Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken Wings. Tender juicy wings marinated in a honey soy garlic sauce made easily in the air fryer. Ready in 30 minutes!
This is one of those delicious recipes in Chinese food that makes for an easy dinner or perfect appetizer. Great for the whole family. A dish that you can find at some Chinese restaurants. But an easy recipe to make at home!
Whenever my mom had leftover chicken wings, she would make this dish for us, and they were such a treat!
Easy Chicken Recipe
These air fryer wings are so easy to make at home! Ready in just 30 minutes depending on the size of your air fryer. You're marinating the wings with the sauce ingredients for 15 minutes or overnight in a bowl or resealable plastic bag.
Then air frying them and letting that hot air do its thing until they're golden brown!
What you’ll need
This recipe for air fryer honey chicken wings with soy sauce requires the below ingredients. ***Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements***
- Chicken wings & drumettes
- Avocado oil, or any neutral tasting oil
- Green onions, chopped finely for optional garnish
Marinade:
- Regular soy sauce: Any Asian grocer or Amazon will carry this sauce and make sure to get the one that is just your normal all purpose soy sauce. It shouldn’t say “light”, “low sodium” or “dark” on the label. It should just say soy sauce.
- Oyster sauce: Any Asian grocer or Amazon will carry this item. You can also use vegetarian stir fry sauce as the next best substitute.
- Honey, or brown sugar: This will balance out the saltiness in the chicken. You may also use white sugar.
- Sesame oil: Any Asian grocer or Amazon will carry this ingredient. It offers a nutty taste and smell to the dish.
- Dark soy sauce: Any Asian grocer or Amazon will carry this item. It’s much darker and thicker than regular soy sauce but less salty in taste.
- Shaoxing wine: Any Asian grocer or Amazon will carry this item. If you can’t find it Dry Sherry Wine is the next best substitute.
- Ginger
- Garlic powder
How to make Chinese Chicken Wings
Below are visuals to show you how to make wings with sauce in air fryer. ***Please scroll down to the recipe card below to find full instructions and details***
- Pat chicken wings dry with paper towels.
- Transfer chicken wings into a large mixing bowl.
- Add Marinade ingredients into the bowl and massage into chicken until coated. Marinate for at least 15 minutes or overnight for best flavor.
- Spray air-fryer basket with avocado oil or any neutral tasting oil. Cooking spray will work too.
- Lay chicken wings in a single layer. Do not overlap. Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, you may need to air fry in batches to avoid overlapping.
- Air fry for 8 minutes at 400 degrees F on one side. Flip the wings over and air fry for 4-5 minutes on the other side. Cook until an internal temperature is 165 F or until juices run clear and meat is cooked through. If not cooked through, air fry for another minute.
Cooking Tips
Below are tips on making Asian marinated chicken wings in air fryer:
Buy Fresh Chicken Wings
This is important! When you buy fresh chicken wings there will be no odor. You can usually smell it through the packaging and if you do, avoid buying those wings.
Tip: If your wings have an odor, soak them in white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a glass or stainless-steel bowl for 5 minutes and this will help remove the smell a bit.
Pat Dry the Chicken Wings
Use clean paper towels to pat dry the wings. The extra water content can prevent the soy garlic sauce from sticking to the chicken skin because it's slippery.
Massage marinade into chicken wings
Use your hands to massage the sauce into the wings until it is well marinated.
Marinate the chicken wings for at least 15 minutes!
For best results, let the wings sit in this simple marinade for 15 minutes. This gives the wings time to absorb the marinade.
Spray oil on air fryer basket to prevent sticking
Spray enough oil on the air fryer basket to prevent the wings from sticking to the tray. Trust me on this! The worst part is seeing the skin tear away from the basket when you flip them.
A digital meat thermometer is helpful!
This is the best way to measure the internal temperature of meat! They're a very affordable tool ranging from $10-20 at the store or online.
Poke the metal end into the center or the meatiest part of and it'll show you the internal temperature. It beats guessing or having to cut into the meat to check which can cause those precious juices to drip out.
The internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165 F.
I don't own a meat thermometer
To check if the meat is cooked, the juices should run clear, and the meat should peel away from the bone easily. The meat should be white in color, not pink or translucent.
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about this air fryer honey soy chicken wings:
How long will these air fry chicken wings last?
Store any leftover wings in an airtight container in the fridge and it will last up to 4 days.
Different Air Fryer can Cause Different Cooking Time
Different brands have various ways of building their air fryers. From placing the heating element from a further from the air fryer basket to various heat levels.
Therefore, it's important to use my suggested cook time as a starting range and monitor the meat using a cooking thermometer or checking if the juices run clear. If you notice it's slightly under cook, don't worry air fry for another minute until you reach the right temperature (165 F for chicken)
Can you cook chicken wings with sauce in an air fryer?
Yes, these soy garlic chicken wings are cooked with the sauce on in the air fryer. In fact, we are marinating them in the honey soy sauce for 15 minutes prior to cooking.
What can I do with the extra marinade?
If you have extra sauce after marinating the wings, you can simmer the sauce in a small saucepan over medium high heat until it bubbles. Remove off heat and serve as a dipping sauce for the wings.
Substitutions
Substitute for Shaoxing Wine?
Dry Sherry Wine is the next best replacement. As a last resort, you may use white wine or omit completely.
Substitute for Oyster Sauce?
Vegetarian Stir Fry Sauce is a great replacement if you can't find Oyster sauce.
Can I use low-sodium soy sauce?
Yes, you may use low sodium soy sauce. Use the same amount as specified.
May I use light soy sauce?
Yes, but I would suggest using half the amount instructed since light soy sauce is saltier than regular all purpose soy sauce.
How can I make these spicy?
Add a little bit of sriracha sauce, about 1 tbsp, to the marinade.
Can I use other cuts of meat?
Yes! I would suggest using boneless thighs with skin on or boneless skinless chicken thighs. I actually share a recipe for Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs if you click here.
Other cooking methods
May I pan fry these wings?
Yes! Follow these instructions:
- In a large non-stick pan set over medium heat allow the pan to get hot. Add 2 tsp of cooking oil.
- Then add half the batch of wings and turn down the heat to medium low. Do not over crowd the pan.
- Cook on one side for 1-2 minutes.
- Flip wings over and cover the pan with a lid and cook wings for 3 minutes.
- Flip wings over again especially for the drumettes. Cover and cook again for 3-5 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 F.
How to make Deep Fried Chicken Wings?
You can try deep frying the wings in about 2 cups of neutral tasting oil heated to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 F. About 9-12 minutes in total.
Other Air Fryer recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed my air fryer chicken wings recipe, you may like these air fryer recipes:
Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs
Oyster Sauce Braised Chicken Wings
Soy Maple Glazed Chicken
Teriyaki Chicken
Soy Hoisin Chicken Thighs
Chicken Adobo
I hope you give my Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken Wings a try and enjoy it!
If you enjoyed my marinated chicken wings in air fryer, please leave a star rating and share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture of your re-creation and make sure to tag me @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories as I would love to see it!
Christie
*This post for air fryer chicken wings contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1.6 lbs Chicken Wings and Drumettes
- 1 tbsp Avocado oil or any neutral tasting oil as needed to spray air fryer basket
Marinade
- 1.5 tbsp Regular soy sauce (not light or dark soy sauce)
- 1.5 tbsp Oyster sauce (or sub with Vegetarian Stir Fry Sauce)
- 1.5 tbsp Honey (or sub with maple syrup, brown or white sugar)
- ¾ tbsp Sesame oil
- 1.5 tsp Dark soy sauce
- 1.5 tsp Shaoxing wine (or sub with Dry Sherry Wine or White Wine or omit completely)
- 1 tsp Ginger peeled and grated
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
Optional Garnish:
- 1 Green onion chopped finely
Instructions
- Pat chicken wings dry with paper towels.
- Transfer chicken wings into a large mixing bowl.
- Add Marinade ingredients into the bowl and massage into chicken until well coated. Marinate for at least 15 minutes or overnight for best flavor.
- Spray air-fryer basket with avocado oil or any neutral tasting oil.
- Lay chicken wings in a single layer. Do not overlap. Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, you may need to air fry in batches to avoid overlapping.
- Air fry for 8 minutes at 400 degrees F on one side. Flip the wings over and air fry for 4-5 minutes on the other side. Cook until an internal temperature is 165 F or until juices run clear and meat is cooked through. If not cooked through, air fry for another minute.
NOTES
May I pan fry these wings?
Yes! Follow these instructions:- In a large non-stick pan set over medium heat allow the pan to get hot. Add 2 tsp of cooking oil.
- Then add half the batch of wings and turn down the heat to medium low. Do not over crowd the pan.
- Cook on one side for 1-2 minutes.
- Flip wings over and cover the pan with a lid and cook wings for 3 minutes.
- Flip wings over again especially for the drumettes. Cover and cook again for 3-5 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 F.
- Repeat the above steps for the remaining wings.
Another amazing dish that I will be trying very soon.
Thanks Christie
Thanks so much Garry! I hope you enjoy my wings recipe!