With only a few ingredients, these Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings are big on flavor, like you get from an expensive Chinese restaurant!
These seriously taste deep fried, I am not kidding. As you may or may not know, it is tradition for the hubs and I to order a nice dinner from our favorite Chinese Restaurant for Christmas. It’s a Jewish thing. 🙂 Since moving back to California, we cannot find a really good Chinese restaurant in our area. We keep trying different ones.
What we have noticed, however, is that Salt & Pepper Pork Chops are really popular and we have had them from several restaurants. We finally found a Chinese restaurant that we like, well, good enough, anyway. The last time we ordered, I asked the manager what the ingredients to the Salt & Pepper Pork Chops. I figured I could use my Air Fryer and make them myself.
Surprisingly, there are very few ingredients. Salt, pepper and Jalapeño peppers. Well, duh! Since Friday is Wing Night in my house and because I am having so much fun creating new flavors of Chicken Wings in my Air Fryer, I decided to make Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings instead of Pork Chops.
I have to tell you, I am not a Jalapeño fan, but since Salt & Pepper Pork Chops are so popular here, I had to try them anyway. Oh my gosh, so good in this recipe. The stir frying of them, give them a mild and really delicious taste. Even my husband, who first pushed them aside, tasted them (after I pleaded with him) and then kept eating them.
Because of the secret ingredient I use in my Air Fryer Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Wings, I already knew how to make crispy wings. However, these Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings needed something else…… something to make them puff. I thought about it and remembered how much I love the coating on my Bang Bang Shrimp recipe and it was smooth sailing from there on out……
In a medium bowl, add the egg white, salt and pepper and Whisk until very frothy. As usual, my Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk gets the job done, in no time flat! See what I did?
Dry the Chicken Wing parts and add them to the Egg White mixture. Let the wings marinate for at least 20 minutes. You might as well prepare the vegetables while they are relaxing in their Egg White bath.
Trim the Jalapeños and thinly slice them. I am a big wuss, so I removed most of the seeds. If you want a spicier dish, leave in some of the seeds. Slice and chop the Scallions. Some people call them Green Onions. I’ve always called them Scallions.
Set aside the veggies for now. When your wings are on the homestretch, you will quickly Stir Fry them and then add in the Chicken Wings. Believe it or not, once the Jalapeños are Stir Fried, they really aren’t all that spicy at all. In fact, they are rather delicious.
Transfer the Chicken Wings from the bowl with the Egg White mixture to a large mixing bowl. Pour in the Potato Starch and make sure the Wings are coated very well.
Use Silicone Tongs, not your fingers to handle the wings. You want to make sure that the Potato Starch does not gunk up and get sticky. You also don’t want to scratch your Air Fryer. If your Tongs get gunked up, make sure to wash the gunk off and dry them well before continuing.
Shake off any excess Potato Starch and place the Chicken Wings in your prepared and seasoned Air Fryer Basket. You can see that my basket is glistening from the light coat of oil. This will help prevent the coating from getting stuck to the Air Fryer Basket.
I don’t normally spray my Chicken Wings with Oil, since the skin has enough oil to crisp up the wings. For this recipe, however, I did spray the Chicken Wings very lightly with Avocado Oil. My Oil Mister of preference is the Fine Life Brand. It is a bit pricey, but it works really well.
Place the Air Fryer Drawer and Basket into the Air Fryer and cook for 25 minutes. Shake the Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings every 5 minutes. Shaking often will also help to prevent sticking.
After 25 minutes, your Chicken Wings will look like the above photo. Turn up the temp for 5 more minutes. While the Wings are getting their final cook, it is time to Stir Fry the topping.
This will go fast, so, before you turn up the temperature on your Air Fryer, preheat your Wok or Cast Iron Skillet. You want it screaming hot. Add a couple of Tablespoons of Canola or Peanut Oil, the prepared Jalapeños and Scallions and some more salt and pepper. Using a Spatula, Stir Fry the veggies for about a minute.
When the Air Fryer beeps, carefully remove the hot Chicken Wings and place them in the Wok or Cast Iron Skillet and coat with the Jalapeños and Scallions. Most of the oil will absorb into the Jalapeños and Scallions, so your Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings will not be greasy.
When I served these to my husband, he took a bite and looked at me and said, “they taste just like the ones we get from the restaurant.” I mean they are Chicken Wings, not the Salt & Pepper Pork, but, you know what I mean. If you like these, try my Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Pork Chops, which are fabulous.
These Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings pair nicely with my Pressure Cooker Chinese Orange Pepper Chicken and Thai Triple Coconut Rice.
Enjoy.
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Ultrean 8.5 Quart Air Fryer
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk
- Cilio Olivewood Spatula
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- Corelle Mixing/Serving Bowls
- Potato Starch
- Silicone Tongs
- Fine Life Brand Oil Mister
- Cast Iron Skillet
Caring is sharing! If you would like to support This Old Gal, please share this recipe on Social Media, so that I can continue to bring you more wonderful recipes!
Here is your handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
- 14-20 Chicken Wing Pieces
- 1 Egg White
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 3/4 cup Potato Starch
- 1 Oil Mister
Stir Fry
- 2 Jalapeño Pepper stems removed
- 2 Scallions (Green Onions) trimmed
- 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil (or Peanut)
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Cast Iron Chicken Fryer
Instructions
- Coat Air Fryer Basket with a thin coat of Oil. (See my article on How to Prepare and Season Air Fryer Basket.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg white, salt and pepper until foamy. Pat dry chicken wings and add to egg white mixture. Coat thoroughly. Marinate for at least 20 minutes.
- Transfer chicken wings into a large bowl and add Potato Starch. Dredge the wings through the Potato Starch thoroughly. Shake off wings and place them into prepared Air Fryer Basket. Lightly spray wings with Oil.
- Cook at 380 degrees for 25 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes. Cook an additional 5 minutes at 400 degrees, or until chicken wings are nice and brown.
Stir Fry
- Slice Jalapeños thin and remove seeds. Chop scallions. Place in bowl and set aside.
- Heat wok or skillet until screaming hot. Add oil, jalapeño peppers, scallions, salt and pepper and stir fry for about a minute. Add air fried chicken wings to the wok or skillet and toss with the jalapeños and scallions, to coat. Stir Fry for another minute.
Pamela says
Is there a substitution for the potato starch? I do low carb.
Lindsay says
Would you change anything if you have the air fryer oven ? That is the one with the racks, not a basket. Thank you!
Kim says
I don’t own an airfryer but I used a convection oven. Not sure if same result, don’t care as this was absolutely amazing. Will be doing this recipe again and again. Thank you.
Jill Selkowitz says
Hi Kim. That is wonderful news. Thank you so much! Jill
Tom says
I made wings twice using this recipe, and IT DIDN’T WORK.
I used an air fryer and followed every single step.
Jill Selkowitz says
Hi Tom. Are you following the recipe card at the bottom? This recipe has worked every time for me and I see it did for others. I am wondering if you skipped a step. Jill
Vivian says
MY So and I just made a bunch of these salt & pepper wings using your recipe. We distributed them to both of our parents and everyone loved them! They are better than the ones we always buy from our local Chinese restaurant.
Jill Selkowitz says
Wow, thank you so much, Vivian. I just made them the other day too. We love them as well. Jill
Sarah says
Curious if you would change anything when using the power air fryer with the racks instead of a basket. Thanks also potato starch was unavailable at my local markets tapioca starch was suggested.
barbara paddock says
Apologies, in a wng coma, forgot to say THANK YOU!
barbara paddock says
Absolutely fool-proof. Until this recipe, I have never been able to make wing. even fried! This Old Gal nailed it! Thank you!
Jill says
Thank you, Barbara, I am glad you enjoyed my recipe. Jill
Angela Davis says
Hi Jill,
I’ve been making this recipe for over a year now. I make the jalapeno stir-fry as a side for many dishes and it’s so good on tacos. Thank you!
Jill says
Glad you are enjoying the recipe, Angela! Jill
Laura says
Made these tonight and they were a bit with the whole family. Thanks for the recipe!!
Jill says
Hi Laura. I am so happy to hear this news. Thank you so much and you are welcome. Jill
mAE says
I CANNOT FIND POTATO STARCH, CAN I USE SOMETHING ELSE?
Jill says
Mae, I link to the potato starch in the recipe. Jill
Bonnie says
I don’t own an air fryer but would love to try this recipe. Can I bake or fry? What do you recommend? Thanks!
Jill says
Hi Bonnie. I have only made the wings with the air fryer. I am sure you can use a regular fryer. Keep me posted. Jill
Khanh says
Hi Jill could you please explain why you use egg yolk to marinate and the benefit of whisking it? Thank you!
Ed Brownlee says
This is a very good recipe….I loved the wings. Very tasty !!! Would you recommend a sauce or something to go with this?
Jill says
Hi Ed. I don’t feel these wings need a sauce. My Fried Rice recipe would pair nicely. Jill
Jean says
Is potato starch and potato flour the same thing?
Btw, thank you so much for this recipe! One of my favs!!! 🙂
Jill says
Hi Jean. It is not the same thing. Potato flour is from whole potatoes and potato starch is only from the starch of the potato. Jill
hai says
very delicious
Jill says
Hi Hai~
So glad you liked these wings. They are one of my most favorite recipes.
Jill
Summer says
What temperature do you set your airfryer to?