Chinese chicken wings are made easy using the air fryer, to create a flavorful taste with juicy crispy texture, just like the ones at the Chinese restaurant. You only need a few pantry ingredients and 5 minutes to put it together. It’s also perfect for making ahead. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}To make this dish gluten free, use dry sherry to replace Shaoxing wine.
Add the chicken wings, peanut oil, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, ground ginger, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper powder into a large bowl or a large ziplock bag. Mix everything well and massage the chicken (or the bag if using) until the seasonings are evenly coated. Marinate in the fridge overnight (highly recommended), or for a minimum of 2 hours at room temperature.
Right before cooking, preheat the air fryer to 350°F (176°C).
Drain the chicken thoroughly and discard the marinating liquid. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add the cornstarch and all-purpose flour to a small bowl and stir to mix. Add to the bowl with chicken. Mix to coat the chicken well. It should form a dry-ish coating on the chicken with some dry flour on the surface.
Place the chicken wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer, skin side down (*Footnote 1). (Cook in batches if they don't fit.) Spray with oil so there’s no dry flour left.
Air fry the chicken wings for 12 to 15 minutes (Footnote 2), or until the chicken turns golden crispy. Flip once in between.
Notes
I prefer to flip the chicken once during the cooking so it crisps more evenly. However I’ve tried cooking without flipping the chicken, and the result was really good. If you do not plan to flip the chicken, place the wings skin side up.
For smaller wings, flip the wings at the 6-minute mark. For larger wings, flip the wings at the 8-minute mark.