8? 12? 18? How many of these soy-ginger glazed air fryer wings could I eat? Well, I’m not telling. But the answer is definitely ‘a lot’. The sauce on these wings is sweet, salty, savory… and slightly citrusy. No heat here. But plenty of amazing sweetness that is beyond finger-licking good. I actually made this sauce for roasted Brussels sprouts, but after tasting it I realized that its true calling was on wings. And boy, was I ever right!
Yesterday Seems So Far Away
You have to make the glaze for these soy-ginger glazed air fryer wings the day before you plan on devouring them. Don’t realize 10 minutes before it’s time to eat that you need to make it. That’s too late. Do it the day before and refrigerate it overnight. You’ll then have the perfect glaze. Thick. Like molasses. Delicious. And oh so worth it.
The Air Fryer? Again?
No, no, you don’t really have to make these wings in the air fryer. Make the glaze the day ahead. Then make the wings however you want. I went air fryer because that’s my go-to less-mess technique. Grilled, deep-fried, baked… doesn’t really matter. Just make some wings your way. Then glaze them!
Need Heat?
If you’re a gotta-have-it-spicy person, add a few pinches of red pepper flakes to the glaze while it’s simmering happily away. Let it flavor the sauce. Don’t go crazy with it, though. A little is ok. A lot? You’ll overwhelm the delicious sauce.
Also try my General Tso’s wings!
Soy-Ginger Glazed Air Fryer Wings
Ingredients
For the glaze (make the day ahead!)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 ¼ cup soy sauce low-sodium is fine
- 1 tablespoon ginger fresh, minced
For the wings
- 3 pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
For the glaze (make the day ahead!)
- Combine the brown sugar, sugar and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a simmer and continue simmering, stirring often, until the sauce reduces by one half. The sauce will thicken somewhat and will continue thickening as it cools later.
- Remove from heat and stir in the fresh ginger.
- Let cool then place into a resealable container in the fridge overnight.
- Bring to room temperature before serving. I set the container out while I prepare the Brussels sprouts.
For the wings
- Note: Before starting, remove the glaze from the fridge so it can come to room temperature while you cook the wings.
- Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer’s recommendation.
- Sprinkle over the wings with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
- Note: You'll have to work in batches to cook all of the wings unless you have a super-large air-fryer. Do not overlap the wings in the basket or they will not cook evenly.
- Add the wings to the basket (be careful it’s hot!). If you have trouble fitting them without overlapping, stand the drumettes along the sides of the basket.
- Cook at 360 F for 12 minutes for large wings, 10 minutes for smaller ones.
- Carefully flip the wings (rotate the drumettes if they are standing) and cook another 12 minutes again (10 minutes for smaller wings) at 375 F.
- Flip the wings one last time. Increase the temperature to 390 F and cook another 6 minutes (4 minutes for smaller wings).
- Remove and toss or brush with the glaze. Â Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.
