Air-Fryer Crispy Chicken Wings

The crispy chicken wing is one of those recipes that hides a counter-intuitive trick. You'd think the secret to crisp wings would be more oil, or higher heat, or coating, or some kind of cornstarch dredge. The actual answer is baking powder. A teaspoon of plain baking powder tossed with dry wings raises the pH of the skin slightly, breaking down proteins and pulling moisture to the surface where it evaporates quickly. The result is wings with shattering crackle, no batter or coating involved.

The technique has two parts. First, dry the wings — pat them with paper towels until they no longer feel damp, then sit them uncovered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes if you have time (the colder, drier surface crisps better). Then toss with baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Air fry at 400°F for 22 to 25 minutes, flipping once. The skin comes out the colour of dark amber, crackling on contact.

The photo shows them naked — just the seasoning, no sauce, in a dark navy bowl. That's how I prefer them, with sauces on the side to dip into so each wing keeps its crispness. The bowl has buffalo sauce in the corner; in the photo there's a jar of honey too, suggesting the hot-honey treatment that became popular around 2018 and has only gotten better since.

A note on the wings: get the "wingettes plus drumettes" mix (or whole wings cut into 3 pieces, with the tip removed). Frozen wings work but must be thawed fully and patted very dry.