When you bite into these chicken wings, you won’t realize they weren’t deep fried! You won’t believe how crispy these air fryer chicken wings are! Thanks to the air fryer, these wings cook in a fraction of the time they take in the oven. Perfect for last-minute cravings!
They’re also unbelievably crispy for wings that weren’t deep fried! The hot air circulating in the air fryer is like magic as it crisps up the wings with only a few sprays of oil. The excess fat from the chicken wings drips off into the air fryer basket, so these wings are an easy way to save some calories.
Need some sides to serve with these chicken wings? Try my air fry potato wedges, guacamole recipe, broccoli tots recipe, and cauliflower tots! You could also serve them up with some carrots and celery sticks with some ranch or blue cheese dip.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Chicken wings — Try to get chicken wings that are all similar in size, so they cook evenly.
- Baking powder — Do not skip the baking powder. It helps give the wings the crispy, crackly texture that you get from deep frying.
- Oil spray — The air fryer allows you to make the chicken wings super crispy while using only a minor amount of oil. The oil spray will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the basket as well.
- Hot sauce — I toss the wings in hot sauce after air frying, but you can use your sauce of choice if you’re not a fan of hot sauce. BBQ sauce is another favorite.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Step 1: Cut the wings into two pieces by splitting them at the joint and dry them well with a paper towel.
Step 2: Season the chicken wings with garlic powder, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
Step 3: Spray the air fryer's basket with an olive oil spray.
Step 4: Place the wings into the air fryer basket and cook at 380 F for 20 minutes.
Step 5: Remove the basket and toss the wings halfway through cooking. Increase the temperature to 400 F and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Step 6: Place the cooked chicken wings in a large bowl and toss the wings with the hot sauce. Serve with a side of ranch dressing.
Tips For This Recipe
- While the chicken wings can touch in the basket, avoid stacking them or overcrowding them too much. The wings will shrink as they cook, so while they’re touching at the beginning, you will still get airflow to all the wings.
- Feel free to use your own favorite seasonings mixture for the chicken wings.
- Always pat dry the chicken before seasoning them. If the wings are wet with moisture, the seasoning won’t stick as well. In addition, the moisture will cause the wings to steam instead of crisp up in the air fryer.
- Make sure to increase the temperature at the end for 2 minutes! This is what helps you achieve maximum crispiness of the wings.
- To save time, you can buy chicken wings already broken down into drumettes and wingettes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can bake the wings if you do not have an air fryer. However, it takes much longer to get them crispy. It can take up to an hour for the wings to bake at the same temperature.
I do not recommend stacking the chicken wings in the air fryer basket. Layering wings prevent the hot air from reaching every part of the chicken wings, leaving some parts less crispy or cooked.
Yes, you can air fryer wings from frozen. Keep in mind that the seasoning may not stick well on frozen chicken. You will have to increase the cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes. I recommend using a cooking thermometer to check that the wings have reached an internal temperature of 165 F.
Leftover chicken wings last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Be sure to use an airtight container to keep the wings fresh.
I recommend reheating the leftovers in the air fryer instead of the microwave. Reheat at 400 F for 5 to 10 minutes to ensure the wings stay crispy.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this recipe, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken wings whole
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup buffalo hot sauce like Frank’s
Optional Garnish
- ranch dressing
Instructions
- Cut the wings into two pieces by splitting them at the joint and dry them really well with a paper towel.
- Spray the basket of the air fryer with a light coat of olive oil, using olive oil spray.
- In a small bowl combine the garlic powder, baking powder, salt and pepper together. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add the wings and toss with olive oil. Then add the seasoning with the baking powder you made earlier, tossing to coat as many pieces of chicken as you can.
- Place the wings into the air fryer basket and cook at 380 F for 20 minutes. Remove the basket and toss the wings halfway through the cooking time. Increase the temperature to 400 F and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer to check that the wings have reached an internal temperature of 165 F and remove. You might need to cook the wings in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Place the cooked chicken wings in a large bowl and toss the wings with the hot sauce. Serve with a side of ranch dressing.
Video
Notes
- While the chicken wings can touch in the basket, avoid stacking them or overcrowding them too much. The wings will shrink as they cook, so while they’re touching at the beginning, you will still get airflow to all the wings.
- Feel free to use your own favorite seasonings mixture for the chicken wings.
- Always pat dry the chicken before seasoning them. If the wings are wet with moisture, the seasoning won’t stick as well. In addition, the moisture will cause the wings to steam instead of crisp up in the air fryer.
- Make sure to increase the temperature at the end for 2 minutes! This is what helps you achieve maximum crispiness of the wings.
- To save time, you can buy chicken wings already broken down into drumettes and wingettes.
Wow! Looking for a wing recipe to make in my air fryer I found this one on YouTube. I've never made wings in any capacity, but these were so good and easy to put together. Half my work was done with the wings I had purchased already being cut, but I had all of the ingredients on hand and in no time had crispy, tasty wings ready for dinner. I used bbq sauce due to preference, but will definitely makes these again!
I'm so happy to hear that your wings came out great! Thanks for letting me know Suzanne!
I only had some drumettes. I can only echo Suzanne's remarks A definite keeper recipe. I have the dual drawer Ninja so made fries in the other basket and set the timers to produce both sides at same time. Just staring with air frying SO MUCH more convenient (and tasty)
Totally agree, thanks George!