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!

Air Fryer Chicken Wings in bowl with celery

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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).

Bitten into Air Fryer chicken wing up close

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.

Ingredients for air fryer chicken with wings, drummettes, 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.
Dry rub for chicken wings
  1. 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.
chicken wings on air fryer basket

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.

Air Fryer chicken wings garnished with parsley in blue bowl

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:

Crispy air fried chicken wings with celery sticks

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 Chicken Wings

4.99 from 1010 votes
Air Fryer chicken wings in bowl with celery
Air Fryer Chicken Wings have crisp salty skin with a hint of garlic and lemon pepper in every bite. These are seasoned to perfection and cook so fast with no marinating required!
Prep Time: 4 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 4 people
  • 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

*Seasoning tip: If you love a salty skin, add 1 1/2 tsp of garlic salt. You can also substitute 1 tsp of garlic salt with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
*If Doubling the recipe: If your air fryer basket is too small to hold the chicken wings in a single layer, cook in batches. For a large air fryer, you can double the recipe and air fry for 18-22 minutes, or until the skin is crisp, flipping the wings halfway. 

Nutrition Per Serving

168kcal Calories0.3g Carbs11g Protein13g Fat3g Saturated Fat2g Polyunsaturated Fat6g Monounsaturated Fat0.1g Trans Fat47mg Cholesterol626mg Sodium102mg Potassium0.1g Fiber0.003g Sugar93IU Vitamin A0.4mg Vitamin C10mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Amount per Serving
Calories
168
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
3
g
19
%
Trans Fat
 
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
6
g
Cholesterol
 
47
mg
16
%
Sodium
 
626
mg
27
%
Potassium
 
102
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
 
0.3
g
0
%
Fiber
 
0.1
g
0
%
Sugar
 
0.003
g
0
%
Protein
 
11
g
22
%
Vitamin A
 
93
IU
2
%
Vitamin C
 
0.4
mg
0
%
Calcium
 
10
mg
1
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer chicken wings
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 168
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook
4.99 from 1010 votes (867 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Rosalie pacheco
    February 4, 2021

    I absolutely adore your recipes. I have saved your videos and printed so many of your recipes . im finding that daily im cooking food or baking something sweet of yours. Im very finicky of the herbs n seasonings used in cooking n i find that your recipes are up to my standards of cooking n baking. Im european n i cant tell you how much i love your cheesecake recipe n your clam seasoning n your salad recipes ! I cant name them all but you are literally a damn good cook natasha ! Thank you. I also share your recipes with my grown up daughters. Love you. stay safe. R. P.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 4, 2021

      I’m so happy you love our recipes! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment

      Reply

  • Lilia
    February 2, 2021

    All recipes are incredibly simple and tasty. This is one of them.
    She is awesome!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 3, 2021

      Hello Lilia, thank you so much!

      Reply

  • Angela
    February 2, 2021

    I usually love Natashas recipes but these were way too salty for me!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      February 2, 2021

      Hi Angela, I’m not sure if this was the case, but using a different seasoning can make all the difference. Some brands can be saltier than others.

      Reply

    • Nilufar
      June 19, 2021

      I found it to be too salty for me, too. I’ll make it again but will cut the salt in half.

      Reply

  • Pina
    February 2, 2021

    Just got an Airfryer and made the wings following your recipe, best wings ever, my family’s favourite. Thank you! Make a lot of your recipes and they all are amazing

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 2, 2021

      You are very welcome! That makes me happy knowing that you’ve been loving my recipes. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

  • Lesley Friedrich
    January 31, 2021

    Going to try this air dryer chicken wings. I can never get them crispy so hopefully this will work. Love all your recipes.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 31, 2021

      I hope this becomes your new favorite, Lesley!

      Reply

  • Tim
    January 28, 2021

    Spot on 🙂

    Reply

  • Mj
    January 27, 2021

    Soooo good!! I never made chicken wings before and this was a hit! So easy too. I have the visionary air fryer and followed someone’s suggestion. Set temp at 400 degrees and set to Air Fry. Did 10 minutes per side as I had 1.5 lbs of chicken. Delish
    Thank you!
    I’m not sure how to post my photo.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 27, 2021

      I’m so happy you enjoeyd that Mj! Thank you for sharing that with us. You are welcome to share your photo on social media and tag #natashaskitchen

      Reply

  • Ray Markham
    January 27, 2021

    Hi Natasha. All of your recipes that I have tried have been spectacular. I just bought a 7 qt. Power XL air fryer and an Instant Pot 8qt. Duo Nova pressure cooker. Both for different recipes, but do you have a recipe for air fried Buffalo chicken wings? Mild please. 🙂 Thanks.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 27, 2021

      I’m glad you’ve been enjoying my recipes, Ray. I don’t have a recipe for that yet but thanks for the idea and suggestion. Hopefully I can try this in the future!

      Reply

  • Tina Clawson
    January 26, 2021

    I made your meatloaf tonight…its in my regular rotation….and tomorrow I’m doing your Lasagna roll ups…Love that one!! I love how fun u make it, to cook!!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 26, 2021

      Wow, sounds great! I hope you love every recipe that you try, Tina.

      Reply

  • Gary Clark
    January 26, 2021

    All I have is a cheap jet stream oven, but I’m giving them a shot, finished in some Buffalo sauce. I like the heat. Maybe some parmesan too. Thanks, Natasha, enjoy your recipes.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 26, 2021

      You’re welcome! I hope this becomes your new favorite, Gary.

      Reply

  • Louise
    January 26, 2021

    I love you ! Your recipes are always for something I can do. You are funny and light hearted. I want to see you on Food Network.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 26, 2021

      Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Louise! you’re so nice!

      Reply

  • Margarita Ortiz
    January 24, 2021

    Hi Natasha so I just made this wings. They are a life changing they came out nice and crispy. Salty too but that’s ok thank you. Next time I want to do the chicken sandwich and the BLT sandwich thanks for all that you do. Love Margarita

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 25, 2021

      I’m so happy you enjoeyd this recipe, Margarita! I hope you love those sandwich recipes! They’re our favorite!

      Reply

  • Michael J.
    January 24, 2021

    I get the lemon /pepper shake.
    But the level of sodium you list.
    Obviously connected to that brand of garlic salt.
    Is INSANE.
    LOOKS PRETTY.
    But so what . If you’re calling
    911 a couple hours later because your BP numbers are shooting thru the roof.
    And you’re experiencing symptoms of a STROKE if you’re over the age of 29.

    Reply

    • Gary Clark
      January 26, 2021

      Why don’t you look somewhere else for recipes? Why just ost to be rude? Any cooking show that is on TV always uses salt. I’m 65 and still kicking.

      Reply

    • Lindsay Fritsch
      January 28, 2021

      So rude and unnecessary. This recipe is perfection!

      Reply

    • jc
      February 3, 2021

      Obviously to most, you could just use garlic powder to reduce the salt.

      Reply

  • Zoie Penick
    January 24, 2021

    Hi Natasha, my sister and I made these chicken wings two weeks ago. They were so good! Our family loved it! We tore them up. Definitely our go to recipe for chicken wings. Thanks for the recipe Natasha 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 24, 2021

      Yay, love it! Thank you for sharing your good experience with us. I’m glad your family enjoyed this recipe!

      Reply

  • Christine
    January 24, 2021

    fist time using my air fryer productively! Next time I will add more garlic 🙂 My pcs were not small so I had to add a few more minutes. I did a double layer on wire racks and it took 20+ mins with turning as well as rotating the top rack to the bottom and bottom up. Will do again. The second batch was don’t in a single layer and OMG were they beautiful and tasty. Pics next time!

    Reply

    • Christine
      January 24, 2021

      typo – second batch WAS in a single layer off 6 pcs.

      Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 24, 2021

      Sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing that with us, Christine. Please share some photos next time, you may share them on our Facebook page or group so others can also see them.

      Reply

  • Michelle Hamburger
    January 23, 2021

    Made these today! It was just as simple as you showed in your video and explained in the blog. There are 8 people in my family. I tripled the recipe and used my convection oven because…tripled the recipe! They were devoured. Served them with celery, radishes, ranch dressing and Frank’s hot sauce. This will be on repeat! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 24, 2021

      Fantastic, so great to hear that! Thanks for sharing that with us, Michelle.

      Reply

  • Lucy Whiting
    January 23, 2021

    Do the wings have to be thawed. Is there a way to do them frozen.

    Reply

  • Judy
    January 20, 2021

    Please add the fiber and carbohydrates to your recipe nutrition facts. I eat in a way that balances protein, fiber and carbs, at each meal, as well as limiting overall fat intake to deal with insulin resistance and improve my health.
    Thanks Natasha! I love watching you cook!
    Judy

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 20, 2021

      Thanks for your suggestion, Judy.

      Reply

  • Jeryl Hayes
    January 19, 2021

    I rarely leave comments on recipes, but this one was so perfect, I just had to! I already love the garlic salt/lemon pepper combination (it’s what I regularly use when I’m oven roasting broccoli, baby carrots, and sweet potatoes), and it’s perfect for wings! I was a little concerned that the cooking time wouldn’t be enough, but they came out perfectly cooked! Nice and crispy on the outside, very juicy on the inside. This is now my go-to recipe for cooking wings in the air fryer. Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 20, 2021

      That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!

      Reply

  • Ruben Aguilar
    January 18, 2021

    Love all your recipes. Of all the people I follow, your recipes are the ones I make the most often- usually 2-4 times/week.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 19, 2021

      Thank you so much for trusting my recipes, Ruben. Appreciate it!

      Reply

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