Description
The BEST breaded fried chicken wings -- extra crispy and crunchy outside, tender and juicy inside. You can't even tell they're air fried, not deep-fried!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken wings (approximately 10 pieces)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (or panko breadcrumbs)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- vegetable oil
Garlic Topping (optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon Italiano seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 small red chilli peppers, sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Place chicken wings in a sealable Ziploc bag. Add olive oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper (and cayenne, if using) in the bag. Shake well to combine, press air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the marinade around the chicken to fully coat. Place in the fridge and marinate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
- Add flour in a shallow bowl. Add beaten egg in another shallow bowl. Roll the chicken wings in the flour, then dip in the eggs to fully coat, and then back in the flour once more.
- Heat 1/8-inch of oil in a frying pan over medium heat for 3 minutes (I used about 1/4 cup in my large pan). Place the coated chicken wings in the pan and cook for 1 minute on each side until the flour coating turns light brown.
- Remove from heat and place wings on a plate for 5 minutes to cool down, then place in the air fryer basket. (Note that 10 pieces of wings fit perfectly in the air fryer basket).
- Cook at 350 F for 20 minutes. Open and shake the basket halfway through to make sure they cook evenly.
- Prepare garlic topping (optional): Heat olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, Italiano seasoning, salt and chilli peppers, if using. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until garlic becomes fragrant. Remove from pan and drizzle on top of the chicken wings.
Notes
Pre-cooking the wings in a pan: This will not only help create a crunchy outer breading but also make the breading stick well. You can choose to directly cook in the air fryer without pre-cooking in a pan but the breading tends to be flaky and come off easily.
How to serve: Wings are best served hot. You can reheat in the air fryer if needed.
Cooking in the oven: If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake in an oven at 425 F for 30-35 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes (+1 hour time to marinate)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American