Honey Garlic Chicken Wings cooked in an air fryer make a succulent snack. Crispy chicken wings tossed with a sweet and salty, sticky honey garlic sauce make a main dish or a popular appetizer. Make these crispy wings with no added oil! Prep ahead and freeze.
Honey Garlic Wings--this recipe gets its name from the sauce that these wings are bathed in.
It's sweet and sticky from honey with flecks of fresh garlic and hints of saltiness from tamari soy sauce. Thick and glossy--it's absolutely beautiful to look at, but even better for licking up every last bit from your fingers!
Who wouldn't want to dive into a platter of these?
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❤️ Why this recipe works
- No added oil. There is no need to add oil to these wings to get them crispy as you would in a deep fryer. An air fryer uses hot air to circulate around the chicken and does all the crisping work for you!
- The fat renders off. While chicken wings aren't the healthiest option, we all know that we choose them for their flavour! Air frying chicken wings makes them as healthy as possible because much of the fat is rendered off while they're cooking.
- Incredibly crispy. Coating the wings in a light layer of baking powder or potato starch gives them incredible crispiness. You'd swear they had been deep-fried!
- Easy clean up. Cooking wings in an air fryer is quick and amazingly easy to clean up.
- Juicy wings. More importantly, the wings turn out incredibly juicy inside with a crispy exterior that's perfect for soaking up whatever sauce you use.
- Make ahead! Besides being deliciously tasty, this is a great recipe for busy people. You can make the honey garlic sauce ahead of time, store it in the fridge and be ready to glaze a batch of wings at the last minute.
Looking for more air fryer chicken wing recipes? Try these Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Wings, Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings, or Air Fryer Jerk Chicken Wings, too.
🛒 Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are a few details about the ingredients and steps to help you make these air fryer wings perfectly every time.
- chicken wings: Often wings come already split into drumettes and wingettes. If not, remove the wing tip with a sharp knife, then cut through the skin at the joint to break them into two pieces.
- baking powder: the "secret" ingredient to create that crispy coating. To keep this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free baking powder.
- honey: naturally sweet and sticky!
- gluten-free tamari (or soy sauce or coconut aminos, depending on your diet)
- rice vinegar: helps to balance the flavours.
- garlic cloves: because . . . honey-garlic!
- cornstarch: you'll combine cornstarch with water to make a cornstarch slurry to help thicken the sauce. You can substitute arrowroot if you don't each corn, but the texture will be a little different.
🔪 Instructions
- Pat the chicken wings dry. This step is important to guarantee crispy wings! Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and toss with baking powder--that secret "crispy" ingredient!
- Preheat your air fryer to 390°F. for 3 minutes. Spray the basket lightly with oil.
- Arrange the wings in a single layer. Air fry for 10 minutes, then pause the air fryer, remove the basket and flip the wings over. Replace the basket and continue air frying for another 5 - 7 minutes or until the wings are crispy and have reached an internal temperature of 165°F. when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add honey, tamari, rice vinegar, and garlic.
- Once this mixture comes to a boil, make a slurry by adding the cornstarch mixed with water. Add it to the honey mixture, lower the heat and stir until the sauce is thick, dark and glossy.
- Once the wings are fully cooked, transfer them to a large bowl. Toss with the honey-garlic sauce right away. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, snipped chives or chopped parsley and serve with plenty of napkins. They'll be hot, so restrain yourself!
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
All air fryers are different. Depending on the size you own, you may have to fry the wings in two batches.
Air frying times will vary with the type of air fryer you own, too. It's best to use an instant-read meat thermometer to check that you have cooked the wings to a temperature that is safe to eat. (165°F.)
❓Questions you might have
Yes, you can certainly air fry frozen wings. As recommended in the recipe below, you'll want to pat them dry and remove any noticeable ice crystals. If they're wet, they won't turn out as crispy. However, tossing them in the baking powder will help to soak up that moisture.
You may need to add a few more minutes to the air frying time, but chicken wings defrost quickly because they're small and have a small amount of meat on them.
🔁 Possible Variations
Garnish with sesame seeds instead of green onions, or add a little squeeze of lemon juice just before serving. Delicious!
🥶 Storage and Freezing Instructions
If you're not planning to serve these right away, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
To freeze cooked wings, lay them out on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, store them in an airtight container in the freezer.
You can also make the sauce and freeze it separately, ready for a quick fresh batch at a moment's notice!
Make these honey garlic wings ahead of time for get-togethers, camping trips or picnics and freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 - 4 months.
❓How to reheat chicken wings
Chicken wings can still taste great when reheated. If you've frozen the cooked wings, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, then let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Place them in the air fryer in a single layer so they will reheat evenly. You may have to do this in batches if you have a small air fryer as I do.
Set the temperature to 390°F. or 400°F. and reheat for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the basket, let cool slightly and enjoy!
🍽 What to serve with honey garlic chicken wings
Add some healthy salads to round out your meal! Here are a few favourite sides to serve with chicken wings.
Potato Salad with Pickled Shallots
🗒More air fryer chicken wing recipes
When you make this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing how my recipes turned out for you, or what adaptations you made. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my weekly newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings, split into drumettes and wingettes
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon baking powder, gluten-free
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free tamari coconut aminos (or soy sauce if you don't need this recipe to be gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 3 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Pat the chicken wings dry. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and toss with baking powder.
- Preheat your air fryer to 390°F. for 3 minutes. Spray the basket lightly with oil.
- Arrange the wings in a single layer. Air fry for 10 minutes, then pause the air fryer, remove the basket and flip the wings over. Replace the basket and continue air frying for another 5 - 7 minutes or until wings are crispy and have reached an internal temperature of 165°F. when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add honey, tamari, rice vinegar, and minced garlic. Once it comes to a boil, make a slurry by adding the cornstarch mixed with water. Add it to the honey mixture, lower the heat to a simmer and stir until the sauce is thick, dark and glossy.
- Once the wings are fully cooked, transfer them to a large bowl. Toss with the honey-garlic sauce. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, snipped chives or chopped parsley and serve with plenty of napkins.
Christie
Our favorite wings!
Elaine
Thanks! These are one of my favourites, too.
Maddie
Loved every bite! Will be making these again for sure.
Elaine
Thanks Maddie! They're a favourite here, too! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Evie
I made these last night--finger-licken' good! I love your garlic parmesan wings, too.
Elaine
Air fryer wings are so easy, aren't they! Happy to hear you enjoyed these!