Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Wings at the Table

Get ready to take your taste buds on a flavor-packed journey with our outrageously flavorful air fryer honey garlic chicken wings! We’re beyond excited to share this simple recipe with you because trust us, once you try it, you’ll be hooked.

If you loved the crackly goodness of our recent crackly dry rub wings, then get ready to fall head over heels for this recipe. These wings are coated in a sticky-sweet honey garlic sauce that will have you licking your fingers and looking for more!

And the finest part? They’re super simple to make in your air fryer, so you can enjoy crackly, flavorful wings without all the hassle of deep frying.

So grab your ingredients and get ready to satisfy some serious cravings with these irresistible honey garlic chicken wings. Whether you’re serving them up as a game-day snack or enjoying them as a tasty appetizer, they’re sure to be a hit with everyone at the table.

a bowl of air fryer honey garlic chicken wings

This delectable sauce marries the sweetness of honey with garlicky goodness — it’s a winning combination, and we can’t get enough of it! We really think you, your family, or anyone else you’re cooking for is going to be equally obsessed. And of course, we’re bringing back the air fryer for a faster, healthier cook on the wings themselves

What are the components of the chicken seasoning for our air fryer honey garlic chicken wings?

This is a super simple seasoning mix, featuring common spices that likely live in your spice rack already. We use salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and of course, garlic powder — these wouldn’t be honey garlic wings without a good helping of garlic!

The smoked paprika has a sweet, peppery taste of regular paprika with the added benefit of that nice chargrilled essence of smoke. Paprika traditionally comes from Hungary, and the next time you hit the spice aisle, you may notice there are tons of different types! Essentially, paprika is just a method for roasting peppers and grinding them up into a spice. Because of the nature of the process, you can make all sorts of flavors based on the flavor of the pepper.

Combine that rich, smokey spice of paprika with powdered garlic and it’s a winning combo! We personally love using garlic powder to make air fryer honey garlic chicken wings. While we could use fresh garlic, we find that usually at least a couple of pieces of fresh garlic burn in the frying process. With garlic powder, you get all the flavor, without any risk of burning!

Can I substitute the rice vinegar?

Rice vinegar, which this sauce recipe calls for, is a vinegar made from fermented rice. It has a slightly sweet, fairly mild flavor compared to other vinegars. It primarily comes from East and Southeast Asia. We really love the way it functions in this recipe! The sweetness of the rice vinegar really draws out the flavor of the honey.

But if you don’t have any rice vinegar at home, that’s okay! While this recipe is finest with that ingredient, you can substitute with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar — but keep in mind, both of these vinegars are slightly less sweet, so you’ll want to add ¼ teaspoon of sugar for each tablespoon of vinegar. The math on that adds up to one teaspoon of sugar for this recipe if you substitute the rice vinegar!

How to make air fryer honey garlic wings

Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees (Fahrenheit).
Wash and pat dry the chicken wings.
Add cornstarch to the chicken wings.
Sprinkle the spice blend onto the wings, and mix it all up so every wing is nicely coated.
Place chicken wingsin the air fryer and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-23 minutes, until nice and crackly.
While chicken cooks, add all your sauce ingredients to a saucepan on medium heat.
Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until it’s reduced and thick.
Add chicken wings to the sauce and stir until nicely coated.
Garnish wings with sesame and green onions.

Common Questions about Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

Do you need to flip wings in an air fryer?

Yes, flipping your wings halfway through cooking helps them get evenly crackly on all sides! Think of it like getting an even tan – you’ve got to flip to make sure every bit of that wing gets that reliable golden-brown crispiness.

Why aren’t my air fryer wings crackly?

Usually, this happens when the wings are too crowded or wet. Make sure to pat them super dry before cooking and arrange them in a single layer with space between each wing – overcrowding is the enemy of crispiness!

Can I make these wings ahead of time?

While they’re finest fresh out of the air fryer, you can prep the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge. If you need to make the wings in advance, reheat them in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes to crisp them up again before tossing them with warm sauce.

How do you prevent the honey from burning?

The secret is adding the honey garlic sauce after the wings are cooked. If you try to cook the wings with honey on them, it’ll burn before the meat is done. Cook your seasoned wings, then toss them in that gorgeous sauce when they’re fresh out of the air fryer.

Other Air Fryer recipes you are going to love

If you loved how simple it was to make our mouthwatering air fryer honey garlic chicken wings, then you’re in for a treat! We’re big fans of the air fryer too, so we’ve whipped up a whole bunch of memorable recipes that we know you’ll love. Here are some knockouts you absolutely have to try:

air fryer honey garlic chicken wings topped with sesame seeds

Our Air Fryer Crackly Potato Nuggets are a tasty crowd pleaser. They are hand held, and create minimal mess when eating. Just get your go-to dipping sauce and you’re good to go!
Once we found out about the bread roll up trick we were sold. These Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks take just a couple ingredients and are so beyond simple to make. All you need is a rolling pin, some slices of bread, cheese sticks and an air fryer!
We have a big sweet tooth, so of course we are including an air fryer dessert on this list! If you haven’t had atayef before, you need to try this Middle Eastern Dessert. We personally love our Atayef with Whipped Cream and Pistachios.
Crackly on the outside, juicy in the center, and bursting with buttery, garlicky, cheesy flavor, these Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings are guaranteed to be a fast go-to!

a bowl of air fryer honey garlic chicken wings topped with sesame seeds

the Ayyem kitchenServings: 18 -20 wings

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 35 mins

They honey garlic wings are air fried until crackly and tossed in a sweet soy glaze. It’s full of flavor! Email

Ingredients

Chicken Seasoning

2 pounds 32oz chicken wings
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Honey Garlic Glaze

1/2 cup soy sauce
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
6 Tablespoons honey
4 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar OR rice vinegar
2 teaspoons grated ginger
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup water + 2 tbsp cornstarch
Sesame seeds and green onions for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
Wash and pat dry the chicken wings. 2 pounds 32oz chicken wings
Add the cornstarch to the chicken wings.2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Sprinkle the spice blend onto the wings, and mix it all up so every wing is nicely coated.1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Place chicken wings in the air fryer, and cook for 20-23 minutes, or until nice and crackly.
While chicken cooks, add all the sauce ingredients to a saucepan on medium heat.1/2 cup soy sauce, 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 6 Tablespoons honey, 4 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar OR rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons grated ginger, 4 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 cup water + 2 tbsp cornstarch
Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until it’s reduced and thick.
Add the chicken wings to the sauce, and stir until nicely coated.
Garnish wings with the sesame seeds and green onions.Sesame seeds and green onions for garnish