Adapted from Jenny Tschiesche | Air-Fryer Cookbook | Ryland Peters & Small, 2022
You’ll want to pick these up and nibble away at every last tasty morsel of chicken on these flavor-packed wings.–Jenny Tschiesche
Air Fryer Chicken Wings FAQs
These sweet and spicy glazed wings make a great standalone appetizer, but if you’re serving them as part of a meal, a smashed cucumber salad or a platter of crudites and dip make for great accompaniments.
You can substitute chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper for the gochugaru. Cayenne pepper is a little spicier than gochugaru, so start with less and adjust to taste.
Air Fryer Korean-Style Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken wings
- 6 chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Finely sliced scallion, for garnish
For the glaze
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes)
Instructions
- Preheat the air-fryer to 400ºF (200ºC).
- In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings in the oil, then season with a little salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in the preheated air-fryer and cook for 10 minutes.
☞ TESTER TIP: If your wings are very large or can’t fit comfortably in a single layer, cook the wings in two batches.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the glaze ingredients and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes.
- After the wings have cooked for 10 minutes, brush the reduced glaze onto the chicken wings and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer, 6 to 10 minutes more.
- Sprinkle with scallions and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I made these air fryer Korean-style chicken wings twice. They were that good! (Actually…I made them twice because I messed them up the first time, but even with the error they were good enough that I got more wings so I could make them again.)
The first time around we had these with a platter of crudites, crackers, and tonnato plus leftover black-eyed peas, kale, and farro. For the encore we had them with pulled pork nachos and Velveeta cheese dip.
Wings are one of my favorite snack foods, and this Korean glaze provides for a nice change from the traditional buffalo sauced wings. I misread the recipe ingredients and misread the gochugaru as gochujang, which I had in the pantry, and it’s a fine substitute should you not have gochugaru. I have a Breville Smart oven with the air fryer basket, and I needed was 18 minutes to get the skin nice and crispy, with convection on for the last few minutes.
I’m always on the hunt for fast weeknight meals and both my husband and I have fallen for using the air fryer to cook chicken wings; it produces the right balance of crisp skin and moist meat. While we normally default to Mark Bittman’s Minimalist chicken wings (adpated for air fryer), it was enticing to try another spin on wings, especially since we also like Asian-inspired dishes. The bonus was having some gochugaru in the house (these red pepper flakes, if not readily available to you, are easily found on Amazon or other online sources; when I make short-rib bao buns they are used for a spicy pickled cucumber that accompanies the dish so you can definitely find other ways to use them).
The wings had a nice caramelization and umami rich flavor; next time I might also consider doubling the sauce… it was that tasty. We served these with a side of sweet potatoes that had been chopped into cubes, tossed with coconut oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 400°F for about 25 minutes. The potatoes were a decent accompaniment but next time I might try something a little more sour and pickled like a cucumber salad or an Asian slaw that is bright with rice wine vinegar.
Wings are a favorite in my family and because I received an air fryer for Christmas, I decided it was worth a try. The first thing I can honestly say about this recipe is that it’s too spicy hot for my palette. I thought the amount of gochugaru for the glaze recipe masked the other flavors. Now having said that, there is one person in my family that would love these BECAUSE they are spicy hot. So it really does matter what level of hotness one can handle. The recipe was easy to follow and the wings cooked up beautifully in the air fryer. After I did a batch following the recipe, I did a second batch and cut the gochugaru to one teaspoon and this was the perfect heat level for MY palette!
This air fryer Korean-style chicken wings recipe has great potential. So much so that I made it twice to see how it would taste with a slight modification. When following the provided recipe 100%, my first impressions were that the heat level was just right and the ginger added a nice balance of flavor. The downside of this recipe was the “glaze”. The amount of ingredients for the glaze lent itself to being more of a paste and not something that truly coated the chicken.
In my second round of testing, the glaze really started to shine. It coated the chicken perfectly and the flavors were enhanced. My recipe modification included adding a splash of chicken stock to the glaze and simmering everything down until the glaze coated the back of a tasting spoon. From there, after the chicken completed its first 10 minutes in the air fryer, I tossed the chicken in the glaze. Then, I transferred the chicken back to the air fryer and drizzled the remaining glaze on top. After cooking the chicken for another 5-7 mins, it came out perfect.
This recipe definitely has potential to be a crowd pleaser so it will get added to my repertoire.
These air fryer Korean-style chicken wings were delicious and I can’t wait to make them again! The only downside is depending on your air fryer size it may require multiple batches to cook all the wings. When I make these again I’d make more glaze (so I can coat the underside) and add a touch more spice. I love that the recipe can be made in a pinch, as it requires mostly pantry staples (plus the wings). All in all, it is a delicious and simple recipe!
Originally published March 21, 2022
The book looks interesting but the recipes are for using a counter top fryer. We just replaced our gas stove (range) and it has a no pre heat air fryer feature that we are ready to explore. Would the recipes apply to a full size oven? Also has anyone had issues with splattering grease/oil using a large oven? Just trying to avoid a big mess and setting off smoke alarm.
Thanks in advance.
lowandslow, an oven with an air fryer feature, how wonderful. We have only tested the recipes with an air fryer but with your oven feature you should be successful. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out.
Toasted sesame oil is ubiquitous to Korean dishes and I would add a few ml’s to the glaze and plate with both scallions and sesame seeds.
Superb suggestion, bkhuna!