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I remember how much joy they would bring to me as a young girl as I would race down in my PJs to enjoy them as a snack!
I loved them so much I had to recreate them. It's a dish that will forever hold a special place in my heart so I’m super excited to share my version with you!
Ingredients & Substitutes
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.
- Fresh Chicken Wings: make sure they don't have an odor to them since they are the main ingredient. Tip: repackage the wings if you're not planning to cook them soon as the packaging retains 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 with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
Wing Marinade
- Chicken bouillon powder: aka chicken stock powder but it contains a lot of flavor.
- Ginger powder
- Regular soy sauce: or 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.
- Garlic powder: Or substitute with minced fresh garlic.
Lemon sauce
- White granulated sugar
- Fresh Lemon juice: the star ingredient to our dish!
- Salt
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.
- 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.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make sweet crispy Asian lemon wings:
Marinate Wings & Make Lemon Sauce
In a large 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.
Coat Wings & Prepare to Fry
In a large 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.
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.
Fry Wings & Toss in Lemon Sauce
Air fry wings at 400 degrees F for 16 minutes, flipping over and spraying oil on the wings at the 8 minute mark. Repeat this process for remaining wings but reduce the air frying time to 6-7 minutes per side until golden brown as 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.
Transfer wings to a large mixing bowl. Pour sweet lemon sauce overtop and give it a gently toss. Garnish with green onions (optional). Enjoy!
Alternative Deep Frying Method
Heat 2 cups neutral oil over 350 degrees F or medium heat in a large pot or pan. Once the oil is hot enough, carefully lower the coated wings one at a time. 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.
You may need to deep fry in two batches in order not to over crowd the oil as this leads to less crispy wings.
Storage
- Leftovers 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.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the air fryer at 350 F for 5-6 minutes or microwave until hot.
Pairing Suggestions
These Asian lemon wings serve well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein and plain noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
FAQ
Sure, but the wings won't get as crispy, so I highly recommend using cornstarch, potato starch, or tapioca starch.
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Yes, but I recommend using an instant read digital thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the chicken to monitor the cooking process. Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F, it's safely cooked.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Asian Lemon Wings
Ingredients
- 2 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. Air fry wings at 400 degrees F for 16 minutes, flipping over halfway and lightly spraying oil on the wings in between. 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 oil is hot enough, carefully lower the coated wings one at a time and fry in small batches. 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!
Tracey Peach
These turned out so delicious….thank you for sharing
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it!
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!