Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings

July 7, 2019

Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings

Chicken wings tossed in a dry coating of baking powder and spices, air-fried until the skin turns deep golden and crackling, then tossed hot in a garlic butter and parmesan sauce. The coating does the work a deep fryer usually does — no batter, no oil bath, just properly dried skin and high heat.

Baking powder raises the pH of the skin and pulls moisture to the surface, so it dries out and blisters instead of turning soft — a technique that traces back to food writer J. Kenji López-Alt’s oven-fried wing experiments, since adapted for the air fryer. Patting the wings bone-dry before coating them matters more than anything else here; a few extra hours uncovered on a rack in the fridge helps even more, if there’s time for it.

The sauce is simple: butter melted with fresh garlic, then parsley and freshly grated parmesan stirred in once the wings come out hot. Using a block of parmesan and grating it yourself matters here — the pre-shredded kind is coated with anti-caking starch that clumps instead of melting into the sauce.

These are bar food, made to eat with your hands right off the tray — something for watching a game, or wings before dinner rather than instead of it. They’re best the moment they’re tossed in sauce; wait too long and the crisp skin goes soft under the butter.

Ingredients

Serves 4

The wings

1 kg chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes
1 tbsp baking powder, aluminum-free (not baking soda)
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
½ tsp smoked paprika (optional, for colour)

The garlic parmesan sauce

70 g butter (salted or unsalted)
5–6 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced (fresh)
35 g parmesan, freshly grated from a block
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
¼ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

Directions

The wings

Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels — the drier the skin going in, the crisper it comes out. If you have the time, spread them on a wire rack in the fridge, uncovered, for anywhere from an hour up to a full day; the extra time draws out even more surface moisture.

In a bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and smoked paprika, if using. Add the wings and toss until they’re evenly and lightly coated — you’re not building up a thick layer, just dusting each piece.

Arrange the wings in a single, uncrowded layer in the air-fryer basket, leaving space around each piece so air can circulate; cook in batches rather than crowding the basket, which steams the skin instead of crisping it.

Air-fry at 400°F (204°C) for about 20 minutes, flipping the wings halfway through, until they’re deep golden, crisp, and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

The garlic parmesan sauce

While the wings cook, make the sauce: melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the garlic, and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the parsley — and the extra salt, if your butter was unsalted.

To serve

Tip the hot wings into a large bowl and pour the garlic butter over them, tossing to coat. Add the freshly grated parmesan and toss again so it clings to the wings rather than clumping at the bottom of the bowl.

Serve right away, with extra parmesan and parsley on the side if you like.

Notes

Fresh block parmesan only. Grate it yourself — pre-shredded parmesan is coated with anti-caking starch that clumps and mutes the flavor instead of melting into the sauce.
Baking powder, not baking soda. Use an aluminum-free brand; baking soda in this quantity leaves a soapy, metallic taste.
Pantry version: swap the fresh garlic for 1 tbsp garlic powder and add ½ tsp onion powder to the sauce for a seasoned-butter style with a longer shelf life in the pantry.
Extra-crisp cheese: after saucing and adding the parmesan, return the wings to the air fryer for about 2 minutes to set the cheese.
Oven alternative: bake at 425°F (220°C) on a wire rack for 40–45 minutes, then sauce as directed.
Best fresh. The skin softens as the wings sit, so serve them as soon as they’re sauced.