Soy Honey Chicken Wings (AirFried/Baked Recipe)

The new year is a reset and a great time to reflect and set realistic goals. I’m not one for resolutions because I just find them very easy to break but I do believe in intention. Looking at the previous year and strategizing on all of the amazing things you want to come out of the new year as well as the things you want to work on. For me, it’s remixing some of the dishes I love in a more healthier way. Less breading and frying and more roasting and air-frying. Especially since I just got a new air-fryer for Christmas. The air-fryer of all air-fryers! The Vortex 7 in 1! I’m so in love with it and it’s way better than my previous air-fryer. 9/10 recommend!

Well here we are during the first week of the year with an easy air-fried wing recipe. I must say it’s probably my best one yet. Why? Because the wings came out extra crispy and extra delicious. My struggle with baked or air-fried wings have been the crispy-ness. I’m a crispy wing girl and sometimes both methods don’t be giving what needs to be given. The crispiness you get from a fried wing is just unmatched… until today!

I finally hacked the crispy baked wing game and I cant wait to share it with you. Are you ready?

It starts with egg whites. Yes, you read that correctly! The secret is patting the wings dry, whipping egg whites until they become foamy and then adding the seasoning you would normally add to your wing into the egg whites instead. This is a crucial step and one that is key to crispy oven baked/air-fried wings! It’s a trick I’ve been dying to try ever since I saw a documentary on the Discovery channel of asian cuisine. An old cook used this trick to make her famous crispy duck and it’s been living in my mind rent free ever since. I finally decided to try it on wings and the results were soo good!

Now let’s get into this recipe:

• Unsalted All-Purpose Seasoning: this recipe already includes enough sodium with the soy sauce so I would stay away from using a seasoning mixture that already includes salt. If you don’t have one without salt, I would recommend omitting the salt from the recipe all together to be on the safe side.

  • Alternatively, you can make a quick substitute by using garlic, onion, and black pepper as a seasoning agent

• Patting your chicken dry is key. This will make sure that the chicken skin crisps up perfectly without any added moisture. This will also allow the egg whites to work their magic.

• Egg whites are the crispy agents here. After the egg whites are nicely frothed, their sticky consistency after brushed on the wings allows the chicken skin to bubble and resulting in a crispy consistency. No breading necessary

Here’s the recipe!

For the Wings:

• 2 pounds skin-on chicken wings bone-in

• 3 egg whites

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 tsp of unsalted all-purpose seasoning of choice, I used my Home Beis House blend

For the Wing Sauce:

• 1/2 cup of honey

• 1/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

• 1/4 cup of pineapple juice

• 2 tsp of sriracha

• 1 tbspn of sesame oil

• 1 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped or mashed

• 3-4 garlic cubes, finely chopped or mashed

• Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven or air-fryer at 400F.

First we prep our wings. Wash chicken wings throughly and then place on a baking sheet with paper towel. Add another paper towel on top and pat dry.

Next, we prep our egg whites. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt and your all-purpose seasoning until frothy.

Now we prep our wings for the oven or air-fryer. Here are both instructions:

• If you’re baking these in your oven, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and then place a rack over your baking sheet. Spray your rack with cooking spray.

• If you’re using your air-fryer, simply spray your air-fryer trays with cooking spray.

Next, we put our egg white mixture to use. Brush your wings with the egg white mixture on one side and then transfer to your cooking racks (for either cooking option- air-fryer or oven). Place the brushed side of your wings on the bottom of the cooking rack and then brush the egg white mixture on the other side of your wings. Each side of the wing should be brushed with the egg white/seasoning mixture.

Then, we get to baking.

• For the oven: Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remember to flip your wings at the halfway point.

• For the air-fryer: Bake for 30 minutes. Remember to flip your wings at the halfway point.

Now, we make our soy honey sauce. Once the wings have cooked on one side and you flip them over to cook the other side, it’s time to prep your glaze. In a saucepan, add the honey, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, pineapple juice, sriracha, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Mix until combined.

Then, on medium to high heat, bring the honey soy glaze mixture to boil, then simmer until sauce is reduced and becomes nice and thick. You can use your whisk to test if the sauce is done. The sauce should be a bit of a sticky consistency on your whisk.

Finally, we glaze our wings. Once chicken wings are golden brown and crispy, remove from your oven or air-fryer and add to a large bowl. Then, drizzle all of your honey glaze into the large bowl and toss until all of your wings are coated in the sticky and yummy glaze.

Top with cilantro and enjoy!