These Air Fryer Chicken Wings have crisp, salty skin with plenty of garlic and lemon pepper flavor in every bite. These are seasoned to perfection and cook so fast with no marinating required!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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 Recipe
Cooking Chicken wings in the air fryer is brilliant and you will make chicken way more often if you try them in the air fryer. The forced circulating hot air makes the skin super crisp, which is difficult to achieve in a conventional oven, and the center is perfectly cooked, tender, and juicy.
The cook time for air-fried chicken wings is just 16 minutes. It’s three times faster than our Baked Buffalo Wings or Lemon Pepper Wings when cooked in a traditional oven! P.S. Yes, you can totally make those variations in the air fryer and toss them with lemon pepper sauce or buffalo sauce!
Also, there’s no need to preheat an 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
The rub for these chicken wings is simple with our go-to spices for baked, sautéed or air-fried chicken. All you need is 3 ingredients: oil, garlic salt and lemon pepper.
How to Cut 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. Trim off any excess skin.
You’ll use the drumettes and flats. You can save the wing tips for stock or discard them.
How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Wings
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and set into a large bowl.
- Drizzle with oil, sprinkle on the seasonings, and then toss to combine.
- Air Fry – Arrange the wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer, and you can bake right away – you can let them marinate if you prefer, 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 minutes. They should be crispy and golden brown when ready.
Can I Double the Recipe?
For all-around crispy chicken wings, it’s best to keep the wings in a single layer, so if you are using a smaller basket-style air fryer, you may need to air fry in 2 batches.
If you have a larger air toaster oven-style air fryer, you can double everything. When doubling, air fry for 18-22 minutes or until the skin is crisp, flipping the wings halfway. Bake time will vary based on the surface area of your air fryer basket.
Can I Bake These in a Traditional Oven?
It takes significantly longer to achieve crispy chicken wings in the oven. To bake these chicken wings in a conventional oven, preheat oven to 400˚F and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until crispy, flipping the wings after 30 minutes.
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 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
- Corn on the Cob
These Air Fryer Chicken Wings have a crisp, salty skin with a tender, flavorful center. Let the snacking begin!
Storing and Reheating Chicken Wings
Once the chicken wings are cooled to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. You can re-crisp them in the air fryer at 400˚F for 4 to 5 minutes.
More 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 Wings
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken wings, split into flats and drummettes
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic salt, or add to taste*
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
Instructions
- Thoroughly pat dry chicken wings with paper towels and place in a mixing bowl.
- Coat in 1 Tbsp oil then sprinkle on 2 tsp garlic salt and 1 tsp lemon pepper. Toss to evenly coat with seasoning.
- Place on air frying basket, spacing evenly and air fry at 400˚F for 8 minutes, then flip and air fry another 8 minutes for a total of 16 minutes, or until chicken wings are crisp and golden brown on the outside.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Thought I’d give your recipe a try since I often see you on SM. I’ll stick with how I usually do them because these wings never crisped – even after adding extra time to the cooking.
I’m sorry you’re having difficulty with the recipe. Are you using a smaller-sized counter-top air fryer or the air fryer setting in your oven? If you are using the oven setting, they will not reach the same level of crispness and will need to be cooked longer still. It does help to also pat your wings dry with a paper towel.
This is a tried and true recipe. However one (1) pound of chicken wings will not feed 4 people…two pounds at least.
I hope you all loved it, Bruce!
I never review, but here you go…
First time using my new air fryer – these wings were lit! So good and crispy. Will be making these often!
Hi Brian! That’s wonderful to hear. Thank you for trying my recipe. Be sure to check out many more air-fryer recipes HERE.
These were absolutely crispy and delicious! So few ingredients and yet it was bursting with flavor – I’ll definitely be making these again!
So glad you loved them!
First time ever attempted wings. They were perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
Great job, Jean! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
I have a Chefman Air Fryer Oven with 2 racks. Can I fry using both racks at the same time and apart?
Hi Tammy, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
To make your wings extra crispy can use baking powder as Gigi suggested (make sure it’s aluminum-free otherwise you might get a slight metallic taste) OR what I do is add a little corn starch. I blend it with garlic powder and whatever other seasonings I’m using.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Lisa!
I found that to get the wings crispy, sprinkling them with Baking powder will do the trick.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Gigi!
Excellent flavor but very salty. I tried reducing the garlic salt but it was still too salty for our taste. I found that lemon pepper seasoning already has salt and just used garlic powder instead. It was salty enough for us. We love air fryer wings ! Thanks!
Hi Jean, feel free to adjust the seasoning on your next try. Thank you for the review!
Really very good. I found them to be just a hair to salty and found myself wanting more lemon flavor so next time I’ll probably do 1tsp of each instead of 2-1. In any case, we’ll be making these again and soon.
Sounds good, feel free to add more to it next time.
It’s my first time making chicken wings in air fryer. They came out great, but I have a question…..how do you keep the smoke alarm from going off when cooking them in a countertop air fryer?
That’s wonderful! So glad you loved them. I do not have an issue with smoke but you could try putting it near the oven fan hood.
I use my air fryer outside or in the garage. Anywhere near an open window works too.
I have the same issue, I recommend placing it as far away from the smoke alarm as possible and making sure the exhaust is pointed in the opposite direction of the alarm!
I always put the air fryer on stove top and turn on range hood fan. No issues
use a high smoke point oil like advocado oil avoid aerosol oils use pump manually sprayer
Hi Natasha! I love your recipes!
We’re from Buffalo, so we like our wings on the crispy side. We also have an air fryer in our new oven. I’ve found success increasing the temperature to 425-450. Once I put the last layer of sauce on, I put them under the broiler on high for 1-2 minutes, watching them carefully.
Thanks a lot for the info and for sharing that with us!
Hi Ronald! Yes, a countertop air-fryer works best.
can you make these chicken wings in any airfryer i have one but i do not know if i can make them in it
We purchased an air fryer and one of the first things I made was chicken wings! My husband always liked my wings but they were not crispy! These were crispy and the best wings ever! Thank you so much for the awesome recipe! Followed it as printed!
Hi Theresa! I’m so glad you loved this recipe. Thank you for the review.
what brand of air fryer did you buy? I want to get one but not sure what brand to buy.
Hi Darlene! You can find my preferred air fryers on my amazon shop HERE.
Hi Darlene, I can, hand on heart, guarantee purchasing the Cosori 5.5 Litre family air fryer. Never looked back since having mine 12 months ago and saved so much on electricity cooking on an energy saving kitchen item as this. Told all my friends and they too have ordered one. This day and age we really have to look at cheaper ways to cook and feed our families so please don’t hesitate about getting one. By the way, I’m 76 years old and hubby is 81 and if we can do it so can you.
Love this recipe! We now have an air fryer in our new oven. I’ve found that I need to increase the oven temp to 400 degrees. When the wings read “ready” via a thermometer, I brush the hot sauce I’ve made on them and put them under the broiler for a minute or two. Once they come out, I baste another layer of hot sauce on them.
P.S. We’re from Buffalo, home of the original chicken wing. Believe me, we know a great recipe when we see one!
Thanks, Natasha!😊
Thanks for the awesome feedback, Nancy. That means a lot to us!
These look divine! Do you have a blue cheese dip recipe? Thank you Natasha!
Hi Sandra! No, I do not. I hope you get to try these chicken wings! 🙂
They were delicious. I used garlic power instead of salt due to blood pressure problem. Cooked for 20 minutes in air fryer, then cooked under broil in oven for 5 minutes to turn them golden brown. This will be this first of many times for this delicious recipe. Hubby loved!
Nice to know, Brenda! Thanks for your good comments and feedback.
I made them for dinner last night, they came out crispy and tasty. My husband said this the best recipe, Will definitely make again.
Thank you for the awesome review and feedback!
I followed your recipe to the letter. AMAZING! Husband raved that they were probably the best wings hes ever had. Gone in a flash. Thank you. Will defiantly make again and again!
Aaaw, that makes me smile! Thanks for sharing that with us all, Dee.