chicken wings are frozen, the best way to thaw them is in the refrigerator overnight.
The next best (and safest) way to thaw frozen wings (or meat of any kind) is by putting the sealed package into a large bowl and filling it with cold water, ensuring the wings are fully submerged.
Change the water every 30 minutes until the chicken no longer feels frozen, which can take about 2-4 hours.
If your chicken wings are connected (rather than “party wings” which are already separated into drums and flats), carefully cut apart the drum portion of the wing from the wingette, at the joint.
Then, find the joint between the wing tip and the flat, remove the wing tip and discard.
Step 2: Prepare honey garlic sauce.
In a small saucepan over low heat, add the sauce ingredients: honey, soy sauce, crushed garlic, grated ginger and red pepper flakes.
Bring mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce until thick and sticky, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
When the sauce is thick, set aside and keep warm until ready to use.
Step 3: Preheat your air fryer to 400ºF (204ºC).
If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 400ºF (204ºC) and then let it cook for 5 minutes without food.
Please don’t skip preheating, as it longer cooking time may affect the juiciness and tenderness of the chicken wings.
Step 4: Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels.
Add the drumettes and wingettes to a medium-sized bowl and thoroughly pat them dry with a paper towel. There’s no need to toss these wings with salt because the honey garlic sauce is already salty from the soy sauce.
✦ Water is the enemy of crispiness! Frozen wings tend to be more wet, so be sure to really dry them well.
💡 Pro Tip: For a little extra crispness, toss with 1-2 tsp of high-heat cooking oil, such as canola or vegetable oil. Optionally, you can also sprinkle some baking powder to give it a thin layer of crunchy goodness.
Step 5: Air fry the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes.
When the air fryer is preheated, add the chicken wings in a single layer and cook them for 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly crispy, flipping at least one time during cooking.
To check if the wings are totally cooked, insert a meat thermometer into the largest wing, close to the bone: the temperature should be at least 165°F (74°C).
✦ I used a 6-quart air fryer to test this recipe. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the number of servings you are making. For optimal results, begin with the lower end of the suggested cooking time.
Step 6: Coat the air fried chicken wings with honey garlic sauce.
When the wings are fully cooked and browned, carefully transfer them to a clean bowl and add the honey garlic sauce, tossing to coat the air fried wings evenly.
Step 7: Serve & enjoy your air fried honey garlic chicken wings!
Transfer the honey garlic wings to a serving dish or plate and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
These would also be really good sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds (which add a nice crunch) or even sliced scallions.
To make the wings stickier and a little saucier, start by making the sauce in a medium saucepan rather than a small saucepan.
Remove the wings from the air fryer when they hit 160°F and transfer them to the saucepan with the honey garlic sauce. Put the pan back over low heat, tossing the wings constantly to finish cooking and to really adhere the sauce to the wings.
Freezing & Storage
The best way to store chicken wings (in the fridge or freezer) is without the sauce, so if you’re not planning on eating all the wings, set some wings aside before tossing in honey garlic sauce.
Freezing: Once the wings have cooled completely, add to a freezer-style zip-top bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then follow the instructions below.
Fridge: Once the wings have cooled completely, add to a zip-top bag or airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheating: To reheat honey garlic chicken wings without sauce, add to an air fryer preheated to 350°F and air fry for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Do not overcook to avoid drying out the wings.
To reheat wings that already have sauce, microwave at 50% power for 2-3 minutes or until fully heated through.
Alternatively, microwave the wings for 1 minute on high power and then transfer to an air fryer at 350°F for 2-3 minutes or until lightly crisped again.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make honey garlic chicken wings in an air fryer, first prepare the sauce. Then, preheat your air fryer to 400°F (204°C) and cook the wings for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Once they are done cooking, coat them with the honey garlic sauce.
This ingredients checklist is interactive; you can use it as your grocery list.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken wings 10-12 pieces
Honey Garlic Sauce
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Thaw your frozen chicken wingettes and drumettes overnight or use fresh ones.
- Prepare honey garlic sauce. In a small pot combine honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger, red pepper flakes and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Cook until the mixture thickens.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (204°C).
- While preheating the air fryer, pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels. If desired, lightly season the wingettes and drumettes with high-heat cooking oil, salt, and pepper. For extra crispiness, sprinkle a little bit of baking powder.
- Carefully place the chicken wings in the preheated air fryer and cook them for 20-25 minutes until golden and crispy. Space the wings out for even cooking. Flip halfway. If air frying from frozen, add 3-5 minutes.
- Coat the air fried chicken wings with honey garlic sauce. Toss until fully covered.
- Serve with a side of ranch dipping sauce, fries, carrots and celery. Enjoy your air fried honey garlic wings!
Recipe Video
Notes
- For optimal results, it is recommended to use fresh chicken wings.
- The best way to thaw your chicken wings is to leave them in the refrigerator overnight. Another effective method for thawing wings is to place them in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. It typically takes 2-4 hours for the wings to fully defrost.
- We do not recommend defrosting them in the microwave as it may dry out the meat and potentially make it unsafe to eat.
- If you air fry wings directly from frozen, it will have a dry texture and require a longer cooking time (additional 3-5 minutes).
- If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 400°F (204°C) and then let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Preheating and thawing your chicken wings properly will yield juicier results. Based on our tests, the longer you cook your chicken wings, the drier they will become.
- It’s not ideal to wash your chicken wings as it may contaminate your kitchen.
- Chicken wings are considered as white meat and should be cooked to a temperature of 165°F or 74°C or higher.
- For a little extra crispness, toss with 1-2 tsp of high-heat cooking oil, such as canola or vegetable oil.
- It’s ideal to add the honey garlic sauce after air frying. It can get burnt at high heat, and may even produce smoke.
- If you want your wings to be stickier and a little saucier, start by making the sauce in a medium saucepan rather than a small one. Then, once the wings reach 160°F, transfer them to the medium saucepan and continue cooking there.
- I used a 6-quart Instant Pot Vortex Plus to test the honey garlic wings air fryer recipe. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the number of servings being prepared. For best results, start with the lower end of the suggested cooking time.
Nutrition
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