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I have made these crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings so many times I can almost do it with my eyes closed. They’re the perfect wings with the best blend of seasonings and a homemade buffalo sauce that will make everyone crave second and third helpings!
“Best wings ever!! Just made them to have watching super bowl. So crispy and awesome taste! Thank you for sharing this recipe!” – Barb
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 from oil.
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.
If you love air fryer chicken like I do, you may also enjoy these naked air fryer chicken tenders. They are full of flavor and don’t have any breading.
Table of contents
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!
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 for Crispy Air Fryer Wings
- 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 – coating wings with baking powder helps to achieve a crispy texture. Baking powder raises the pH level of the skin, promoting browning and crispiness.
- salt – to taste
- pepper – to taste
Variations
- Classic Buffalo – Toss cooked wings in buffalo sauce made from melted butter and hot sauce.
- Garlic Parmesan – Mix melted butter, minced garlic, and grated parmesan cheese for a savory twist.
- Sweet and Spicy – Drizzle wings with a mix of honey and sriracha or hot honey after cooking for a sweet heat.
- Lemon Pepper – Combine lemon zest with cracked black pepper and a touch of melted butter or oil after air frying.
- Asian-Inspired – Toss in a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil, and a pinch of brown sugar for a sticky, umami-rich glaze.
How to Make Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
Step 1: Cut the wings into pieces so that you have 24 wings.
Step 2: Place the wings in a large bowl and add olive oil, garlic powder, and baking powder. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate, then allow the wings to marinate for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F/ 200°C for 4 minutes. Prepare the air fryer basket if needed after preheating.
Step 4: Add the seasoned wings into the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Step 5: Air Fry Wings at 400°F/ 200°C for 20 minutes, flipping the wings halfway through. Add 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.
These are seriously the best air fryer chicken wings, and they’re so easy to make with simple ingredients.
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.
Pro Tips to Make Crispy Wings in the Air Fryer
- Marinate or Dry Brine for Flavor: Marinate your wings for at least 30 minutes, or dry brine them with salt overnight. Both methods help infuse deep flavor and improve texture.
- Preheat the Air Fryer: Always preheat your air fryer at 400°F (200°C) for 3–5 minutes before adding the wings. This ensures even cooking and a crispier finish.
- Pat dry: Use paper towels to pat the chicken wings dry before getting started.
- Incorporate Baking Powder – Add a small amount of baking powder to your seasoning mix. It helps draw moisture to the surface, leading to irresistibly crispy skin.
- Single layer: Keep the wings in a single layer with a little room between them so they cook evenly and the skin can get crispy.
- Adjust Cooking Time and Temp: For that perfect golden-brown texture, cook the wings at 400°F (200°C) for 20–25 minutes, flipping them halfway through. The extra time makes a big difference in the final crunch.
- Sauce Comes Last: If you’re tossing your wings in sauce (like buffalo, BBQ, or honey garlic), wait until after air frying to keep them crispy and not soggy.
Recipe FAQs
Place any leftovers 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 fry at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 minutes, or until heated through. It is best to eat wings fresh on the day you cook them.
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
Appetizers
Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
Chicken
Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings
Appetizers
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Here are some great sides to serve along with these yummy chicken wings!
Air Fryer Side Dishes
Side Dishes
Air Fryer Potato Skins
Side Dishes
Air Fryer Parmesan Brussel Sprouts
Side Dishes
Air Fryer Steak Fries
Side Dishes
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
I am a HUGE fan of chicken wings, especially on game day. Air Frying wings are, in my opinion, the BEST way to make juicy, crispy, chicken wings.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR ⭐️ RATING in the COMMENTS 📝 SECTION below.
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 12 wings, whole
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 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.
- Place the wings in a large bowl and add olive oil, garlic powder, and baking powder. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate, then allow the wings to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Prepare the air fryer basket after preheating.
- Add the seasoned wings in a single layer to the air fryer basket.
- Air Fry Wings at 400°F (204°C) for 20 minutes, flipping the wings halfway through. Air fry 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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 ๐ 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.
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. ๐ Hope that helps!
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.
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.
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! Iโve never done meat in my air fryer and Iโm 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. ๐ Hope that helps!
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!
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!
I love recipes that uses pantry ingredients and taste delicious. Thanks for sharing
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!! ๐
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!! ๐
I donโt see on the recipe how much baking powder to use
Oops! Sorry I have it on there now. Thanks for catching that!
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. ๐ Enjoy your new air fryer!!!
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/
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.
Hi. Would love the recipe for the buffalo sauce.
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.
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.
That means you need to spray the basket with vegetable oil spray. I also spray my chicken and fries โฆ
Your recipes are excellent and your patience in answering secret-rudes is truly an inspiration. Thank you!
Thank you! ๐