Taiwanese•indulgent

Extra Crispy Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Crispy and flavorful fried chicken wings with classic Taiwanese popcorn chicken flavor cooked in an air fryer.

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

5 chicken wings (split into flats and drumettes (see note))
1 tbsp soy sauce
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp white pepper powder
1 pinch Chinese five spice powder (optional )
¼ tsp sugar
1-2 clove garlic (minced)
¼ cup coarse sweet potato / tapioca starch (see note)
½ tsp baking powder
1 hand full Thai basil (can be replaced by other kinds of basil that's available to you)
2 clove garlic (sliced or roughly chopped )
vegetable oil
sea salt
white pepper powder
chili powder

1
Put chicken wings in a bowl or Ziploc bag with soy sauce, salt, white pepper powder, five spice powder, sugar and minced garlic. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, preferably over night, in the fridge.
2
Mix sweet potato / tapioca starch with baking powder before placing on a big plate.
3
Coat each wing with the starch mix and squeeze it gently to help the starch adhere to the wings better.
4
Let the wings sit for 3-5 minutes to allow the starch coating to absorb some moisture from the wings, which will prevent the coating from falling off during cooking process.
5
Toss basil and garlic with a little bit of the oil and set it aside.
6
Place the wings in the air fryer, cook it for 10 minutes on 350°F, toss the wings and then turn the heat to 400°F and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes until it's golden brown and crispy.
7
Mix in basil and garlic in the air fryer, and cook for 1 more minute.
8
Transfer the wings out from the air fryer with a pair of tongs, season with more sea salt, white pepper powder or chili powder based on your taste and enjoy!