Recipe: Air Fried Chicken Wings Two Ways

In my humble opinion, there are two perfect foods in this world: hotdogs and chicken wings. And I'm all out of hotdogs.

What better homage to one of the two best types of food than prepare these wings two ways - buffalo teriyaki for you bold spice heads, and lemon garlic parmesan for you discerning yet no-less deserving modernists.

See the 90-second recipe video here.

I can tell you that your air fryer is your best friend for this recipe. Of course, normal deep frying and oven preparations can yield just as tasty results, but I find the air fryer method of crisping up my wings to be most effective, hassle-free, and easier on the arteries.

Sauce-wise, we're double cheeked up. Hella sauce.

I'm partial to buffalo wings, but I always like my sauce with a bit of added sweetness and depth. I came across combining classic buffalo sauce with all the best elements of sweet, tangy teriyaki sauce and now that I'm completely ruined, I've never looked back. And for our other sauce, who doesn't love a load of garlic, lemon zest, parmesan and butter? It's a beautiful complement to the crispy wing, coated in that rich garlicky butter and zesty hints of lemon and salty parmesan to cut all that fat.

Did I say something earlier about this recipe being easy on the arteries? Well, I lied.

Air Fried Chicken Wings Two Ways

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 2 dozen chicken wings (whole or separated into drums and flats)

• 6 oz butter

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 lemons, zested

• 1 cup hot sauce (Frank's, etc.)

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 1/4 cup mirin

• 1/4 cup honey

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

• 1 Tbsp garlic powder

• 1 Tbsp ground ginger

• Salt + pepper + adobo for seasoning

• Bleu cheese dressing / ranch for dipping

Preparing the chicken wings:

1. Pat wings dry with paper towel; using a large, sturdy kitchen knife or kitchen sheers, remove the tips of the ends of the wings, if whole; coat evenly with olive oil and mix; season moderately with salt, pepper, and adobo

2. Place half of the wings into the air fryer basket skin side down, allowing some room if possible between pieces; air fry at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, flipping the wings halfway through until golden brown, crispy, and an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F is reached

3. Repeat until all wings are cooked; set aside until ready to sauce; prepare sauces in the meantime

Preparing the buffalo teriyaki sauce:

1. Melt 2 oz of butter in a saucepan over medium heat; once melted, add hot sauce, soy sauce, mirin, honey, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ground ginger; mix well and bring to a boil; reduce heat and allow to simmer until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes

2. Transfer to a heat safe bowl/vessel until ready to use

Preparing the lemon garlic parmesan sauce:

1. Melt 4 oz of butter in a saucepan over medium heat; once melted, add garlic and allow to cook until softened and fragrant, stirring often, about 5 minutes; add parsley, lemon zest, black pepper to taste, and mix to combine, about 2 minutes

2. Keep warm until ready to use

Saucing and serving:

1. Prepare two deep bowls; equally distribute cooked wings into both bowls

2. In one bowl, pour desired amount of buffalo teriyaki sauce over the wings and mix to combine until the wings are evenly coated and serve

3. In the other bowl, spoon desired amount of the lemon, garlic, and parsley sauce over the wings; shake in parmesan cheese while mixing until wings are evenly coated and serve

Let me know how this recipe turned out for you in the comments below! And, as always, if you have any questions, comments, insults, or praise do let me know!

-MT