Make these wings. I’m telling you… they’re addictive! Our Air Fryer Honey Garlic Wings are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and coated in a sweet and savory sauce that’s out of this world. They’re super easy to make, and your air fryer is the perfect appliance for this recipe!
Ingredients & Equipment
You don’t need anything fancy to make Air Fryer Honey Garlic Wings. Just your air fryer (6qt or larger is recommended), and a small saucepan.
The first ingredient you’ll need is chicken wings. A chicken wing has three parts: the wingette, the drumette, and the tip. Tips are typically discarded since they don’t have much meat. I highly recommend that you buy wings that are already separated into wingette and drumette. If you can only find whole wings, you will have to separate them by cutting along the joints.
We’re going to coat the chicken with flour, salt, pepper, and paprika before putting it in the air fryer. The flour is key for getting them super crispy!
Next we’re going to gather the ingredients for the sauce. The main ingredients of sauce are soy sauce, honey, and garlic. This trifecta makes the sauce burst with sweet and savory flavor.
We’ll also use a touch of rice vinegar to add some tanginess. If you don’t have rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar will work in its place. You can also add some red pepper flakes if you like your wings a little spicy. This is optional but recommended! The last ingredient is cornstarch, which will make our sauce nice and thick.
Preparation
We’re going to start by prepping the sauce. First you’re going to mix the cornstarch with water. This step ensures that the cornstarch is smooth and doesn’t form clumps. Add the cornstarch mixture, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, and red pepper to a saucepan over medium-low heat. You’re going to mix the ingredients over heat until the sauce starts to thicken, just enough to coat the back of a spoon (3-4 minutes). Now remove that saucepan from the heat and set it aside for later.
Next, we’re going to prepare the chicken. Start by patting the wings as dry as possible with a paper towel. This is important! We want to remove as much moisture as possible so that the skin gets nice and crispy. Add the chicken wings to a bowl with the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika and toss them around until they are coated in a thin layer of flour.
And that’s it, they’re ready for the air fryer!
Exploding with Flavor
The flavor of the sauce is awesome! The honey and garlic really shine through.
When it comes to wings, I think the more flavorful the better. But you can definitely adjust some of the ingredients if you want them more on the subtle side. If you want to tone down the sweetness, reduce the honey to 3 tablespoons. If you want some garlicky flavor, but not a ton of it, you can reduce the garlic down to 2 cloves.
Cooking
Preheat your air fryer to 380℉ for 4-5 minutes, then place the wings inside. It’s okay if the wings touch each other; just make sure that they are in a single layer. The 2 pounds of wings should fit snuggly in a standard 6-quart air fryer. If you have a smaller air fryer, you will have to cook in two batches.
Air fry your wings at 380℉ for 20 minutes, flipping them after the first 10 minutes. At the end of the cook time they should be sizzling, brown, and crispy.
Final Touches
Now it’s time for the best part! Dump the crispy wings in a mixing bowl and pour the sauce on top. Toss them together until the wings are all coated and perfectly sticky.
You can serve the wings in the mixing bowl or transfer them over to a separate serving bowl or tray. Garnish them with some sesame seeds and sliced green onion. This is optional, but highly recommended for an extra touch of flavor and visual appeal.
And it’s time to dig in! Make sure you have napkins on hand, this is a messy one!
Storage & Reheating
Leftover wings can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat them, pop them back in the air fryer (or in the oven) at 350℉ for 4-5 minutes, until heated through.
PrintRecipe
Best Damn Air Fryer Honey Garlic Wings
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
These wings are juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside and coated with an unbelievable honey garlic sauce to make them totally addicting!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken wings (separated into wingette and drumette)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Sliced green onions, for garnish (optional)
- Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry. Combine the cornstarch slurry, honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes (if using) in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir over heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside while you make the chicken wings.
- In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings, flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. The wings will have a very thin coating of this mixture. Shake off any excess.
- Preheat your air fryer to 380℉ for 4-5 minutes.
- Spray your air fryer basket with cooking spray, then place the chicken wings inside in a single layer.
- Cook the chicken wings at 380℉ for 20 minutes, turning the wings after 10 minutes. At the end of the cook time the wings should be brown and crispy.
- In a large bowl, toss together the wings and the sauce. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
2 lbs of wings should fit comfortably in a 6qt air fryer. If your air fryer is smaller, do two batches.
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Indiya says
At this point, I trust recipes from this site implicitly and this one did not disappoint. These wings were very easy to make and absolutely delicious. I’m already looking forward to making them again very soon, thank you for another excellent recipe!
RecipeTeacher says
Thank you so much!