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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Helpful Reader Review
“Delicious! The best part about your recipes is that besides being delicious, they’re so easy! This one was too easy, much appreciated!” – Terri ★★★★★
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
Can you use this recipe with chicken drumsticks (the little ones)?
Hi Mary, I haven’t tested that with drumsticks but it sounds like a great experiment! I imagine the cook time will need to be adjusted.
Great recipe! Very excited to try it. However, I cannot use olive oil in my ninja grill, what oil can I substitute for?
Hi Sarah, any high-heat cooking oil should work. I use a light olive oil which has a high smoke point (not extra virgin)
I always LOVE your recipes! I cook many of your recipes for my family. But myself, I follow a Keto lifestyle, so it would be very helpful if your Nutrition guides for each recipe included Carbohydrates and Fibre. Thanks for making cooking fun!
Thanks for your comments and suggestions, Karen. I also have a diet category on my website, you can check out the recipes here.
Hi Natasha
Loving all your recipes and cooking show videos.
Love your passion and really delicious recipes are all family pleasers.
Love from South Africa
Hello Lallie, I’m happy to know that you’re enjoying my video tutorials and recipes. I hope you love every recipe that you will try!
nice seasoning, I’ll have to double recipe if I made more wings. (used 4 wings)
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m new to the air fryer, but made this tonight….. it was so good. Will definitely make again! Thanks for the recipe.
You are very welcome, Jan. Great to hear that you liked the recipe!
Hi,
can you make this recipe in a PowerXL air fryer?
Hi Cocoa, I haven’t tested that but here’s what one of my readers wrote: “I just purchased the Pro power XL and let it heat up for the first time LOL and the door just came off WOW. I’m gonna let the blasted thing cool off then try your wings hehe I hope the door can handle it lol here goes for the first time thanks for the recipe loves and hugs chica” I hope this is helpful
Can you use frozen wings for this recipe?
Hi Paula, I haven’t tested this with frozen wings, but I have read it is possible! If you experiment, please let me know how you like that with this recipe!
I make these at least once a week .They are soooo good .Thanks for all your recipes. I Love them all.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you’re enjoying my recipes.
Cám ơn Chị Natashas Kitchen rất nhiều về những bài làm bánh của Chị.
You’re welcome! I’m happy you’re enjoying my blog!
These came out great! My “go to” recipe from now on! Super easy, too!!
I cooked them a little bit longer, about 9 minutes a side. Super crispy, just the way I like them!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
DELICIOUS! (LIKE “ALL” YOUR RECIPES!🥰
Thank you so much!
My wings were tasty and crispy(very pleased), but they weren’t golden/orange colored like yours. Mine were more on the whiter side with charred crispy areas . Any tips ?
Hi Jeff, It sounds like they may need some more time to get golden. Are you frying these at the same heat? No alterations were made to the recipe?
Followed recipe.
They were great just not golden.
What rack position do you use ?
Hi Jeff, we have a photo in the recipe of our tray position. We have the wings on the top wire rack and a drip tray on the bottom slot. I hope that helps.
Make sure you dry the wings thoroughly. It’s exceptional to dry them on a rack in your fridge overnight tossed with a little baking powder or cornstarch. This will make the skin extra crispy.
My Frigidaire oven has air fry. Times and temps for it would likely be more like your Cuisinart???
Hi Craig! That’s awesome! I didn’t realize ovens have that feature too! I would read through your oven air fryer instructions just if any changes need to be made, but I imagine it will be the same if it’s an air fryer.
The recipe: 5 Stars. Works perfectly on my little Elite air fryer. However, I am on a mission to warn everyone that full-sized range air fryers take MUCH longer than the little oven cooking times. I was so looking forward to making this recipe with my new Samsung oven that comes with both convection and air fryer mode, but I am now almost an hour into what should have been a 16-minute cook time for these chicken wings and they are barely browned. I’m pulling out my Elite to cook little batches while my oven is barely able to cook one single large batch
Hi Pat, glad you enjoyed the recipe on your little air fryer. Thank you as well for the heads up, I’m sure a lot of people will find this info so useful. We appreciate it!
Sounds like you need to calibrate your oven. You can google how to do this.
I made this for dinner and im actually eating one right now lol but let me tell you i am a horrible cook i littely make disgusting food but when i mae this recipe i was so impresed i have never made chicken so good thank you but i changed up a few things
1 used oven since my air fryer isn’t here yet still crispy but not a lot
2 added way more varieties of seasoning
3 made them a little bit barbecued
i love your recipe and will be trying i the way you did once my air fryer gets delivered tanks Natasha i hope to be as good as you someday 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Because I have enjoyed some of your other recipes, I thought I would give this a go. So glad I did. Such easy prep, and clean up, and tremendous crisp, tasty wings. These turned out so well, they will be a regular for us. So easy to prepare sides while these are “frying”. Thank for another winner.
Hello Dale, thank you for your great comments and feedback. Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
What if you don’t have lemon pepper
Hi Hafsah, I haven’t tried a substitution. The lemon pepper does add an extra tangy/salty flavor to these. You might need to search online for a homemade lemon pepper. I haven’t tried making it, but I have seen many recipes for it on google.
If my air fryer is philips what temperature do I use and how long
Hi Terry, I recommend checking the instructions but it’s normally the same for different brands.
Absolutely the best wings anyone can have. Super easy too!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Is the serving size one wing?
Hi Renee, this serves 4, but it depends on the size of your wings, but it was about 3-4 wings per serving.
This doesn’t add up. 1lb of chicken wings definitely won’t give u 14 sections u have here in the picture. Unless in your picture you made 2 lbs of chicken.