Air Fryer Vietnamese-style Chicken Wings

Air frying has surged in popularity as a cooking method in recent years and I am totally onboard. But you know what I’m most definitely NOT on board with? Anaemic-looking ‘fried’ chicken. So often you get such a disappointing colour rather than that glorious golden glow deep-frying gives. The good news? I’ve got the solution, thanks to a couple of nifty ingredients to encourage browning and crisping in the air fryer. Problem solved!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) chicken wings (I like mine cut into drums and flats)
• 1 cup Vietnamese Lemongrass and Garlic Marinade
• 1 cup cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• spray oil e.g. rice bran oil or olive oil
• fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped, to serve
• finely sliced red chilli, to serve

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken with ¼ cup of the marinade. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 15 minutes.
2. 2In a separate clean bowl, whisk together the cornflour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Place the marinated chicken pieces into the cornflour mixture and toss until they’re all coated.
3. 3Spray the basket of the air fryer with a little cooking oil. Pat off any excess flour from the chicken pieces, then place into the basket, taking care not to overcrowd it (you may need to cook the chicken in batches). Spray a little extra cooking oil over the chicken and then cook in the air-fryer on 200°C (390°F) for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over and cook for a further 5-10 mins until they’re crispy and golden in colour.
4. 4Once the chicken is cooked, add the pieces to a wok. Place over a high heat and add the remaining ¾ cup of marinade. Toss the pieces in the sauce until well-coated and hot, then turn off the heat. Add the coriander and chilli and toss through. Transfer chicken pieces to a plate. Serve immediately.