These Air Fryer Chicken Wings have crisp, salty skin and a tender, juicy center. They’re tossed with a simple savory spice rub and a surprising ingredient that helps create irresistible crispiness. They take less than 20 minutes to cook, and there’s no marinating time required. You can use this recipe with a variety of sauces to coat or dip the wings.
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Air Fryer Chicken Wings Video
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Cooking Chicken wings in the air fryer is brilliant, and you will make wings way more often if you try this air fryer method. Cooking chicken wings in the air fryer is one of the fastest ways to get crisp skin and juicy meat. Baking powder helps dry the skin without adding flavor, while the circulating hot air makes the wings blistered and crisp. Did I mention this method is super FAST?
The air fryer cook time is three times faster than my Baked Chicken Wings, Baked Buffalo Wings, or Lemon Pepper Wings when cooked in a traditional oven. There’s no need to preheat the air fryer, which saves you prep time and makes this the fastest crispy chicken wings recipe. All you need is your favorite wing sauce for dipping (more on that below).
Ingredients for Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Chicken Wings – cut into flats and drummettes. I love the big packs of organic chicken wings from Costco.
- Oil – helps the spices stick to the wings and helps with browning.
- Spice Rub – the best and most versatile chicken seasoning, all you need is salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Baking powder – my secret ingredient to make the wings extra crispy because it dries out the chicken skin.
How to Split Chicken Wings
If your chicken wings are sold whole (and they are less expensive this way), you will need to cut them for even crisping. To cut a chicken wing, locate the joint between the wing tip, the middle section (drumette), and the end section (the flat). Use a sharp knife to cut into the joint between these sections to create three pieces. You’ll only use the drumettes and flats. Wing tips don’t have any meat and tend to burn, so save those for chicken stock or discard them.
How to Air Fry Chicken Wings
- Prep Wings – Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and set into a large bowl. This is the key to extra crispy chicken wings.
- Drizzle with oil and toss to coat.
- Season – In a small bowl, stir together the seasonings and baking powder (if using), then toss the wings to evenly coat.
- Air Fry – Arrange the wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry right away. You can let them marinate if you’re making them ahead, but there’s no need to pre-marinate chicken wings. Air Fry at 400˚F for 8 minutes, then shake the basket to flip and air fry for another 8-12 minutes. They should be crispy and golden brown when ready.
How Long to Cook Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
Air fry chicken wings at 400˚F for 16 to 20 minutes, flipping or shaking the basket halfway through. Smaller wings may be done closer to 16 minutes, while larger wings may need the full 20 minutes. The wings are ready when the skin is crisp and golden, and the thickest part of the chicken reaches at least 165˚F on an instant-read thermometer. If you let them reach 175˚F to 185˚F, they will have even more flavor and texture.
Tips for the Best Air Fryer Wings
- Pat dry to remove excess moisture, so the skins get crisp instead of steaming.
- Let Air Circulate – leave some space between the wings and air fry in a single layer for optimal crispiness on all sides.
- Use a little baking powder – for extra crispy wings, about 1 tsp per pound of wings helps dry out and blister the skin for an extra golden and crispy skin. I also did this with my crispy Baked Chicken Wings.
- Sauce after cooking: wait until the wings are cooked to add any sauce. If you add sauce too early, the wings lose crispiness.
What to Serve with Air-Fried Chicken Wings
I love serving this restaurant style. My husband used to work at a Chilis restaurant, and they served their wings tossed in Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce paired with fresh celery and blue cheese dressing – classic! They also pair really well with these dips and sides:
- Ranch Dressing or Avocado Ranch
- Veggie Dip
- Potato Wedges
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Coleslaw or Caesar Salad
- Corn on the Cob
- Baked Potatoes
We love crispy chicken like my Chicken Schnitzel, Popcorn Chicken or General Tso’s Chicken, but the air fryer is our new best friend for chicken wings because it’s so much faster, requires less oil, and is memorably crispy!
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken wings, split into flats and drummettes*
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, or add to taste*
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp baking powder, optional (do not use baking soda)
Instructions
- Thoroughly pat dry chicken wings with paper towels and place in a mixing bowl.
- Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
- Season – In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and onion powder, and baking powder (if using), then sprinkle over the chicken and toss to evenly coat wings with seasoning.
- Air Fry – Place in air frying basket, spacing evenly, and air fry at 400˚F for 16-20 minutes, flipping halfway. Air-fry until chicken wings are crisp and golden brown on the outside. They should reach 165˚F on an instant-read thermometer, and they will taste even better if you let them reach 175˚F to 185˚F.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
If you’re looking for quick and simple meal ideas, you’ll love these air fryer recipes:
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Crispy Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Easy Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Air Fried Pork Chops
- Crispy Air Fryer Bacon (my fave method!)
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
So mine came out ok, but they weren’t crispy at all. They were cooked but soft. Basically as if I had baked them. I even added time to see if it would help. What would cause this?
Hi Luke. Did you skip any steps or make any substitutions? It is important to thoroughly pat dry chicken wings with paper towels. Also, be sure to use the basket in the air fryer so that the air circulates well. I hope that helps.
You so awesome-
one add-on to your airfryer recipes is to marinade the chicken for about an hour w/ your choice of buffalo wing sauce.
Here in NZ, we have frozen Tegel chicken in two flavors: Nashville & Louisiana- both excellent!!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Rocky. We’ll give that a try next time!
What was the brand of your frying pan when you made breakfast quesadillas?
Hi Joyce, I used this non-stick pan HERE. You can also find our favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.
All I can say is Yummy! Made these in the air fryer. And they were delicious. Iafe a Buffalo sauce to dip in. I couldn’t take a picture, because as use we dug in right away. I will make many more times.
No worries, this feedback review is already more than enough but feel free to share some pics of your creations on our Facebook page or group next time.
Thank you for this recipe! I followed it today, and it turned out delicious!!
Wonderful to hear, Angelina!
These were delicious! I will never have to eat fried wings again!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Gabrielle!
I’m a newly married lady and trying to eat healthy. I have a air fryer and look forward to looking up ideas and recipes to use per your blog.
Sounds great, I hope you’ll love the air fryer recipes that you will try!
what do you consider a serving size for the sir fried wings? 269 calories for how many
Hi Molly, I do not have this measured out per wing and it depends on the size of the wing. The recipe is for one pound and it serves 4 so one serving would be 4 ounces.
I will try this recipe soon!
Please note that our Cuisinart Air Fryer’s knobs has major issues after a year, I’m sad to say.
I’m hoping to get another that cooks as well as it did.
Please do, we’d love to know how you liked the recipe! Sorry to hear that about your air fryer, I hope your next one will be better.
This happened to my mine, too. Knob issue. I contacted Cuisinart customer service and they sent me a new one. No problems with this one!
I recently made your corn dogs and they are absolutely fantastic
I even made them with venison and they were delicious
I also made your egg rolls and they were fantastic
Thank you for the wonderful recipes
Hello Lois, that’s perfect! I’m happy to know that the recipes that you tried are all successful. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Natasha, my gas oven has and air-fryer option, will the crispy wing recipe work in there as well? Sounds delicious.
Hi Hilary, I don’t have experience with a gas air-fryer, but if it is the same as a standard air-fryer, I imagine that should work? I’d love to know how you like that if you try it out!
Yes. It will work the same. What you have is called a convection oven. An air fryer is a mini electric convection oven. Be glad you have it – usually only caterers and chefs will have these in their homes. However, it will consume much more BTUs, so I would only use it for larger servings, personally. I’m surprised the blog owner did not know this, but it is on the more technical side. Doesn’t mean she can’t cook. Air fryer is just a gimmicky word, it doesn’t actually fry. It tastes great, though. It circulates hot air for more even-cooking. Your oven has a fan in it, yes?
You’re my go-to gal for so many things! Love your videos and your recipes. Prayers for you family and Ukraine!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my blog, Mary! THank you for your prayers!
First time using my airfryer for wings. If making a Buffalo sauce, do I add the sauce before or after cooking?
Hi, I add the buffalo sauce afterwards. See the instructions for our Buffalo Chicken here
question air fryer chicken wings – we like breaded chicken wings how would I make this recipe with breaded?
Hi Terry, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha,
These wings were perfect. They were nice and crispy on the outside and tender and moist as well. Thanks for another great recipe. Merle
You’re so welcome! So happy to know that you love this recipe.
Easy recipe, tasty results but way too salty!! Maybe reduce to 1 tsp garlic salt and 1 tsp garlic powder? Will try again.
Hi Lucy, thank you for the feedback. Feel free to adjust the salt level next time according to your preference.
So salty!!! Next time I’ll just sprinkle some on instead of pouring out this much.
Delicious! We loved these and will definitely make them again. Our little air fryer required extra time and additional turning for the big wings we had ended up with from the grocery store, but the wings still came out beautifully browned and crispy! We also added a sweet ginger chili dipping sauce to some of the wings that was a nice complement to the original flavorings.
I’m so glad it all worked out, EJ! That’s so great!
Simple ingredients for quick, delicious chicken wings. This one definitely goes on my favorite listm
That is awesome! Great to hear that you found your new favorite recipe.
Natasha… you’re my “ go to gal” these days when I’m trying to figure out what I want to make for dinner. I so appreciate the simplicity of your dishes but they taste like you’ve spent the whole day making them!
Love that, Nancy. Thank you for the trust and I hope you’ll enjoy all the recipes that you will try!
Toss 1 tablespoon of baking powder per 1 poundof wings and spread out on a sheet in fridge. draws out the moisture
Dro Oz method works every time… just like deep fried