Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Ingredients

For the wings:

3 pounds chicken wing drumettes and flats

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons gochujang

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted and kept warm

For the sesame mayonnaise dipping sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon Sriracha

To garnish:

Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Thin spears of cucumber

Thin slices of radish.

Method

Season and rest the wings:

Pat the wings dry, if needed. In a large bowl, add the wings and toss them with the baking powder and salt until evenly coated.

Spread the wings around the bowl so they are in a single layer and refrigerate them, uncovered, for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

Air fry the wings:

Heat the air fryer to 380°F. Open the drawer and fit as many wings as you can in it without crowding them (for my 4.4-quart air fryer, this was 1-1/2 pounds of wings, or half the batch). Close the drawer. Cook for 25 minutes, shaking the drawer every 5 minutes to shuffle the wings around.

Make the sauce:

As the wings cook, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gochujang, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Set aside.

Make the sesame mayonnaise:

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sesame oil, sugar, and sriracha until smooth. Set aside.

Increase the air fryer temp:

Once the wings have cooked for 25 minutes, increase the temperature of the air fryer to 400°F. Cook the wings for another 5 minutes. This gets them nice and brown and especially crispy.

Sauce and serve the wings:

Mix the melted butter with the sauce (it might solidify a bit, but the heat of the wings will re-melt it). Add the wings to a large bowl, pour over half the sauce and toss the wings in the sauce.

Serve and eat:

Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds, if you like. Serve immediately, accompanied by the cucumbers, radishes, and sesame mayonnaise for dipping.

Cook the remaining wings:

Reduce the temperature of your air fryer back to 380°F. Repeat steps 2 and 4. Toss them with the remaining sauce.