Air Fryer Glazed Korean Barbecue Chicken Drumettes, Made Healthy

One of the first recipes I ever tried in my new air fryer was chicken wings. It was a game changer! For one, eating chicken wings never appealed to me because I had it in my mind that they were rubbery– and so little meat didn’t seem worth the trouble. I was so wrong! With this recipe, chicken “drumettes” are marinated in a healthy homemade sauce that has Korean Gochujang. This fermented Korean chili paste is quite easily found in most grocery story chains. The “wings” turn a beautiful “char” in the air fryer, and is then glazed with an Asian honey glaze. They are truly finger lickin’ good! Don’t have an air fryer? Make it in your oven, too!

I’m baaaack! I’m excited to share this delicious recipe with you, a little about air fryers, and a brief explanation about my absence. You can “jump” to the recipe, or scroll through for the rest of the story…

I admit that I resisted buying an air fryer for a very long time. I’m embarrassed to admit that I thought that air frying = boring, bland and tasteless. I was so wrong! I’ve come to really appreciate my new air fryer more than I imagined I would. I will share more information at the end of this post. On to the recipe!

I’m always game to make recipes with an Asian flair. Hence, I always keep rice vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, ginger and garlic on hand. I found Gochujang paste at my local grocery store, and I store it in my refrigerator. What is it? It’s a Korean Chili paste. It packs a bit of punch, but adds a lot of “umami” flavor. A little goes a long way!

In my blender, I made a quick marinade of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, gochujang, rice vinegar and honey. Many Asian themed sauces have sugar. This time, I’m using unsweetened apple sauce, so lighten up the calories and sugar intake. Since I was cooking for two, I only used one pound of chicken drumettes. SPOILER ALERT: I’m making these, again, for Super Bowl 2022, since we have guests, so I’m doubling the amount of chicken.

Instead of using a zip-loc plastic bag, I use my food saver containers to marinate meats. It takes one hour to marinate the chicken (I left the skin on)– or up to overnight. Total prep time was less than 15 minutes. Done!

Let me introduce you to my Ninja Dual Air Fryer. She’s a beauty! I chose this particular model because I have TWO baskets! TWO! I’m so happy I made this choice, so I can cook more food at once– or I can make two different things. There are more attributes– but I’m going to share those at the end of the post, in case you are interested.

I’m preheating the air fryer to 400F. I bought a mister bottle that I can fill with olive or canola oil. My air fryer baskets are non-stick– and boy, are they ever! Love it.

I use the “crisper” plates that came with my air fryer (not sure if they are included, now, as I bought mine on a promotion). You don’t want to crowd the marinated chicken, so cook in batches if you don’t have two baskets.

The beauty of air frying, is that you can easily pull out the basket and check on your food. It takes 16-18 minutes for the chicken to be at 165F. I “shook” the baskets halfway through. Looking good!

I brushed on the sesame oil/honey glaze and air fried for another couple of minutes. Keep a close eye, so that the chicken doesn’t burn!

Garnish the chicken with sesame seeds and sliced green onion. Yum!

TASTING NOTES: I have forever changed my mind about chicken wings/drumettes. I like them! These were really moist (and hot in temperature). The sauce had a bit of heat, but I toned it down, using half the amount of Gochujang (my palate is sensitive to spicy food). I didn’t add the Gochujang to the glaze– sticking more with sesame oil, soy and honey. It was delicious!

Where have I been?! Why haven’t I been posting recipes? Sigh. That’s a long story. The condensed version is, that I retired in June 2020. I was convinced that I’d have lots of time to devote to my food blog. Wrong! I turns out, I’m busier than ever with water aerobics classes, traveling and spending time with my husband (who also retired) and walking our dog. I got a pacemaker/defibrillator last March 2021. I was shocked to find out that I have congestive heart failure! Wake up call! I lost forty pounds since I retired! How? I’d say a lot of stress-eating got eliminated. I wanted to become more heart healthy. My appetite began to wane and that helped my portion control. I began to use our air fryer to find healthier ways to cook. I wasn’t sure if my readers would be interested in healthy recipes, so I took a blogging break. Honestly, I used to ignore a lot of “healthy” cookbooks because I liked the freedom of cooking and baking whatever I wanted. I’m a changed woman! Sure, I’ll resume baking and making desserts (I still love my sweets). But, that won’t happen as often as it used to. I feel great and my cardiologist is happy to see me at a much healthier weight.

Why do I want an air fryer? Oh, that’s a tough answer, in just a few sentences. An Air Fryer, in essence, is just like a convection oven. Yes, it can take up counter space– and mine certainly does. I’m okay with that, now. I’ve found that I don’t use my gas oven as often as I used to. My air fryer heats up in a fraction of time, compared to my oven. In hot summer months, that’s a big plus. I’m still learning the many ways my air fryer is so helpful. I can toast large slices of sour dough bread that doesn’t fit in my toaster. I’ve air fried steaks, pork chops, fish, roasted veggies, made crispy sweet potato fries, baked potatoes, grilled cheese. I haven’t baked with it much– with the exception of apple crisps (super easy). Best of all, cleaning my air fryer is so easy! A little Dawn detergent, a nylon brush and voila! The baskets are spotless and ready for the next task.

What kind of air fryer should I buy? I’ve read so many articles from folks who swear by this brand and that brand. I don’t think one is better than the other, necessarily. I chose my Ninja Air Fryer solely because I wanted two baskets I could use at the same time. Period. I like being able to air fry two salmon fillets on one side, and roasting veggies in the other. Of course, you have to think about how many people you plan to cook for, at one time! It’s just the two of us, now. Ninja now makes a larger air fryer for larger families. I’m 100% happy with my air fryer, and it’s an appliance that I use almost as often as my Instant Pot.

Can I convert air fryer recipes to an oven? Absolutely! You can also convert recipes from oven to air fryer! For more info, read here.

I truly hope to carve out more time to edit, write and post more recipes. I’ve been blogging since 2008 and I’ve seen so many changes with food blogs. They’ve become a lot more professional with zillions of followers and videos. Alas, I haven’t learned how to make my own food videos. Someday, maybe I will! I want to maintain my weight loss, so please expect more “healthy” recipe with a sprinkling of decadent desserts and occasional comfort foods– in moderation.

I’m a bit late– but Happy New Year!