Chicken · Air fryer

Crispy Golden Air Fryer Vietnamese Wings Recipe

Marion Grasby's secret weapon for air fryer wings isn't complicated, it's baking powder. This Vietnamese-style marinade combined with a clever coating trick gives you the deep golden colour that usually only comes from a deep fryer, plus sticky, addictively messy wings that taste nothing like the usual air fryer letdown.

R By Richard · Adapted from Marion Grasby · Published 10 June 2026
👁 116.9k source views ❤️ 3k source likes
⏱Prep 20 min
🌡Temp 180°C
⏲Air fry 18 min
🍽Serves 4
The SECRET to Making Crispy, Golden Air-Fryer Wings

Source video by Marion Grasby on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Marion Grasby shares her trick for getting air fryer chicken wings as golden and crisp as deep-fried ones. The wings are marinated in a Vietnamese lemongrass and garlic sauce, then tossed in a coating of cornflour, baking powder, sugar and salt before air frying. After cooking, they are tossed through more of the lemongrass sauce in a hot wok and finished with fresh coriander and chilli. The baking powder is the key ingredient, encouraging faster, more even browning.

Ingredients

Wings
  • 1 kgchicken wings, drums and flats
Marinade
  • Vietnamese lemongrass and garlic marinade
Coating
  • cornflour
  • baking powder
  • caster sugar
  • fine salt
Cooking
  • oil spray
To finish
  • Vietnamese lemongrass and garlic sauce (add late)
  • fresh coriander, leaves picked (add late)
  • fresh red chilli, sliced (add late)

Method

  1. Put the chicken wings into a large bowl, drizzle over the Vietnamese lemongrass and garlic marinade and mix to coat.

    ~2 min

  2. Cover and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to let the wings soak up the flavour.

    ~15 min

  3. In a separate bowl, combine the cornflour, baking powder, a dash of sugar and salt to make the coating mix.

    ~2 min

  4. Spray the air fryer basket with oil.

    ~1 min

  5. Toss each wing in the coating mix, pat off the excess, then arrange in the basket in a single layer. Do not overcrowd or the wings will steam.

    ~5 min

  6. Spray the tops of the wings lightly with oil.

    ~1 min

  7. Air fry at around 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes total, flipping the wings at the 10 minute mark, until deep golden and crisp.

    ~18 min

  8. Tip the hot wings into a wok over a medium heat, add more lemongrass and garlic sauce and toss until coated.

    ~2 min

  9. Scatter over fresh coriander and sliced chilli, then serve straight away.

    ~1 min

Frequently asked

Why add baking powder to the coating?
Baking powder raises the surface pH of the chicken skin, which speeds up browning and helps it crisp evenly. It is the trick that gives air fryer wings that deep golden colour you would normally only get from deep frying.
Do I need to preheat my air fryer?
Marion does not preheat in this recipe, she goes straight in. If your model has a preheat function and you want the crispiest skin from minute one, 2 to 3 minutes at 180°C is plenty.
Can I use this coating with a different wing marinade?
Yes. Marion says the cornflour, baking powder, sugar and salt coating works with any wing marinade, so use whatever sticky sauce you like at the finishing stage.
Why are my air fryer wings soggy?
Almost always overcrowding. Wings need space around each piece so hot air can circulate. Cook in batches in a single layer, and give them a light spray of oil before they go in.
Can I cook these wings from frozen?
No. The wings need to be marinated and then tossed in the coating mix, both of which require thawed chicken. Defrost fully in the fridge first.
Extraction notes (transparency): Transcript does not specify quantities for wings, marinade, cornflour, baking powder, sugar or salt, nor an exact air fryer temperature. Quantities have been left null or estimated conservatively and flagged. Temperature 180°C is a standard assumption as the video does not state it. Marinade is a branded Marion's Kitchen product; a homemade version is referenced on her website but not detailed in the transcript. | Second-pass critique flagged 10 fabricated and 0 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.