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
I have a convection oven. Can I make these in my oven?
Thanks
Hi Anna, yes these would work to bake in the oven, but will take longer than an air fryer.
Those are yummy wings and thank your for the recipe. I modified it to include filling an empty spice bottle with baking soda, garlic/onion powder and mesquite powder to sprinkle on the chicken.. It makes the process easier. Thanks
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Absolutely the best wings that I have ever tasted, but then I am not surprised. I have tried a lot of your recipes and have yet to be disappointed. Thank You So Much.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, David!
Hi Natasha
We have a new Instant Pot with the air-fryer lid.
Will this recipe work with it? If so can you suggest how?
We have never tried the lid as there are a almost no recipes to use with it…
Hi Stephen, I don’t have that machine so I can’t say for sure.
Yes it will
WOW! easy and great fast.
Thank you, Dave!
I have an air fryer that turns with no basket, just a turner and coated sides. Will this still work
Hi Susie, that should still work. I hope you love the recipe!
Can you include the Carbs and fiber numbers?
Thank you
Hi Richard, we normally include carbohydrates unless there are none or the calculator calculates none.
Instead of rolling in oil, just spray lightly with Pam Olive Oil.
It’s less messy and coats well.
Thank you for sharing that feedback with us, Marion.
I like your show you have a great personality and you cook really well I enjoyed every day because I watch you every day on my phone
Thank you for watching our recipes! I hope you try them soon!
I’m getting a new set of wall ovens that have an airfry setting, and I’m looking for recipes. Thank you! Love trying your recipes
Do you have other air fryer recipes? I got one, would like to have more. Thank you
Hi Christine, you can find more air fryer recipes HERE.
These turned out delicious. We are making more tomorrow. We may add a little less of the salt next time, but they were still so good!
Hello Sarah, thanks for your good comments and feedback! I’m glad you liked this recipe.
I tried this with the Breville air fryer and I could not get it to crisp. I left in 22 minutes on 400 and then turned up to 425 for an additional 8 and it was cooked but never crisped.
Hi Dana, I haven’t tried this in a Breville to advise. Did you make sure to use the basket and not a pan? Also, I recommend reading through the Breville air fry instructions to make sure adjustments don’t need to be made. I hope this helps.
add a pinch of baking powder
Can you please tell me the model number of your air fryer, when I clink on the link it sends me to multiple items on amazon. Thank you
Hi, we have the TOA 60 model. It looks like it’s not available on Amazon right now – may be sold out during Christmas. Maybe check back Amazon later or see if there is a comparable one.
Costco has the upgraded version of this cuisinart with digital display. Purchased a few months ago and LOVE it! Highly recommend.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Victoria.
I don’t understand how you can double the recipe. You can only cook the same number of them each time, so the cooking time shouldn’t change.
How is that affecting the recipe and taste? You seem like a pick-me person.
Hi. The recipe is for 1 lb of wings. Our Cuisinart unit handles 2. Tried 10 mins each side at 400 last night…Perfect. Crispy. Juicy.
These look great, I am going to give this a go with legs as well, will be a hit with the kids.
I hope they love this recipe!
Great! Simple seasonings make for big flavors. After cooking I tossed the wings in tablespoon of melted butter with 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice.
We agree! Thank you for stopping but with your review!
How do you do it in a ninja?
Hi Pam, I don’t have a Ninja to advise but if it has similar air fry features I would recommend comparing them to your owners manual instructions.
You have to toss them every 5 minutes or so. Also, the cooking time will be a bit longer, well, a lot longer if you are doing a large batch. I just did 36 wings in a dual basket Ninja, and it took 15+10+10+5 to get them to perfection. One thing you can do to crisp is add some baking powder to the mix.
can we have one layer at the position 1 and another layer at position 2? can we have item cook at both positions (using baking pan, and racks) at the same time?
Hi Debby, I haven’t tried, and maybe if you have a larger air fryer, but from what I understand, it isn’t recommended to layer that way in my air fryer and I think my rack levels in my air fryer are too close together for them to fit in 2 layers.
This is a fantastic recipe. Crispy chicken wings in less than 20 mins is a big win! The only thing that didnt work for me was adding both garlic salt and lemon pepper together. Found it a bit on the saltier side. I will try to replace that with garlic powder next time. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful feedback with us Steffi! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Try granulated garlic instead of powder, more garlic flavor.