Air Fryer Miso Maple Scotch Bonnet Chicken Wings Recipe

Why You’d Love This Air Fryer Maple Scotch Bonnet Chicken Wings Recipe

Scotch Bonnets may sound like this intimidating & fiery hot chilli pepper that would blow your head off. You’re not entirely wrong, but they also have a sweet undertone that makes them a great ingredient to play around with. When paired with maple syrup, it gives this lusciously addictive sweetness that would make you keep reaching for more of these wings. To give them a little flavour boost, I’ve also added a little scoop of miso to give that extra umami. It’s like a tantalisingly sweet & spicy chilli glaze over the chicken wings but with more flavour depth and simply better. Safe to say that these wings went down an absolute treat at home!

How to Handle Scotch Bonnet Peppers

Scotch Bonnet, often known as one of the hottest chillies in the world, is a type of chilli pepper ubiquitous in West Africa and the Caribbean. It is closely related to Habanero and has a heat rating of 100,000–350,000, which is on the upper end of the Scoville Scale (the official measurement of how hot a chilli is).

This means we are prone to chilli burn if we are not careful when handling raw scotch bonnets. Kitchen gloves are, therefore, highly recommended when chopping the chillies. Remember not to rub your eyes after touching the chillies as that could get rather painful! It is also recommended to thoroughly wash any surfaces or utensils that come in contact with the peppers.

How to make Miso Maple Scotch Bonnet Chicken Wings with an Air Fryer

To break down the recipe into three simple parts, you first marinate the chicken wings to ensure the meat comes out juicy & flavoursome. Then you pop them into the air fryer to cook. While the wings are cooking, make the Miso Maple Scotch Bonnet glaze and toss them all over the chicken when ready.

Ingredients You Need

• Chicken Wings
• Salt
• Chilli Powder
• Lemon Juice
• Oil – vegetable/sunflower oil
• Scotch Bonnet Chilli Peppers*
• Butter
• Miso Paste – I use red miso for a deeper flavour*
• Maple Syrup
• Chives – for garnish

*See recipe notes below

Recipe Notes

• Marinating is key to making the most delicious chicken wings. I always marinate them with salt, chilli powder, lemon juice, and oil to make the meat more succulent and flavoursome. If time allows, marinate them overnight. But if not, at least an hour of marination would make a difference.
• As mentioned above, it is highly recommended to wear kitchen gloves to avoid chilli burn when you are handling Scotch Bonnet peppers due to how intensely hot they are.
• If you don’t want it to get too spicy, simply remove the seeds as that is the hottest part of the chilli pepper. This will significantly mellow down the heat level and won’t scare away anyone who can’t take spice.
• Miso pastes mainly come in white/yellow, red, and brown. The darker the colour, the deeper & stronger flavour you get. I find Red Miso compliments this recipe best as it adds a distinct oomph & umami without being too overwhelming. If you can’t specifically get your hands on red miso, any other miso would work. Though perhaps you’d like to slightly increase the amount if using a lighter white/yellow miso, or decrease the amount if using dark brown miso.
• When cooking the chicken wings, it is important to pre-heat your air fryer beforehand. This is to ensure that the chicken gets cooked straightaway and yields a lovely golden brown finish. It also helps to ensure your food gets cooked evenly in the air fryer as well.
• Do not overcrowd your air fryer and cook in batches if needed. This is to ensure your chicken gets cooked evenly – you don’t want to end up having some parts of your chicken still raw and some parts overcooked!