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[[ Chicken · Meat · Snack · Spicy · Rub ]]

Onion-Forward Chicken Wing Rub

A dry rub heavy on onion and warm spice coats chicken wings before air frying to a crisp finish. The accompanying dipping sauce brings soy, sesame, ginger and honey into the mix. Good for a casual weeknight or sharing with friends over a game.

Time: 35 min
Effort: Low
Steps: 7

3 of the steps have a timer you can start with one tap.

Pencil drawing of Onion-Forward Chicken Wing Rub

Ingredients

4 to feed

100 g onion powder
60 g paprika (sweet)
40 g garlic powder
30 g fine salt
20 g brown sugar (light)
15 g ground white pepper
15 g ground black pepper
10 g mustard powder
5 g chilli powder
1 kg chicken wings (per batch)
10 g neutral oil (per batch)
40 g soy sauce
15 g sesame oil (toasted)
20 g rice vinegar
15 g honey
1 cloves garlic (fresh)
5 g ginger (fresh, grated)
1 g chilli flakes
5 g toasted sesame seeds

How it goes

PrepMix the rub ingredients · Make the dipping sauce · Coat wings with rub
CookAir fry first round · Flip and finish cooking · Optional crisp blast
ServeServe with dipping sauce

Method

Mix the rub ingredients
Combine 100 g onion powder, 60 g paprika, 40 g garlic powder, 30 g fine salt, 20 g brown sugar, 15 g white pepper, 15 g black pepper, 10 g mustard powder, and 5 g chilli powder in a bowl or jar. Stir well. Store any excess in an airtight jar -- it keeps for months.
Make the dipping sauce
Grate 1 clove of garlic and 5 g fresh ginger into a small bowl. Add 40 g soy sauce, 15 g toasted sesame oil, 20 g rice vinegar, and 15 g honey. Add 1 g chilli flakes and stir well until honey is dissolved. Scatter 5 g toasted sesame seeds on top.
Coat wings with rub
For 1 kg wings, use 18--20 g rub and 10 g neutral oil. Toss really well for a thin, even coat -- not clumps.
Air fry first round
Preheat air fryer to 190 C. Cook wings for 12 minutes. At this point the skin should be light golden and starting to firm up, with the fat visibly rendering -- the wings won't be crisp yet, and that's expected.
Flip and finish cooking
Shake or flip wings. Cook another 8--10 minutes until deeply golden -- meaning an even, rich amber-brown all over with a dry, crisp-looking surface (no pale or wet patches). Check at the 8-minute mark and add the remaining time if any spots are still light. Internal temp >=75 C.
Optional crisp blast
Blast at 200 C for 2 minutes for extra crisp. Watch closely -- the brown sugar in the rub can catch quickly at this temperature. You're aiming for a glossy, deep golden-brown finish; pull them the moment you see any dark spots forming or catch a whiff of scorching sugar, as they'll tip from caramelised to burnt fast.
Serve with dipping sauce
Pile wings onto a board or plate. Serve the sesame dipping sauce in a small bowl alongside.