Korean Style Crispy Wings –juicy, meaty wings made in about 20 minutes in an airfryer or a CrispLid/pressure cooker that are super crispy with a sticky finger licking Korean style sauce. Perfect for game day or a cocktail party!
These pair great with other air fryer recipes such as Teriyaki Wings and Barbecue Chicken Potato skins to create a full experience of an appetizer platter for entertaining so be sure and check those out too!
These Air Fried Korean Chicken Wings are super meaty and crispy. After crisping to perfection in the air fryer they are tossed in a Korean sweet and savory sauce with just a little bit of heat.
The sauce is velvety, rich and the kind of sauce you want to sop every last drop of. I call it finger-licking good sauce because I don’t let even the bits on my fingers go to waste!
I made this recipe for Korean Style Chicken wings using the Mealthy CrispLid when I was testing their new product. The recipe was inspired by the recipe in the cookbook that came with the CrispLid. (I’ve included directions for making them in a stand alone air fryer and a crisplid in the recipe below.)
I’ve been a big cheerleader of air fried recipes. My Crispy Chicken Wings are one of my most popular recipes. I get so many comments on how extra crispy they are and how crazy easy they are to make.
These chicken wings are just as easy. Same cooking style, but a sticky glazed sauce you make with just a few ingredients that have sweet, spicy notes along with freshness of ginger and garlic.
Why AirFryers are perfect for Chicken Wings
- Using just a little bit of oil means its a healthier way to cook chicken wings.
- Your kitchen doesn’t get hot using an air fryer. (Yay for no oil splatters from frying either!)
- Super easy clean-up using an air-fryer or using the CrispLid on a pressure cooker/instant pot.
What are Korean Chicken Wings
These wings are cooked in the air fryer like normal chicken wings. To get the Korean wings I tried a lot of different seasonings. In the end after many taste testing we liked Korean Gochujang Paste in the sauce.
I love the smoky heat of Korean Chicken we get at a local restaurant here in Los Angeles and they use this paste in many of their dishes.
Ingredients for Gochujang Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Gochujang Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Water
- Fresh Ginger
- Fresh Garlic
- Orange Marmalade
This sauce is super easy to make and most things you might have on hand. It’s super easy to make. The chicken wings are made in the air fryer or in your instant pot using the CrispLid.
Not sure what a CrispLid is and if you need one? If you have an instant pot/or pressure cooker and want to turn it into an air fryer, a broiler, or a way to brown right in the pot check out this post here on Why you need a CrispLid!
What is Gochujang Paste?
Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste that is made from red chili powders, rice and fermented soybeans. Gochuchang tastes sweet, spicy and salty all in one bite. The red chili paste adds a depth of flavor to many meat dishes, stews and sauces.
It’s often served on the side in Korean dishes to be able to add a rich heat to them. I particularly like them with Korean short ribs and bibimbap.
PRO TIP: Be sure and leave a little room in the basket of the air fryer between the chicken so the hot air can get all sides. Flip them at half way so they get evenly crisped!
Tips for Making Korean Style Chicken Wings
- I found the best way to get both juicy chicken wings and have them be extra crispy is to be sure and brine them for about 30 minutes. I tried skipping the brining and the wings were really dried out and while they still tastes great, I missed the juicy succulent chicken.
- Dry the wings off after brining them, then sprinkle with a little more salt so the skins get extra crispy.
- You can make the spicy Korean sauce while the wings are cooking in the air fryer.
- You’ll want to reduce the sauce after mixing it up so it gets nice and sticky.
- You can serve these wings dredged in the sauce or you can serve the sauce on the side and let people dip into them.
- The sauce isn’t super spicy but some people like things very mild and dipping them lets them control how much finger licking good sauce they get!
- These wings are great for appetizers, but make a double batch with some rice or a simple salad for a fun dinner.
- I like serving them for a Friday night happy hour at home. Wings are super inexpensive to make and serving them with an ice cold beer makes for both an economical option and a super delicious one! (Way better than take-out!!)
Common Questions You might have in making the Korean Fried Chicken Wings
Where can you find Gochujang Sauce for Korean Fried Chicken Wings? Most grocery stores these days have a section where you can find Gochujang sauce. Specialty Asian Grocery stores also carry them. In cases where you can’t find it you can find it on Amazon
Is there a specific brand I’d recommend for the Korean red curry paste? I’ve tried several different brands for the gochujang and the Chung Jung One Brand is our favorite. It’s a personal preference, but this brand had the right heat level balanced with sweetness that I could serve to many different people whether they liked spicy food or not.
I can’t find gochujang sauce is there and substitute I can use for the sauce? Yes, you can use sriracha sauce in place of the spicy red chili sauce. It’s doesn’t have the complexity that gochuchang does, but it does have the subtle heat.
More Great Party Appetizers you might enjoy!
- Chinese Pork Meatballs
- Steamed Dumplings
- Coconut Shrimp
- Taco Tater Tot Appetizer
- Reuben Totchos
- Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
- Soft Pretzel Bites (air fryer recipe too!)
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Hashtag any recipes you make from West Via Midwest #westviamidwestrecipes or tag me @michele_westviamidwest on Instagram to be featured on our stories!
Air Fryer Korean Chicken Wings
Korean Style Crispy Wings --juicy, meaty wings made in about 20 minutes in an airfryer or a CrispLid/pressure cooker that are super crispy with a sticky finger licking Korean style sauce. Perfect for game day or an cocktail party!
Ingredients
Chicken Wings
- 1 pound Chicken Wings and Drumettes
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- Cooking Spray
Korean Style Gochujang Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1-2Tablespoon Gochujang Sauce (see notes for substitute)
- 2 Tablespoons Orange Marmalade
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Water
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- 1/2 inch Fresh Ginger, finely grated
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Garnish (optional)
- Chives or Green Onion, sliced thin
Instructions
- Brine chicken wings and drumettes in 3 cups water with 2 tablespoon salt for 30 minutes.
- Preheat Airfryer to 390° (see notes for CrispLid Instructions)
- Remove chicken from brine, pat dry with paper towels.
- Season chicken wings and drumettes with salt.
- Spray basket from air fryer or crisplid with cooking spray to avoid sticking.
- Place Chicken wings into the basket with room for air to circulate in between.
- Cook for 18 minutes at 390° and turn at 10 minutes until the wings are 165° on an instant read thermometer.
- While chicken wings are cooking in the air fryer place all of the ingredients (soy sauce, gochujang sauce, ginger, sugar, water, garlic) into a small sauce pan. Stir well to mix. Bring to a boil, stirring often then reduce heat to a medium high and simmer until reduced in half.
- Once chicken is done either toss in sauce or place sauce in a dipping bowl to be dipped into.
- Garnish with sliced green onions or chives.
Notes
If you don't have gochuchang sauce you can substitute Sriracha Sauce.
If you are using the meathy CrispLid on top of your instant pot/pressure cooker you will cook at 425°.
Place chicken on basket after spraying. Place basket into metal insert of your pressure cooker then place the crisplid on top. Cook at 425 for 15-20 minutes, turning at 10 minutes. Cook until wings on the thickest part the the wing reads 165°.
Follow the coating instructions in the recipe card above.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 456Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 1813mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 22g
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.
Julie Toepper
Sunday 13th of February 2022
Made these for supper tonight. I made one substitution Grape jelly for the orange marmalade. My husband loves the sauce. The wings were definitely sticky. I'll making them again.