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
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.