Firecracker Chicken Wings

Firecracker Chicken Wings are crispy wings tossed in a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce. This easy chicken wing recipe is a twist on a popular Chinese takeout that is typically made with chicken breast or thighs. If you are looking for a 4th of July recipe, these wings are perfect!!

My husband and I are wing lovers. Anytime I make wings, they fly off the plate. Whether it’s Rosemary Garlic Wings, Honey Beer Glazed Wings, or Sweet and Sticky Chicken Wings, we gobble them up. Needless to say, my husband was very excited to be a taste tester for this chicken wing recipe. I’m happy to say that he is all over this one!

My wing version of firecracker chicken allows you to make the Chinese takeout at home but as a finger food with lots of crispy and crunchy goodness. You will love how easy they are to make, and I provide three cooking methods to choose from! Let’s get started on what you need!

Ingredients needed:

• Chicken wings—if you want ready-to-use and convenient, get wings that have already been cut into drumettes and flats. For a more economical option, get whole wings and cut them up yourself.
• Tapioca starch—creates an extra crispy and crunchy coating.
• Seasoning—salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
• Buffalo sauce—I use Sweet Baby Ray’s buffalo wing sauce but use what you like.
• Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce—its unique flavor adds another peppery dimension to the sauce.
• Dark brown sugar—provides the sweet element to the sauce.
• Soy sauce—adds saltiness and depth of flavor.
• Rice wine vinegar—imparts tanginess.

In the images of wings with sauce, I purposefully went light on the sauce so that you can see the wings more clearly. No worries, there is plenty of firecracker sauce to thoroughly drench them!

Recipe highlights:

• Preheat a skillet of oil to 375° F.
• Pat wings dry with paper towels.
• Add tapioca starch, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to a large Ziploc bag or food storage container with a lid. Seal shut. Shake well.
• Add half of the wings. Shake well to coat.
• Fry for 8-10 minutes, turning over halfway. They are done when the internal temperature reaches 165° F.
• Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a cooling rack. Place in a 170° F oven to keep warm.
• Coat the remaining wings in tapioca starch mixture and fry.
• To make the sauce, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer for 1 minute. Keep warm.
• Toss wings in sauce. Serve immediately.
• Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. It includes directions on how to oven bake and air fry.

Use tapioca starch for a crunchy coating.

Tapioca starch is great for coating fried food. It creates a crunchy crust that stays crunchy. You can find it in the Asian aisle of your grocery store. Of course, it is available at Asian food markets. But if you want to get it online, you can find it here (affiliate link). If all you have is tapioca flour, it can be used interchangeably with tapioca starch.

In a pinch, cornstarch can be used as a substitute. Tapioca starch has a slight edge on the crunch meter.

Three cooking options:

For the crispiest wings, always go with deep frying. You are not going to match the result any other way. But for reduced fat, air frying and baking are better options. This recipe provides instructions on how to cook the wing all three ways.

• Stovetop frying—fry wings at 350° F to 375° F for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the wings. The temperature will fluctuate as you cook but try to keep within the 350° to 375° range.
• Air frying—generously spray the wings on both sides with cooking spray before air frying. Air fry at 400° F for 8 minutes on the first side. Turn over, and cook for approximately 8 minutes on the second side. Spray the second side with cooking spray if there is a lot of exposed dry tapioca starch mixture.
• Oven baked—generously spray the wings on both sides with cooking spray before baking. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes. Turn wings over. Bake for 20-25 minutes more. Spray the second side with cooking spray, if there are exposed areas of dry tapioca.

The cooking time provided is an approximation. Smaller pieces require less cook time and larger ones need more time. Properly cooked chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

How to store and reheat leftovers:

If you plan to reheat, it’s best not to add sauce to the wings beforehand. Store the two separately, then combine them once reheated. If the wings are already sauced, that’s fine. Reheat as instructed below.

Before you store the wings, make sure they are cooled completely. Place in an airtight container and store refrigerated for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat in the oven: let the refrigerated wings come to room temp for 10-15 minutes. Place the wings in a single layer without overcrowding. Spraying them with cooking spray is optional. Reheat in a preheated 375° F for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the wings. If reheating from frozen, increase the cooking time to 15-20 minutes.

To reheat in the air fryer: let the refrigerated wings come to room temp for 10-15 minutes. Place the wings in a single layer without overcrowding. Spraying them with cooking spray is optional. Cook at 375°F for approximately 5-6 minutes for previously refrigerated or about 10 minutes from frozen.

Microwave: is not recommended because the skin will not crisp up properly.

The reheat time provided is an approximation for average-size flats and drumettes. Smaller ones may require less cooking time, and larger ones may require more cooking time. The best way to determine doneness is to use an instant-read thermometer. Properly reheated chicken wings should have an internal temperature of 165° F.

Recommended supplies:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• Baking sheet—for baking the wings if you choose to bake. If frying, this also comes with a cooling rack to use to allow the fried wings to drain.
• A skillet or Dutch oven for frying—the Dutch oven’s high sides help to contain the splashing.
• Air fryer—if you want to air fry, this DualZone 8-quart capacity has 2 baskets that can fry independently. This air fryer also air broils, roasts, bakes, reheats, and dehydrates.
• A splatter screen is used to help contain grease splashes. I find this to be a very useful tool when deep frying.
• Kitchen tongs—this is stainless steel with silicone tips. It is heat resistant up to 600° F.
• Instant read meat thermometer—for taking the temp of the oil and internal temperature of the wings. The probe reads within 2-3 seconds. This thermometer is waterproof.

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Firecracker Chicken Wings

Author: Thao | In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Frying Cuisine:Asian-Inspired Courses:Appetizers Recipe Keys: High Protein

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 20 minutesTotal time: 30 minutesServings:4 Servings

Description

Firecracker Chicken Wings are crispy wings tossed in a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce. This easy chicken wing recipe is a twist on a popular Chinese takeout that is typically made with chicken breast or thighs. If you are looking for a 4th of July recipe, these wings are perfect!!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds chicken wings, cut into flats and drumettes
• 1 1/4 cup tapioca starch or tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• neutral oil for deep frying

For the firecracker sauce:

• 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce)
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
• cilantro for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Instructions for pan frying are detailed here. See the notes below for oven baking and air frying.
2. Fill a large skillet or frying pan with 1 to 1 1/4-inch of oil. Make sure the oil is at least 1 1/2 inches below the top of the pan to prevent overflow. Preheat oil to 375° F while you prep the wings.
3. Pat wings (flats and drumettes) dry with paper towels.
4. To a large Ziploc bag or food storage container with a lid, add tapioca starch, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Close tight and shake to combine.
5. Add half of the wings. Shake well to coat with the tapioca starch mixture.
6. Shake off excess tapioca and place each wing in the hot oil. Fry for 5 minutes. Turn over. Continue to fry for 4-5 additional minutes or until the wing’s internal temperature reaches 165° F.
7. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a cooling rack. Place in a 170° F oven to keep warm.
8. While the first batch fries, coat the remaining half of the wings in the tapioca starch mixture.
9. Allow the oil to come up to 375° F before frying the second batch of wings.

For the firecracker sauce:

10. Add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan. Blend well. Bring to a gentle boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a simmer for 1 minute. Reduce to low to warm, stirring occasionally.
11. Pour the desired amount of sauce over the wings. Toss to coat. Garnish with cilantro, optional. Serve immediately.
12. Makes about 16 flats and drumettes or 4 appetizer servings.

Notes:

• To oven bake: generously spray the wings on both sides with cooking spray prior to baking. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes. Turn wings over. Bake for 20-25 minutes more. Spray the second side with cooking spray if there are areas of exposed dry tapioca starch mixture.
• To air fry: preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Generously spray the wings on both sides with cooking spray before air frying. Air fry at 400° F for 8 minutes on the first side. Turn over and cook for approximately 8 minutes on the second side. Spray the second side with cooking spray if there are areas of exposed dry tapioca starch mixture.

Keywords:Firecracker Chicken, Firecracker Chicken Wings, 4th of July Recipe, Chicken Wing Recipe, Chinese Takeout at Home, Easy Chicken Wing Recipe

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