Masterchef Matt Preston’s secret chicken wing recipe revealed

Become the wing wizard with these simple tips from Masterchef Matt Preston.

Georgia Mahood

2 min read

November 6, 2023 - 4:14PM

With the entertaining season upon us, working out what to feed a crowd is at the top of our list.

From crazy cob loaves to marvellous meatballs (and anything else in between), there are thousands of ways to keep your guests happy and full.

But in our opinion, the one party food that is always a must is… chicken wings!

Chicken wings are fantastic vessels for sweet, sticky and salty flavours. And even better, they’re relatively cheap to buy, so they’re one of the more affordable party foods for feeding all your friends.

So, in order to make the most out of your wings, we’re going to share with you Matt Preston’s tips and tricks to perfecting the CRISPY chook wing – because there’s nothing worse than when you’ve ventured on a crispy wing quest but you’re left with a plate of sogginess.

Air fryer buffalo wings.

How to make crispy chicken wings (according to Matt Preston)

Matt has detailed three simple steps that guarantee the crispiest and juiciest wings on the planet.

1. Make a special salt mixture

The quest for crispiness starts with a special mixture that comprises three parts salt and one part baking powder which you then use to coat the chicken wings. Matt says: “It activates the amino acids in the skin and it makes the skin more crispy.”

Honey and ginger chicken wings.

2. Refrigerate overnight

The next step in making these wings as crispy as possible is the overnight refrigeration stage (I’m sorry, you won’t get to eat your wings straight away but they’re worth the wait). After you’ve coated the wings in the salt-baking powder mixture you have to lay them out on a tray and place them in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. This will ensure the wings dry out even more (dry = crispy) and “it’ll let the baking powder do its magic”, says Matt.

3. Cook them in the air fryer

All hail the air fryer, queen of making everything better – even chicken wings! These wings get cooked at a high heat (200C) for 25 minutes, which Matt and our food director Michelle Southan found to be the perfect temperature and time to ensure the crispiest-yet-juiciest wings.

Sticky miso ginger chicken wings.

The best sauce for chicken wings

Every crispy wing needs its spicy sauce. Matt has given us his recipe for a cheat’s buffalo wing sauce to take these wings from great to GREATER. It’s a simple mixture of butter, hot sauce and rice wine vinegar – pour it over the wings and be transported to wing heaven.

In Michelle’s words: “Oh wow, oh wow, OH WOW.”

You can find the recipe for Matt and Michelle’s air fryer chicken wings HERE.