Air-fryer chicken wings are the juiciest, crispiest, and most delicious wings you’ll ever have. Plus, they’re a lot healthier for you than deep-frying them. A quick and tasty dinner or game day appetizer is what they’re all about. Good to the bone!
I hear you, friend. For the longest time, I’ve been getting comments about whether I can include more air fryer recipes. So, I’m finally starting to share my air fryer recipes. Make sure to bookmark it for the next Super Bowl.
Not long ago, hubby bought me a beautiful air fryer. I finally took it out of the box, determined to put it to good use. I appreciate the thought, but I had never used one before and didn’t quite feel the excitement. It’s funny how quickly things can change.
How an Air Fryer Works
When I learned I could get healthier cooking from an oven with the crispiness of fried foods, I was hooked. Radiant heat from the top and a fan creating high winds get together for amazing goodness. It takes less room and less time to heat up than a convection oven, and the results are closer to frying than baking.
If you’re worried about the non-stick coating in standard air fryers, there are a few glass and stainless steel air fryers that work great.
How to Cook Chicken Wings in an Air Fryer
- Prep Wings – Rinse and thoroughly pat dry chicken wings with paper towels and place them on a large plate or mixing bowl. Season your wings with salt and black pepper, then rub them with the seasonings or your favorite spice blend: jerk, Creole, or Italian seasoning all work great. (Photos 1-2)
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (205℃) for 5 minutes.
- Load – Set the temperature to 380°F (195℃). Spray your air fryer basket with cooking spray. Arrange the chicken wings in a single layer, being careful not to overcrowd the basket. You may have to air fry them in batches. (Photo 3)
- Air fry for about 10 minutes, then remove the air fryer basket and shake it. Cook for another 10 minutes or more. Increase the heat to 400°F (205℃) and cook for 5-6 minutes for extra-crispy wings. They should be a beautiful golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature 165℉ (75℃). (Photo 4)
- Serve – Remove and toss with your favorite sauce or serve them with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Recipe Notes
- Dry-brine the wings overnight in the fridge, uncovered, so they dry out a bit.
- For irresistibly crispy wings, spritz them with a little olive oil before loading them into the air fryer. Or better yet, rub them with butter right before you season them.
- Mix a pinch of baking powder with salt and pepper before seasoning the wings for a little extra crispness.
- An easy chicken wing rub is simple. If you don’t have a rub on hand, salt, lemon pepper, and garlic powder do a lot for flavor.
Make-Ahead Tips
One of the most useful things about my air fryer is taking food directly from the freezer and cooking it. Simply season your wings and freeze them on a baking tray. Then, pop them into a freezer bag so you can remove however many you need for that meal or snack. Arrange your frozen chicken wings in the air fryer and increase the cooking time to 25-30 minutes.
The other option is cooking them in the air fryer, then reheating them to crisp them back up. They’ll be as crispy as when you made them fresh.
What Pairs With Air Fryer Chicken Wings
I include blue cheese dressing and red pepper sauce or homemade BBQ when serving chicken wings as an appetizer. As the main course for lunch, a side salad and air fryer sweet potato fries are a must.
Other Air Fryer Appetizer Recipes You’ll Love
By Imma
This blog post was originally published in January 2020 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos