These crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings are the end all be all of chicken wings. Made with the perfect blend of seasonings and a homemade buffalo sauce that will make everyone crave second and third helpings!
Why I Love This Recipe
I am a HUGE fan of chicken wings, especially on game day. Air Frying wings is, in my opinion, the BEST way to make wings.
Not only that but in general, chicken is one of my favorite things to make in the air fryer. If you love air fryer chicken like I do, you may also enjoy these naked air fryer chicken tenders, they don't have any breading!
Looking for more? Check out this article where we share our favorite top 50 air fryer chicken recipes.
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Let's get back to why I love this recipe. First, there is no need for hot oil because you are making this a healthier version and it's cooked with hot air! Second, you'll still have delicious wings without all of the extra fats and calories.
If you've never made a batch of homemade wings in your air fryer, you are in for a treat. These crispy chicken wings are second to none and you'll never want to order them from a restaurant again. It's the perfect appetizer or quick weeknight dinner.
We are going to go over all of our favorite tips and tricks to show you how to make the best chicken wings in the air fryer. Skip the grill and the oven, these are the best!
How to Make Crispy Wings in the Air Fryer
There are a few tips and tricks to making these wings and you will want to grab a pen and paper to write them down, or make life easy and head down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Use paper towels to pat the chicken wings dry before getting started.
Another tip to make crispy wings in the air fryer is to add a little baking powder to the mixture. Baking powder is what helps make crispy skin.
You're going to love this air fryer chicken wings recipe so much that you'll never want to have them any other way again.
What you'll need to make Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer.
- Air Fryer - I love to use the Cosori air fryer
- Favorite Wing Sauce - I'm a Louisiana girl, so I love to use a base hot wing sauce with either Tabasco or Louisiana Hot Sauce
- Others - Silicone pad, nonstick cooking spray, or olive oil
Ingredients
12 whole wings - once you've cut these up you'll have 24 wings
favorite sauce - I love to make my own homemade sauce with a little cayenne pepper, butter, and hot sauce
garlic powder - adds a little additional flavor to the wings
olive oil - I always coat the wings in a little oil before adding any additional seasonings.
baking powder - helps create an extra crispy skin on the finished hot wings
salt - to taste
pepper - to taste
How to Make Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
Step 1
Cut the wings into pieces so that you have 24 wings.
Step 2
Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the air fryer basket after preheating.
Step 3
Place the wings in a large bowl and add olive oil, garlic powder, and baking powder. Mix well.
Step 4
Add the seasoned wings in a single layer to the air fryer basket.
Step 5
Air Fry WIngs at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, flipping the wings every 5 minutes. Increase the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook an additional 2 minutes for extra crispy skin. Use a digital meat thermometer to ensure the inside internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
Step 6
Carefully remove the air fryer wings from the air fryer, toss in your favorite sauce, and serve with your favorite sides.
NOTE: This recipe was made using the Cosori Air Fryer. If you're using a different air fryer, you may need to adjust your cooking time accordingly. Smaller wings will cook faster than larger wings.
These are seriously the best air fryer chicken wings and they're so easy to make with such simple ingredients.
Pro Tip
The last few minutes of cooking time is what gives you that extra juicy chicken with crispy skin. Cooking the wings at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for the main cook time, and then increasing to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for the last couple of minutes is the trick to juicy, crispy wings!
Variations
Wings are delicious, and there are so many different flavors you can use to tailor them to your preference. Consider changing up flavors with different seasonings and sauces such as Chipotle, BBQ, Sriracha, Lemon pepper, Ranch, Parmesan, Garlic, Original buffalo, Old Bay, Teriyaki, Nashville hot, Jamaican jerk, and many more.
Storage and Reheating
Place leftover beings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat the wings, place them in the preheated air fryer and air fryer at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 minutes, or until heated through. It is best to eat wings fresh on the day you cook them.
FAQs
My favorite dipping sauce is Ranch dressing, but you can also serve these with BBQ sauce, or a side of blue cheese dressing.
You can also use a dry rub and additional spices to change the flavors if desired.
I love to serve mozzarella sticks, carrot sticks, fresh celery sticks, potato skins, jalapeño poppers, or mini cheese puffs.
You need to cook frozen chicken wings in air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for between 23-25 minutes. Make sure to check the wings and break them apart after the first few minutes, and then continue to cook and flip them as needed.
This easy recipe is seriously super simple and always makes the best wings. For more air fryer recipes, check out some of our favorite wing recipes below.
MORE CHICKEN WING RECIPES:
Here are some great sides to serve along with these yummy chicken wings!
AIR FRYER SIDES
Looking for the BEST accessories to use with your air fryer? We've put together this list of our favorite Air Fryer Accessories.
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📖 Recipe
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 12 wings whole
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup buffalo hot sauce
Instructions
- Cut the wings into pieces so that you have 24 wings.
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the air fryer basket after preheating.
- Place the wings in a large bowl and add olive oil, garlic powder, and baking powder. Mix well.
- Add the seasoned wings in a single layer to the air fryer basket.
- Air Fry WIngs at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, flipping the wings every 5 minutes. Increase the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook an additional 2 minutes for extra crispy skin. Use a digital meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
- Carefully remove the air fryer wings from the air fryer, cover with your favorite sauce, and serve with your favorite sides.
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you're using with each recipe.
©AirFryingFoodie 2023
Teri
What does this mean: Prepare the air fryer basket after preheating. And yes reading the whole page, its way to time consuming if the answer is there.
You can always skip to the recipe card and print the recipe, but most people love a good detailed written recipe so they don't make mistakes. What the phrase "prepare the air fryer basket after preheating" means is that if you preheat your air fryer, and you need to prepare the basket (because it's not a nonstick surface in some air fryers), you will prepare the basket with either a nonstick spray, olive oil spray, or with parchment paper.
Jacqueline Isaacs
Hi. Would love the recipe for the buffalo sauce.
Mary Jo Venditti
3/4 to 1 cup of Frank's hot sauce
4 tablespoons of butter
Heat sauce just enough to melt the butter; pour over wings and toss to cover.
Barbara
I was wondering the same thing, about "preparing your air fryer basket".
If you need to prepare the air fryer basket you can do that by using olive oil spray, avocado oil spray, a nonstick cooking spray of your choice, or even use parchment paper. The chicken will try and stick to the grate when cooking - but if you're flipping he wings occasionally you shouldn't have any issues.
Sherry Dale
That means you need to spray the basket with vegetable oil spray. I also spray my chicken and fries …
Oscar
Your recipes are excellent and your patience in answering secret-rudes is truly an inspiration. Thank you!
Thank you! 🙂
Robin Calico
First recipe I tried using my new air fryer and these were delicious. Good recipe directions.
Awe thanks so much! I am so glad you liked them. 🙂 Enjoy your new air fryer!!!
Lola L
Can I use this recipe with frozen wings? If so, how long should I cook them?
Yes! Here are the directions on making them from frozen:https://airfryingfoodie.com/frozen-chicken-wings-in-air-fryer/
Eileen
I don’t see on the recipe how much baking powder to use
Oops! Sorry I have it on there now. Thanks for catching that!
Lynn A DiChristina
I just got new air fryer for Christmas, and finally decided to take the leap to try chicken wings. Our family is from Buffalo, my husband used to work in a bar and make them, so we are very fussy when it comes to wings. We LOVED them! I don't know if the secret was the baking powder, but they were cooked perfectly!! Of course, my husband made his usual Buffalo Wing sauce, but the wings themselves, where cooked perfectly. Now, I just have to figure out how to keep this recipe FOREVER!
That's AWESOME!! 🙂
christian prescott
Can we get the Sauce Recipe?
That would be cool!
TY
Christian
This is what I typically use for my sauce:1 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce or your favorite brand
1/2 cup margarine
4 tbsp water
2 tsp paprika
4 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
Hope you enjoy!! 🙂
Ron Anderson
I'm going to try this tonight. I may prepare some with and without the buffalo sauce, as I often like my crispy without all the mess, as I love to dip them in ranch dressing. Recipe looks great!
Florence
I love recipes that uses pantry ingredients and taste delicious. Thanks for sharing
Kaleid100
Turned out great! The baking powder made them nice and crispy. Fall off the bone.
Thank you! So glad you liked them! They are a family favorite!
Lara
My air fryer is small, but has a wire rack to create two rows in the fryer. Do you recommend this or should I just do one row of wings per batch? Thank you! I’ve never done meat in my air fryer and I’m looking forward to a healthier super bowl wing this Sunday.
Here is the thing - with the rack air fryers you will have foods cook differently on the bottom rack than they will on the top rack. This is because the heating element is typically on the top of these air fryers. You will probably have to play with it, but I would suggest cooking them a little longer if you are using the bottom rack and trying to take away a little cook time if you are using the top rack. 🙂 Hope that helps!
Greg
I dont have baking powder can I use flour??
Thanks
The baking powder is what gives it the crisp. You can try using flour, but just keep that in mind.
Sarah S
When do you bump up to 400? After the first 5 minutes?
You would increase the temp to 400 degrees Fahrenheit after the wings have cooked fully, as the increase is ONLY if you want extra crispy wings. If you're a fan of extra crispy, you would do the increase after the complete cook time. If you like wings with a normal crisp, you would skip that step. Hope that helps.
Teri
It takes slot longer than 20 minutes to cook these. What I did was start at 380 for 20 they were still raw. Had to cook for a additional 20 minutes than did 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Since I had so many I started cooking them in the oven first . This recipe is way off
Here is the thing, we always place this disclaimer in all of our posts. This recipe was made with a Cosori 5.8 qt basket-style air fryer. If you are using a different air fryer, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. A 1700 watt air fryer is going to cook differently than a 1400 watt air fryer or a 1000 watt air fryer. You just have to make the adjustment to your brand of air fryer. However, if you are using a Cosori 5.8, these are SPOT ON. 🙂 Hope that helps!
jack levitt
Alton Brown suggests steaming them for 10 minutes to cook them and then )roasting (or air frying in this case) at a very high temp (like 425 or 450) for about 5 minutes to crisp them up. What's your opinion of this option?
You can definitely try whatever you think works best - but I have found this is the perfect temp and time for my air fryer brand it they are perfection every single time. My motto: don't mess with perfection 🙂 HA! But seriously, you can always experiment and see what works best for you and your air fryer because they do all cook just a little differently.
STEVEN BELL
my stove oven is also an air fryer. do I need to make any adjustments to use this type of air fryer?
You'll always have to make little tweaks depending on what type of air fryer you have. The one we use is a 5.8 qt basket style 1700 watt air fryer - so it depends on the size and the power of your air fryer how you would adjust the temperature. I always suggest giving it a try with a small batch to test - and cook for LESS time - because you can always add time if you need to, but if you overcook them, they are ruined. So make a test run to see how your air fryer will work (It should be close to this recipe) 🙂
Beth
Fantastic WINGS! They were a hit at my party. Thanks so much for posting.
Mike Barker
First time making wings in my air fryer. Easy and good recipe. My wife, who's not a big fan of wings, said she really liked them.
Thank you for letting us know! So glad you liked them!
Melissa Haranek
My first time making fresh chicken wings period. I've been experimenting with cooking meat in the air fryer. It was simple and the wings were crispy and delish!!
Thank you! So glad you liked them!
Lisa
This is my go-to chicken wing recipe! It's super simple and they turn out great every time! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for letting us know! We love getting feedback on our recipes! Glad you like them!
Ryan
This was so easy to follow along with. My first time doing wings in the air fryer and they were a hit! I had the idea of using a packet of ranch seasoning with the oil and baking powder step which really took them up a notch. Great call on increasing the temp right at the end for that extra crispy goodness.
Kim
These were delicious. I love crisp skin and usually have to cook the wings a lot longer to get that to happen.