Korean Gochujang Wings
wing span.
Everyone talks about the flavor, which I’m stoked about. I attribute that to the salt + sugar brine.
But what about a crispy wing that’s not battered and fried? That’s the wing I wanted to perfect. And what if you could make the wings ahead, store them in the fridge, have a couple of different sauces on hand, toss ‘em in whichever one you were feeling, and reheat them in the air fryer?
A proponent of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” I would ordinarily do just that, but since my oven was on the fritz, and I wanted a crispy wing, and I do have an air fryer…you’re pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down…
I brined the wings per usual. I patted them dry of brine and spaced them apart as not to touch in the air fryer. I set the temp to 360 degrees for 12 minutes, turned them, and cooked another 12 minutes at 360 degrees, turned them again, fired it up to 390, and cooked another 6 minutes. Eureka!! Now the “crispiest chicken wings in America!” If you have a small air fryer basket and you’re making a lot of wings, this can be a little tedious, but it’s so worth it!
My husband, who will eat anything, and the same ‘anything,’ every single day, actually remarked that these were “insane.” INSANE.
Not only that, when I was done, I poured the rendered oil from the chicken into a ramekin. It was easily 1/4 cup!
Now the wings are delicious, but who doesn’t love a good sauce to stick to them? I made 75 wings, so surely there should be a variety of sauces, or at least more than just basic buffalo.
Enter Dennis the Precott’s Korean Gochujang Sauce. Lots of spice and sticky goodness. Gochujang + soy sauce + maple syrup + rice vinegar + ginger + garlic + sesame oil + butter…Don’t worry, you cut 1/4 cup of oil by air frying, so have a little buttah!
Here’s how you sauce ‘em: add your premade wings in a bowl, add enough sauce to generously coat them, and throw them back in the air fryer at 390 degrees for 4-5 minutes.
I served them with chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, and chopped scallions, and a side of David Chang’s Momofoku noodles.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1 lemon, halved
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 garlic head, cut crosswise
2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
5 lbs chicken wings, split into drums and flats
Korean Gochujang sauce
1/2 cup gochujang hot pepper paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp toce vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup crushed roasted salted peanuts
1/4 cup finely sliced scallions
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Handful of fresh cilantro, for serving
In a large stock pot, combine 1 gallon of water, the sugar, and the salt. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns. Let cool to room temperature. Submerge the wings in the brine, cover them, and put them in the fridge. Let brine for 2-4 hours.
Drain the wings and discard the brine. Pat them completely dry with paper towels.
Place the wings in the basket of a 3.5-quart air fryer so they are not touching. Set the air fryer to 360 degrees. Cook for 12 minutes and then flip the wings with tongs and cook for 12 minutes more. Flip the wings again. Increase the temperature to 390 degrees and cook until the outsides are extra-crispy, about 6-8 minutes more.
DIRECTIONS
Sauce
In a large bowl, whisk together the gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, butter, garlic, and ginger until well combined, about 30 seconds.
Generously baste the wings with the sauce and bake a final 5 minutes in a 390-degree air fryer. Transfer the wings to a large bowl and toss them together with the peanuts, scallions, and sesame seeds.
Serve with the lime wedges, fresh cilantro, and any leftover sauce for dipping.