Air Fryer Citrus-Chipotle Wings
A gorgeous fusion between tangy citrus and zingy chipotle, these double-fried air fryer wings are my new favourite quick and delicious snack.
We love love love a juicy, tender chicken wing here at the Culinary Cartel. Spicy wings? Even better. Crispy crunchy spicy wings? Get outta here!
This might just be my new favourite wings recipe! Air fried or baked, whichever you prefer, these deliciously juicy wings are marinated in a citrusy chipotle marinade, then covered in an ultra crunchy, crispy coating packed with complex flavour, and topped with a complementary spice mix. What more could you ask for?
The anatomy of the perfect citrus-chipotle chicken wing
This recipe hinges on a rather unusual ingredient – or at least, unusual in that you wouldn’t normally associate it with chicken wings! Enter, the humble clementine. Yes, those cute little tangerine-like citrus fruits you might associate more with Christmas than fried chicken. Just trust me. The key to this dish is the gorgeous sweetness, acidity and zestiness (if you’ll pardon the pun) the clementine imparts.
To make this recipe, you’ll need only 6 basic ingredients, and in the air fryer it’s ready in under 40 minutes.
Let’s make some chicken wings!
If you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo #theculinarycartel on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. To view our recipe video on Instagram click here. Happy cooking!
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t have an air fryer! Can I make the wings in the oven instead?
Of course! When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200C. Cook the wings for 30-40 mins on a rack and baking tray, turning halfway.
I can’t find clementines, what can I use instead?
If you’re having trouble finding clementines, feel free to use a similarly-sized orange, tangerine, or naartjies. You may need to adjust your seasonings slightly to accommodate for increase sweetness or acidity, so taste before adding the chicken.
Air Fryer Citrus-Chipotle Wings
- Total Time: <40 Minutes
- Yield: 2 - 4 Servings
Description
A gorgeous fusion between tangy citrus and zingy chipotle, these double-fried air fryer wings are my new favourite quick and delicious snack.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 8 whole wings, 16 winglets
- 1 tsp each salt and sugar
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp chipotle spice or paste
- 1 clementine, zested (reserve half for frying the chicken, and the other half for the dusting mix) and juiced
- 4 Tbsp/40g cornflour
Dusting spice mix
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 lime, zested
- reserved 1/2 clementine zest
- 1/2 tsp dried chipotle spice
Instructions
- Make the marinade. Grate two cloves of garlic into a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon each of salt, sugar and chipotle spice or paste as well as the oil. Zest the clementine, setting aside half of the zest for the dusting spice mix.
- Add the zest and all of the juice to the marinade and stir to combine. Toss with the wings and leave to marinade as long as possible, minimum 20 minutes.
- Remove the wings from the marinade and toss with cornflour until well coated.
- Place the wings into the air fryer at 175 degrees C on air fry for 10 minutes. Turn, and cook for a further 5 minutes at 205 degrees C.
- While the wings are cooking, make the dusting spice mix. Add the zest of half a lime, the reserved clementine zest, a teaspoon of chipotle spice, gochugaru or chilli flakes.
- Toss the wings with the spice mix and serve.
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 500.02kcal
- Sugar: 6.25g
- Sodium: 975.36mg
- Fat: 29.17g
- Saturated Fat: 8.08g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17.86g
- Trans Fat: 0.13g
- Carbohydrates: 16.72g
- Fiber: 0.95g
- Protein: 40.36g
- Cholesterol: 248.83mg
