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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 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!
Quick Question – for frozen wings – can you clarify the instructions? It says “just cook the wings 5 minutes longer at 390°F, before increasing the temperature for the last 6 minutes.” When I looked at the actual recipe (below) I’m not sure in what step I make this modification. Can you please help? Thanks!!
Instructions:
1. Place the chicken wings in the basket and insert into the air fryer.
2. Cook for 24 minutes at 380°F (190°). Turn the wings after 13 minutes with tongs.
3. When the time is up, increase the temperature to 400°F (200°C) and bake for 6 more minutes until the skin is browned and crisp.
4. Transfer to a bowl, add toss with BBQ or wing sauce.
You add 6 minutes in step 2. So you cook them 30 min at 380 degrees then increase to 400 degrees.
OMG thank you so much for your recipe!!! I was making it for myself but my mom saw how crispy and delicious the wings are and now we’re making a second batch hahha
Can you use one of the liners they sell in the basket while cooking these instead of stopping to clean the fryer if it smokes?
I have never seen liners for the Air Fryer, so I’m not sure. My new Philips AirFryer that has the Turbostar technology doesn’t have the smoking problem.
I have a Breville Air. To set on “air fry,” it automatically goes to 400. In the past, I have used the baking powder (1Tab) to 1 Tab of Kosher salt. I would like to try yours as you don’t use either. Do you know how how I would cook them, please, using the Breville Air w/o salt and BP? Thanks.
I make these in my Breville Air. I put the wire rack on position 4, and put the wings in the broiler pan (with the rack inside). I don’t use the air fry basket because the fat will drip and make a mess. You can adjust the temperature of the Air Fry mode by turning the temp knob. You can even press the select button in to turn on the “Rotate Remind” to remind you to flip the wings halfway through that first 24 minute cooking time. Then I turn the temp back up to 400 and air fry the last 6 minutes, according to the recipe. I do use the salt and BP but I’m sure it would also turn out great without!
These are the BEST chicken wings!! We just got an air fryer and have been craving crispy chicken but without breading. I am so happy to have found this recipe! We only wish we had a larger air fryer!
I love hearing that Kristel! Another reader posted this tip a few days ago: You can make a bigger batch (they don’t need to be in a single layer) and just up the time at 380 degrees F for a few more minutes until they are cooked, then do the shorter 400 degrees F crisping on smaller batches. Perfect for people that don’t have a large air fryer!
THANK YOU for posting this technique. I was only considering an air fryer because of seeing comments online about how well they did wings….I used to live next door to the original Zaxby’s and those were the first wings I’d ever had and fell in love. Then I watched some videos of the air fryer I was considering (NuWave Brio 10qt, $99 at Costco) and to me the wings they did came out looking baked which is a sin. The pics from your article convinced me to go ahead and buy it, and my first batch was awesome. One thing I did differently was to spray them with butter flavor Pam before cooking which is a trick I picked up and do with all of my skin-on meats when smoking, and I also sprinkled on a little cayenne and Himalayan pink salt. They were great plain or tossed in sauce, and cost a third of what restaurant wings do now. WATCH OUT CHICKENS!
I am from Buffalo, and like my wings so hot my eyes water and lips go numb ! First recipe sever That can duplicate the taste and crispness of deep fryer. I used to short order cook as a teen and 5hese are awesome. THANKS !
The wings turned out to be great !!! I don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen so I was uncertain about the outcome. Also, it was my first time using an air fryer. This recipe is so simple. I can’t wait to pass it along to my friends and use it when I host my next event.
Thank you!!!
These are DELICIOUS! I love them just plain…no sauce. I like them saucy, too…but plain is my jam!
If you were to do legs like this, how much longer do you think it would take? I don’t want to add breading…just salt and pepper…
I think they would cook for longer than the wings, but no idea how much longer. I want them crispy like the wings, though. Aaaaaaand I’m rambling
So happy you like my recipe, Kelly! You could try my recipe for Chicken Drumsticks and just skip the breading.
Just got our air fryer yesterday. Made these wings for my husband. He LOVED them and he is picky about his wings. Served them with homemade BBQ sauce. Times were perfect. Thank you!