Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken

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Twenty minutes, one sauce, zero babysitting. These air fryer honey garlic wings come out crispy every time, and the double cook method is what makes them worth making again.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 926kcal

Author: Shauna

Ingredients

1.5 to 2 pounds chicken wings cut into drumettes and wingettes with the tip removed
5 tablespoons salted butter divided
1 to 2 tablespoons honey garlic seasoning blend
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup honey
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Chopped green onions optional garnish
Sesame seeds optional garnish

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and use a paper towel to pat the wings completely dry.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and toss the wings in it, then coat them all over with the honey garlic seasoning blend.
Place the wings in a single layer in the basket and cook for 7 to 9 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Cook in batches if your air fryer is on the smaller side.
While the wings are going, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the minced garlic and stir it around in the butter for about a minute until it smells good.
Pour the honey and soy sauce in and stir everything together. Bring it up to a simmer.
Keep it at a simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens up and coats a spoon.
Take the wings out and toss them in the sauce until they're well coated.
Return the wings to the air fryer for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce is sticky and the edges pick up a little char.
Serve hot with green onions and sesame seeds if you like.

Notes

Make sure to check your air fryer manual for cooking time guidelines for your specific model, as times and temperatures vary depending on the type of air fryer you have.
You can also bake the wings in the oven at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes instead of using the air fryer.
Pat the wings dry. This is the most important thing you can do for crispy skin. Moisture is the enemy. Spend 30 seconds with a paper towel before you do anything else.
Don't skip the double cook. Tossing the wings in sauce and sending them back into the air fryer for a minute or two is what takes these from good to really good. The sauce caramelizes onto the skin instead of just sitting on top.
Don't crowd the basket. If the wings are touching, they'll steam instead of crisp. Do two batches if you need to. It's worth the extra few minutes.
Watch your sauce. It goes from perfect to too thick pretty fast once it starts simmering. Pull it off the heat as soon as it coats the back of a spoon and looks syrupy. It will thicken a little more as it cools.

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