Sous Vide v. Air Fried Chicken Wings

We are stoked that football season is back! And what better way to kick things off than with a chicken wing showdown?

For this challenge we are using a grand total of 4lbs of chicken wings. Half of the wings will be cooked sous vide, and the other half will be air fried to see which cooking method will be the bigger crowd pleaser, and yield the tastiest chicken wings.

We’ll also be seasoning both batches of chicken wings with Guga’s Rub, which is a nice bbq rub that pairs well with chicken, pork or fish. We also tossed both batches in (kind of sauce) and backlink sauce once they were done cooking. At the end of the challenge we’ll taste both batches and let you know which we preferred.

Watch the Challenge:

Products Used:

• Avid Armor Vacuum Sealer - We used the USV20 Chamber Vacuum Sealer
• Avid Armor Vacuum Bags - We used a 10x13 chamber pouch
• Air Fryer
• Sous Vide Circulator

Guga’s Rub Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup Salt
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Smoked Paprika
• 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp Onion Powder
• 1 tbsp Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Cinnamon

Recipe Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients together in one container and mix thoroughly.
2. To enjoy, rub the seasoning mix onto your choice of meat.

Sous Vide Chicken Wing Recipe

We’ll also be seasoning both batches of chicken wings.

Ingredients:

• 2lbs Chicken Wings
• Guga’s Rub

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 Jar of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Honey
• ½ stick of Melted Butter

Recipe Steps:

1. Preheat your circulator to 165 degrees fahrenheit
2. Begin by seasoning the chicken wings with the guga rub.
3. Once the wings are seasoned, place them in a vacuum bag. We are using a 10x13 chamber pouch, which is the perfect size to fit 2lbs of chicken wings. 
4. Make sure the top of your bag is clean and dry to ensure the best seal possible.
5. Vacuum seal the bag shut with the chicken wings inside. We are using our Avid Armor USV20 chamber vacuum sealer.
6. Once your wings are securely vacuum sealed, drop them into your sous vide bath and let them cook at 165 degrees for an hour and a half.
7. After an hour and a half has passed, remove the vacuum bag from the sous vide bath, and open it up.
8. Preheat a frying pan to a high heat, with some oil.
9. Pat the wings dry, removing as much moisture as possible.
10. Cook the wings in the frying pan, leaving them in for 1-2 minutes on each side, until the skin has become nice and crispy.
11. Prepare your wing sauce by mixing the Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Honey, and melted butter
12. Add the sauce to a large mixing bowl with a lid, then add the wing, secure the lid on top and shake the container until the wings are evenly coated in the sauce.

Air Fried Chicken Wing Recipe

We’ll also be seasoning both batches of chicken wings.

Ingredients:

• 2lbs Chicken Wings
• Guga’s Rub

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 Jar of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Honey
• ½ stick of Melted Butter

Recipe Steps:

1. Begin by seasoning the chicken wings with the guga rub.
2. Once the wings are seasoned, place them in a vacuum bag. We are using a 10x13 chamber pouch, which is the perfect size to fit 2lbs of chicken wings.
3. Run a marinate cycle on your vacuum sealer. We are using our Avid Armor USV20 chamber vacuum sealer. This allows the rub to really sink into the meat.
4. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees
5. Cook the wings in the air fryer for 15 minutes, then flip them and cook them for another 15 minutes.
6. Prepare your wing sauce by mixing the Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Honey, and melted butter
7. Add the sauce to a large mixing bowl with a lid, then add the wing, secure the lid on top and shake the container until the wings are evenly coated in the sauce.

What Cooking Method Was Better? Sous Vide Chicken Wings v. Air Fryer Wings

Okay, okay the results are in and the verdict is here. We loved how the sous vide chicken wings practically fell off the bone, they were tender, moist, and undeniably flavorful. We also loved how crispy the air fryer wings were, they took less time to cook and overall they were our favorite.