Gochujang Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Course: dinner, Entree, lunch

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: air fryer, chicken, chicken wings

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

seasoning time: 1

Total Time: 1 30

Servings: wings (serves 4-6 people)

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

A sweet and spicy Korean condiment levels up your chicken wing game.

Print Recipe

Equipment

air fryer (preferably one with a tray instead of a bucket)
tongs
cooling rack
sheet pan

Ingredients

For the Chicken Wings

2 teaspoons (12 grams) kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) garlic powder
1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder optional for crispy wings
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) black pepper
5 pounds (2 1/4 kilos) chicken wings
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) vegetable oil

For the Gochujang Sauce

1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) sesame oil
1 tablespoon (8 grams) garlic minced
1 1/2 teaspoons (3 grams) ginger minced
1/4 cup (85 grams) gochujang
1/4 cup (60 milliliters) soy sauce
1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar
1 tablespoon (7 grams) gochugaru
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) rice vinegar
1 tablespoon (9 grams) toasted sesame seeds

Optional Garnishes

1-2 green onions trimmed and thinly sliced
toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Season the Wings (up to 24 hours ahead)

In a small mixing bowl, use your fingers or a spoon to mix together the kosher salt, garlic powder, baking powder (if you're using it), and black pepper.
Use paper towels to pat the skin of the chicken wings dry. This will help the oil stick to the wings better.
Add the wings to a large mixing bowl. Pour the vegetable oil over the wings in the bowl and use your hand or a pair of tongs to toss the chicken in the oil until well-coated.
Sprinkle the spice blend over the wings and give them another toss to ensure they are evenly coated in the spice mixture.
Allow the wings to sit in this seasoning mixture for at least an hour (or up to 24 hours), uncovered in the fridge, before frying them. The more time the baking powder has to break down those peptide bonds, the crisper your wings will be.

Air Fry the Wings

Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (205°C). Preheat your oven to "Warm", or 170°F (75°C).
Arrange a cooling rack over a sheet pan for holding the cooked wings on later.
Lay the seasoned wings on the tray of your air fryer. Leave a little space between each piece so the air can circulate around them. You will need to fry the wings in batches.
Put the tray into the preheated air fryer and fry them for 5 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven and use a pair of tongs to flip the wings over. Air fry the wings for another 4-5 minutes.
Once the wings are golden brown and crisp, remove them from the tray and arrange them in a single layer on the cooling rack-sheet pan set-up.
Keep the wings in the warm oven while you air-fry the remaining batches.

Prepare the Gochujang Sauce While You Air Fry the Chicken Wings

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat.
When the oil in the pot begins to shimmer slightly, add the garlic and ginger and sauté them for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant and slightly golden in color.
Next, add the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, gochugaru, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds to the pot. Use a whisk or a spoon to stir these into the garlic and ginger in the pot.
Bring the contents of the pot up to a gentle simmer, then allow the sauce to simmer for 30 seconds.
Stir the sauce and decrease the temperature to low.
Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes, stirring every 1 1/2 minutes, while you continue air frying the wings.

Sauce, then Serve the Gochujang Chicken Wings

Once all of the wings are cooked, add a batch (12-14) wings to a clean mixing bowl.
Use a pair of tongs to toss them in 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) of the sauce. Return the wings to the rack on the sheet pan and keep them warm in the oven until you're ready to garnish and serve them.
To serve gochujang wings: sprinkle thinly sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds over the sauced wings.
Serve the remaining gochujang sauce in individual prep bowls on the side as a dipping sauce for the wings.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

Gochujang substitutes: sriracha (but the wings will be really spicy), stir together 1/4 cup gochugaru and 1/4 cup miso paste, mild harissa paste, sambal oelek, or chili sauce.
Gochugaru substitutes: red pepper flakes, harissa powder, or cayenne BUT only add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper as it will be very spicy.
To make this a gluten-free recipe, replace the soy sauce with tamari sauce.
Rice Vinegar (also labeled rice wine vinegar) substitutes: mirin, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
Sesame Oil substitutes: olive oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil.
Brown Sugar substitutes: coconut sugar, date palm sugar, or granulated sugar.

Tips and Techniques:

If you're using frozen chicken wings, thaw them first in the fridge overnight. Drain any liquid from the thawed wings and pat them dry before adding the oil.
When using baking powder to achieve crispy chicken wings, use an aluminum-free one.
If you have an air fryer with a bucket-style tray, you're going to have to toss the wings every 2 minutes to ensure they cook evenly.
My air fryer tray fits around 16 wings at a time, which means I air fry them in 2-3 batches. If you have a bucket-style air fryer, it may take more batches.
Don't crank up the heat under the pot when making the sauce because sesame oil has a low smoke point and will burn at too high a temperature.
Since the sugar in the sauce caramelizes in the air fryer, it's best to sauce the wings after they are cooked.

Storage Instructions:

To Store Leftover Wings:
1. Transfer the cooled gochujang chicken wings to a covered container and store in the fridge for 3 days.
2. To reheat the gochujang wings: warm them in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 10 minutes or until warmed through. You can also reheat wings in a 300°F (150°C) air fryer for 3- 4 minutes. Use the microwave as a last resort when reheating wings as it makes the skin rubbery.
To Freeze Prepared Wings:
1. Freeze the cooled wings on a silicone-lined baking sheet on a pan until they're frozen through.
2. Once frozen, transfer the chicken to a freezer storage bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.
3. Thaw the wings completely in the fridge and follow the instructions above to heat.

Make Ahead Instructions:

Chicken Wings: Season and store the wings in a covered container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Drain off any liquid that forms in the bottom of the container and pat the wings down before air frying.
Gochujang Sauce: Prepare and store it in a container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Allow it to cool completely before putting it into a container. When you're ready to use it, thaw it completely in the fridge or use the defrost setting in the microwave.

Gochujang Wings in the Oven:

Season the wings as instructed in the recipe above and arrange them in a single layer on a rack set atop a sheet pan.
Bake the wings in an oven, preheated to 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and flip the wings over. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown and crisp.
For extra-crispy wings: decrease the baking time to 15 minutes per side. After 30 minutes of total baking time, decrease the oven temperature to 170°F (80°C) or "Warm" and keep "cooking" the wings for another 15-20 minutes.
Toss the baked wings in the sauce as instructed above.

Deep-Fried Gochujang Wings:

Season the wings as instructed in the recipe.
Add 2-inches of neutral frying oil (like vegetable oil) to a dutch oven or deep fryer and heat it to 375°F (190°C).
Fry the wings in hot oil for 10-12 minutes, or until the skin appears golden brown.
Use tongs to remove the chicken from the pot to a rack placed over a sheet pan to drain excess oil. Continue frying the remaining wings.
Place the fried wings in a serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and toss to coat the chicken evenly.
Serve or keep in a warm oven until ready.

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