Sweet Crispy Asian Lemon Wings. Crispy chicken wings marinated in a ginger soy sauce and tossed in a zesty sweet lemon juice. An easy appetizer or main dish!
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What are Sweet Crispy Asian Lemon Wings?
These sweet crispy lemon chicken wings are SO DELICIOUS! They are so crispy on the outside thanks to the starch and are tossed in a zesty lemon juice. Prior to cooking the wings, these wings are marinated in a garlic soy sauce giving them even more flavour! My crispy Asian chicken wings take 30 minutes and are great as an appetizer, main course, side dish, or as party wings! They come together easily with 10 ingredients. You can air fry or deep fry them and I share detailed instructions in my recipe card.
You can find a variation of these dry wings at many Chinese restaurants or at Chinese takeout. When I was a little girl, "Golden Hoy Chinese Restaurant” was my dad's client. Every time they visited my dad's home office, they would kindly bring us a takeout box of these tender crispy wings. I remember racing down in my PJs to enjoy these amazing deep fried crispy wings that were coated in fresh lemon juice with some sugar. They were so incredibly good thanks to the crispy skin and flavors! It's one of those Chinese recipes that will forever hold a special memory in my heart so I’m super excited to share my version of this chicken wing recipe with you!
Ingredients
You’ll need the below ingredients for my Sweet Crispy Asian Lemon Wings. Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
- Chicken wings: I like using both wings and drumettes. Make sure your wings are fresh and don't have an odor to them. I find any chicken with fat or skin tends to develop a smell if they're sitting in the packaging for too long even before the expiry date.
- Tip: If I’m not sure when I plan to make wings, I like to repackage my wings in plastic wrap and freeze them the same day I purchase then they stay fresh for longer and when you thaw, there’s no smelly odors!
- Cornstarch, potato starch or tapioca starch: this will make the wings super crispy!
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils.
Marinade
- Chicken bouillon powder: It's basically chicken stock powder but it contains a lot of flavor.
- Ginger powder: to balance the salty and sweet flavors.
- Regular soy sauce: aka all-purpose soy sauce. This is different from dark soy sauce as it's not as dark or thick in color. You may also substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- Garlic powder: I prefer using garlic powder for even distribution. However, if you don't have garlic powder, substitute with minced fresh garlic.
Lemon sauce
- White granulated sugar
- Lemon juice: the star ingredient to our dish! Make sure you're using fresh lemon juice.
- Salt: Sea salt, table salt or kosher salt all work. The salt helps season the crispy wings to balance the sweet and zesty flavors of the sauce.
How to make Sweet Crispy Asian Lemon Wings
Marinate Chicken Wings
In a large mixing bowl, marinate wings with the Marinade ingredients as listed above for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Make Lemon Sauce
In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, sugar and salt in a small bowl. To help dissolve the sugar, feel free to microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside.
Coat Wings in Starch
In a medium bowl or a large Ziplock bag, add cornstarch or potato starch. Coat marinated wings shaking off excess starch and transfer the coated wings to a large baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper, so they don't stick. Note: Do not simply dump the starch into the bowl of wings with the wet marinade or wings will not be crispy.
Air frying Method
Lightly spray air fryer basket with vegetable oil or any neutral oil. Place wings to air fryer basket in a single layer giving each piece enough space. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to air fry in batches.
Air fry wings at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes on one side. Once wings have cooked then remove basket from air fryer, flip wings over. Lightly spray with oil. Air fry for another 8 minutes at same temperature. Repeat this process for remaining wings but reduce the air frying time to 6-7 minutes per side until golden brown because the air fryer will get hotter with each batch. The internal temperature of cooked wings is 165 F with a meat thermometer or until juices run clear.
Deep frying method
Heat 2 cups neutral oil over 350 degrees F or medium heat in a large pot or pan. Once the hot has reached 350 F, carefully lower the coated wings one at a time. You may need to deep fry in two batches in order not to over crowd the oil as this leads to less crispy wings. Fry for 8 minutes in total, flipping over halfway. Remove and transfer wings to a wire rack or a baking sheet lined with paper towel for excess oil to drip off.
Toss Wings in Lemon Sauce
Transfer hot wings to a large mixing bowl. Pour sweet lemon sauce overtop and give it a gently toss. Garnish with green onions (optional). Enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
These wings will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, reheat them in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 5-6 minutes or until warm. You can also microwave them for a few minutes or bake them in the oven on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil at 350 degrees F for 7-8 minutes or until hot.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh chicken wings. If you notice they smell a little off, soak them in white or rice vinegar in a bowl for 5 minutes. Rinse off the vinegar completely with cold water 3-4 times. Most of the smell will be gone.
- Marinate the chicken wings overnight for best taste. But if you’re tight on time, 10 minutes is good enough!
- Do not simply dump the starch into the bowl of wings with the wet marinade. Instead add the starch to a shallow dish and coat each wing individually to ensure they are totally coated in starch. This ensures super crispy wings.
- If you are air frying, spray or drizzle enough oil to coat the wings completely.
- Make sure to flip your wings half-way to ensure an even crispy coated texture.
- While the wings are piping hot, toss them in the sweet lemon mixture. This will allow them to soak in that juice and evaporate the moisture, so the wings remain crispy after tossing.
FAQ
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cornstarch?
Sure, but the wings won't get as crispy, so I highly recommend using cornstarch, potato starch, or tapioca starch.
Other Wing recipes you may like!
- Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken Wings
- Korean Bulgogi Chicken Wings
- Oyster Sauce Braised Wings
- Vietnamese Garlic Butter Wings
- Crispy Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Asian Lemon Wings
Ingredients
- 1.15 lb chicken wings about 22 wings
- ¾ cup corn starch or potato starch/tapioca starch (add another ¼ cup if needed)
- 2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Wing Marinade:
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder aka chicken stock powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Sweet Lemon Sauce:
- 1.5 tablespoon white granulated sugar or sub with honey or brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, marinate wings with the Marinade ingredients as listed above for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, sugar and salt in a small bowl. To help dissolve the sugar, feel free to microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl or a large Ziplock bag, add cornstarch or potato starch. Coat marinated wings shaking off excess starch and transfer the coated wings to a large baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper, so they don't stick. Note: Do not simply dump the starch into the bowl of wings with the wet marinade or wings will not be crispy.
- Air Frying Method: Lightly spray air fryer basket with vegetable oil or any neutral oil. Place wings to air fryer basket in a single layer giving each piece enough space. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to air fry in batches.Air fry wings at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes on one side. Once wings have cooked then remove basket from air fryer, flip wings over. Lightly spray with oil. Air fry for another 8 minutes at same temperature. Repeat this process for remaining wings but reduce the air frying time to 6-7 minutes per side until golden brown because the air fryer will get hotter with each batch. The internal temperature of cooked wings is 165 F with a meat thermometer or until juices run clear.Deep Frying Method: Heat 2 cups neutral oil over 350 degrees F or medium heat in a large pot or pan. Once the hot has reached 350 F, carefully lower the coated wings one at a time. You may need to deep fry in two batches in order not to over crowd the oil as this leads to less crispy wings. Fry for 8 minutes in total, flipping over halfway. Remove and transfer wings to a wire rack or a baking sheet lined with paper towel for excess oil to drip off.
- Transfer hot wings to a large mixing bowl. Pour sweet lemon sauce overtop and give it a gently toss. Garnish with green onions (optional). Enjoy!
Bob
Loved this! So simple, tasty and crispy. Will be making again.
Taryn
Made these tonight and they were fantastic. Perfect flavour and great crunch!!
christieathome
I am so happy to read this Taryn! Thank you so much for making my recipe and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
These wings look totally fantastic. I am so glad you found a way to re-create this favorite childhood treat. The air fryer is such a genius cooking shortcut!