Cilantro Lime Air-Fried Chicken Wings

• nutrition focus

  What does this food offer in terms of nutrients and physical nourishment?

  Protein (chicken)

  Carbohydrates (honey)

  Fat (chicken, oil)

  Other (Both lime and cilantro give this recipe a vitamin C boost, chicken is a good source of iron, B vitamins, and trace minerals)

• satisfaction factor

  What does this food offer in terms of mental satisfaction through flavor, texture, and experience?

  Savory/umami

  Tangy

  Herby

  Crispy

  Crunchy

  Tender

  Light

Prior to this year, I held the unpopular opinion that chicken wings were completely overrated. I never really enjoyed the ones my friends would get for game days and I didn’t love how messy it was to eat meat dripping with spicy sauces off of a bone. That being said, I realized this year that I am, in fact, just a chicken wing snob. I actually do enjoy wings when they’re really fresh and made with quality ingredients. Who knew?!? I attribute this change of heart completely to Fire on the Mountain, a local Portland favorite that specializes in killer sauces and fresh and crispy wings.

For my Super Bowl prep this year, I decided to try my hand at making wings at home! (PS: I am still a wimp when it comes to heat, so feel free to spice these up if your heart desires.) After polling my IG friends, we decided on using an air-fryer for this recipe. It felt less fussy, although didn’t really save me time because I had to make two batches rather than have all the wings on one baking sheet. I really loved how these came out and I couldn’t wait to share. The best part for me is that the wings are naked until after they’re cooked so you can still follow this recipe and then mix up the glaze/sauce if cilantro-lime isn’t your thing.

Allergens: No major allergens

Servings: 4 servings (4-5 wings per serving)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 lb chicken wings (Look for the already separated wings usually labeled “party wings”)

Glaze:

Juice of 3 limes

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp olive oil (Plus 1 tsp or spray oil for air-fryer)

1/2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp water

Directions:

1. Spray or grease the air-fryer basket with oil.

2. Remove chicken wings from package and pat dry thoroughly (this helps them get really crispy!)

3. Place wings in basket leaving at least 1 1/2” between them to ensure they evenly crisp and don’t get soggy from steaming.

4. Air-fry for 10 minutes on 390F. Then, using tongs, safely flip each wing. Fry for another 10 minutes on 390F.

5. While the wings are cooking, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients (leaving out water and cornstarch).

6. In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water to form a slurry. Then add the slurry to the other glaze ingredients. This will help it to thicken.

7. For the final crisp, turn the temperature to 400F and air-fry wings for 3-5 more minutes, depending on the size of the wings. For smaller wings, start at 3 minutes so they don’t burn or dry out. Repeat steps 1-4 and 7 until all wings are cooked.

8. Remove wings from basket using tongs and place on a wire cooling rack. Let cool for a few minutes, then toss in glaze.

9. Serve warm with your choice of dipping sauce. Pairs especially well with a simple avocado crema (1 avocado, 1 cup plain Greek or Icelandic yogurt, a pinch of salt + a squeeze of lime juice, blended until smooth and creamy).

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