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
Hi Natasha!
I love your recipes—I’m a huge fan! This one is on my list to try, too. Quick question: what air fryer would you recommend?
Thanks you so much!
Tanya
Hi Tanya! I linked it in the blog (click on the red font words). But if you select “shop” from the menu at the top of the page, you can view my recommendations in the kitchen appliance category in my amazon shop.
I work at a fast food place I have made a lot of fried chicken but this is better taste and it is more heathy:)
Have used so many of your wonderful receipes. So easy to follow, and extremely delicious. I enjoy your receipe book as well.
Way too salty. Will use recipe again but cut the garlic salt in half.
I’m sorry to hear that, Patricia! You can definitely use less but we found that 2tsp was not too much. Did you use any dipping sauce with them that could have been too salty?
Question: The recipe calls for 1 tsp of garlic salt but then instructions say 2 tsps. Which amount should I be using?
Hello! The normal amount is 1tsp but you can add more if you love a salty skin.
Love this recipe. My go to for chicken wings night at home
So happy to hear that you enjoy this, Jessica! Thank you for the feedback.
Mine are anemic. Flavor is wonderful. Added a total of 10 minutes, but they are not golden or crispy.
Hi Irene. Are you using the convection setting on a large oven? If so, they will take longer and won’t crisp up quite as much. I used a small countertop convection oven. Some convection ovens may also need to preheat.
If I were to add cornstarch to this recipe how much should I add??
Hi Karin! I don’t use cornstarch in this recipe so I don’t have those instructions. You could toss the wings in cornstarch until completely coated.
A rub of baking powder produces great results!
Thanks Nat the wings are great as usual. Love your recipes for sure.
Great to hear, Seth!
Hi Natasha, can I use this recipe for a whole chicken?
Hi Lizette, I haven’t tried this specific recipe for a whole chicken to advise, but I do have a few recipes for whole chickens that you can either bake – Whole Roasted Chicken or cook in your instant pot – Instant Pot Whole Chicken.
Love this air fry recipe…added a few spices and even made a sweet and spicy sauce to coat them in
Made such a mess of the whole toaster/air fryer
You can try to apply a sheet of parchment paper on top to help catch splatter.
I put a tray lined with parchment paper under mine, one notch down from the air fryer basket. That does the trick, it also prevents the heating elements form getting spattered with grease.
Any hints on changes to make if you are using an induction oven with a built in air fryer? I have a new oven, and no counter space for an air fryer, but my oven has an air fryer feature. I want to give this a try but just curious if you have any suggested adjustments to make if using an oven vs a countertop air fryer appliance. Thanks
Hi Polly! They won’t get as crisp in an oven with air fryer mode and may need to be baked for longer since the internal area of the oven is a lot larger than a counter top air fryer.
Good recipe and I loved the flavor. Unfortunately mine didn’t not get crispy without overcooks (they were at 180f). Next time I’ll add 2 tsp baking powder to get them crispy as one food scientist says “sodium bicarbonate reacts with moisture on the chicken—tiny carbon dioxide bubbles form, which dries and hardens. The result is crackly chicken skin.”
How do you keep the wings from getting grease all over air fryer when using wire basket?
Hi Pam, you can try to apply a sheet of parchment paper on top to help catch splatter.
Wouldn’t the paper be free to fly all around and catch on the heating element (mine is on top)?
Hi Coni! Yes, it could. If you have ceramic pie weights, these can help hold the edges down.
The best English muffin recipe I’ve tried yet!! So airy and fluffy! Could I use a sourdough leavening instead of the yeast?
Thanks, Ericka! I have not tested that version yet to advise. We’d love to know how it goes if you give that a try!
These are the best chicken wings ever. I followed your recipe exactly and perfect crispy wings.❤️
That’s wonderful to hear!
Can we cook the chicken wings on 2 shelves of the airfryer cooker?
If there is enough room for air to circulate without overcrowding the air fryer, if it’s overcrowded, they will not get as crisp and will need to stay in longer.
Can I use pepper and lemon grated rind. I don’t have lemon pepper.
Hi Mary, technically yes but it does take a little time to re-create that seasoning from scratch. Here’s a recipe for Homemade Lemon Pepper that you can reference to get an idea of how to make it.
My family love it! I don’t have lemon pepper seasoning so I used lemon juice and ground black pepper instead. It turned out delicious! Thanks Natasha for sharing this recipe.
Glad you all enjoyed this!