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Air Fryer Chicken Wings are so crispy without any added oil! Cooked to perfection in less than 30 minutes and tossed in your favorite sauce.
Our Air Fryer Wings are perfectly cooked without any added oil, cooking spray, baking powder, or potato starch! These wings are a reader favorite and always get rave reviews because they are exactly what they claim to be: Extra crispy without being deep-fried! We originally posted this recipe back in January 2018. The method stays the same, but we’ve added some updated instructions, a video, and some new photos!
Air-fried chicken wings are so crispy on the outside but juicy and tender on the inside. You’ll never believe these weren’t cooked in a deep fryer! Cooking wings in an Air Fryer is a great way to save some calories because you don’t need to add any extra oil, and all the excess fat from the wings drips off into the pan, but the wings taste as delicious as deep-fried.
Looking for more Air Fryer recipes? Check out our Air Fryer Potato Wedges or our reader favorite, Air Fryer Donuts.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Perfectly cooked, crispy chicken wings! Cooking them at a lower temperature first allows the fat under the skin to slowly break apart and the last 6 minutes at a higher temperature crisp up the skin.
- Only TWO ingredients! This recipe is as easy as it can be! You only need fresh (or frozen) chicken wings and your favorite sauce.
- Toss the wings in your favorite sauce! Because you add the sauce after the wings are cooked, you can add different sauces like Buffalo Sauce, BBQ sauce, or Garlic Parmesan Wing sauce!
How to make this recipe
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found at the bottom of the page on the printable recipe card.
This EASY recipe makes crispy wings without all the extra oil and hassle of deep-frying them!
Start by prepping the wings. If you have full wings use your fingers to locate where the two joints connect. Then cut through the center of both joints with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to separate the wings into drumette, flat, and tip. Discard the wing tips. Pat the wings dry if they are very wet.
Preheat your Air Fryer if the manual calls for it. Place the chicken wings in the Air Fryer basket and insert it into the air fryer. They can touch but they should be in a single layer and the air needs to be able to circulate. Check out my tips below for making a bigger batch!
Cook the wings for 24 minutes at 380 degrees F, shaking the basket every 10 minutes to flip the wings. Then increase the temperature and air fry them for 6 more minutes to crisp up the skin. Keep an eye on them and take them out when your desired crispiness is reached. Transfer the wings to a large bowl and toss them with your favorite sauce!
Expert tips for success
- Dry Rub: You can season the wings with your favorite dry rub before air frying them. We also sometimes season the wings with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper before air frying them.
- Prep: In my experience, it is not necessary to pat the wings dry before cooking. If the wings are especially wet, then I pat them dry with paper towels but not thoroughly.
- Bigger Batch: Frying the Wings in a single layer or separated by a double-layer rack works best but you can make a bigger batch by taking some of the wings out before increasing the temperature and crisping them up in smaller batches. Just make sure not to overcrowd the basket so the air can still circulate.
- Making them in the oven: You can make this recipe in the oven but it will take a lot longer to get the wings as crispy as in the air fryer. To make them in the oven, bake them in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 45-55 min, flipping them once after 25 minutes.
- Air Fryers with different Temperature Scales: If your Air Fryer doesn’t go up to 400 degrees F, keep cooking them at the highest temperature for the last 6 minutes to crisp up; according to readers, this method works well. If your Air Fryer doesn’t have the exact temperature available that the recipe calls for, use the setting that’s closest to it.
- Frozen Wings: You can cook frozen wings in an Air Fryer! If you are using frozen wings, air fry them 5 minutes longer at 380°F (29 minutes total), before increasing the temperature for the last 6 minutes to crisp them up. No need to thaw them before cooking!
Recipe FAQs
Chicken Wings take about 30 minutes in the Air Fryer, shaking the basket every 10 minutes, so the wings crisp up evenly. Cooking the wings at a lower temperature first and then increasing the heat for the last few minutes ensures juicy wings with crispy skin because this allows the fat to render out, so the skin gets extra crispy. This method results in the BEST Chicken Wings!
Yes, you can cook frozen wings in an Air Fryer! If you are using frozen wings, air fry them 5 minutes longer at 380°F (29 minutes total), before increasing the temperature for the last 6 minutes to crisp them up. Don’t worry if the frozen wings stick together at the beginning; just make sure to shake the basket after a few minutes, so they get separated.
Sauces, Spices, and Seasonings
After air frying the wings, they get tossed with your favorite dipping sauce or seasoning. That way, everyone can customize their serving of wings. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Buffalo Sauce: You can buy it or make your own with just two ingredients (recipe in the recipe card). We always have Frank’s hot sauce at home so this is our go-to!
- Garlic Parmesan Wing Sauce
- Honey Garlic Sauce
- Homemade BBQ seasoning: I use this easy spice mix for my Air Fryer Ribs but it also tastes great on wings.
- Lemon Pepper seasoning to make Lemon pepper wings
- Teriyaki Sauce: Salty and Sweet!
- Cajun Seasoning
- BBQ Sauce: Add as much sauce as you like and toss the wings! I love this Keto-friendly BBQ sauce (affiliate link).
- Old Bay Sauce: Melt 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, add 2 tsp old bay seasoning, and 2 tsp lemon juice. Toss wings in sauce and dust with more old bay seasoning.
Leftovers and reheating
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat fried chicken wings at 350°F for 5 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400°F and cook for 3-5 more minutes until reheated and crispy.
Serve it with
Serve chicken wings (especially those tossed in Buffalo Sauce like in the picture below) with Blue Cheese dressing or Ranch dressing and fresh celery sticks and baby carrots on the side.
Chicken wings are a classic appetizer that also goes well with coleslaw, Air Fryer french fries, onion rings, chips, and fried mozzarella sticks. Perfect for a game-day party! Here are a few more ideas:
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Homemade Aioli sauce
- Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings
- Hot Corn Dip
- Air Fryer Pickles
What is the BEST Air Fryer?
For this recipe, the bigger the basket, the better because it gives you more cooking surface so you can make more wings. My favorite Air Fryer is the COSORI Pro II Air Fryer (affiliate link)!
I prefer Basket-Style Air Fryers over Toaster-Oven-Style Air Fryers because I found that the toaster-oven-style ones didn’t air fry as well, food was less crispy, and it was not much different from using a convection oven.
More Air Fryer Recipes
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Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
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Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
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Air Fryer Frozen Egg Rolls
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Air Fryer Meatballs
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Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings, cut into drumettes and flats
- ½ cup BBQ sauce, or your favorite wing sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your Air Fryer if recommended in the manual. Place the chicken wings in the basket and insert it into the air fryer.
- Cook the wings for 24 minutes at 380°F (190°C). Shake the basket every 10 minutes, so they cook evenly.
- When the time is up, shake the basket, increase the temperature to 400°F (200°C), and cook for 5 more minutes or until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Depending on the size of your Air Fryer crisp the wings up in batches.
- Transfer wings to a bowl and toss with your favorite BBQ or our easy buffalo wing sauce.
To make Buffalo Sauce (optional)
- Whisk melted butter and hot sauce together in a bowl.
Video
Notes
- In my experience, it is not necessary to pat dry the wings before cooking. If the wings are especially wet, then I pat them dry but not thoroughly.
- Air Fryers with different Temperature Scales: If your Air Fryer doesn’t go up to 400 degrees F, keep cooking them at the highest temperature for the last 6 minutes to crisp up; according to readers, this method works well. If your Air Fryer doesn’t have the exact temperature available that the recipe calls for, use the setting that’s closest to it.
- Dry Rub: You can use a dry rub if you like.
- Oven: You can make this recipe in the oven but it will take a lot longer to get the wings as crispy as in the air fryer. To make them in the oven, bake them in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 45-55 min, flipping them once after 25 minutes.
- Leftovers: You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Reheat fried chicken wings at 350°F for 5 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400°F and cook for 3-5 more minutes until reheated and crispy.
- Big batch: Frying the Wings in a single layer or separated by a double-layer rack works best but you can make a bigger batch by taking some of the wings out before increasing the temperature and crisping them up in smaller batches.
- Frozen Wings: You can cook frozen wings in an Air Fryer! If you are using frozen wings, air fry them 5 minutes longer at 380°F (29 minutes total), before increasing the temperature for the last 6 minutes to crisp them up. No need to thaw them before cooking!
- Buffalo Sauce: Combine ¼ cup melted unsalted butter and ¼ cup Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce. Toss air-fried wings in the sauce.
- Check out our Garlic Parmesan Wing Sauce!
Nutrition
We originally posted this recipe back in January 2018. The method stays the same, but we’ve added some updated instructions, a video, and some new photos!
My favorite recipe of all time me and my wife love this recipe thanks, Julie
I just stumbled upon this recipe and it really did cook my wings to perfection. Thank goodness for air fryers as a healthy alternative to deep frying!
Highly tasty. Adding a little oil (spray oil is fine) to the wings make my spices stick better (Onion, garlic power, salt, and pepper). SO darn tasty.
Really good and crispy. There are a bunch of recipes out there that try to cook/crisp the wings faster by using baking powder and other tricks. Some are OK, but nothing like this recipe. These wings came out just perfect with that fantastic bit of crunch you expect from a good wing. It’s totally worth the extra couple of minutes…
Best wings ever! And with the viral ranch video out there now using Mayonesa (Mexican mayo with lime), it’s like you are eating wings at a restaurant. Going to try making in oven tonight instead of air fryer just to see if it works too. Thanks for the recipe!
Trying these wings tonight. I love my Ninja Foodi Grill!