Air Fryer Chicken Wings

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Craving wings without any fuss? These Air Fryer Chicken Wings are my shortcut for the crispiest wings made without any oil! Serve them plain or slathered in your favorite sauce to make Air Fryer Buffalo Wings, Honey Old Bay Wings, or Cosmic Jerry Air Fryer Wings!

Air fryer chicken wings on a white plate with wing sauce.

Crispy chicken wings have always been one of my favorite things to eat but I used to avoid them because of all the oil. That made me sad. But then, I discovered how to make wings in the air fryer.

With air frying you don’t have to use nearly as much oil as deep frying. It also still produces the best crispy results. I mean, have you tried bacon in the air fryer? Anyway, now that I have this air fryer chicken wings recipe, I’m no longer sad!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

A girl in a white sweater serving food.
  • Easy: Make homemade chicken wings in just a few simple steps with nothing but chicken and pantry spices!
  • Healthy: No deep frying means you can save on calories…and use them to enjoy your favorite beer, with less guilt!
  • Dietary Restrictions: These wings are gluten-free, Whole30 friendly, high protein, keto-friendly, and low carb (depending on what sauce you use).
  • The Perfect Wing: Even though we’re not deep frying, air fryer chicken wings result in the a juicy inside and perfectly crispy outside. You can’t beat it!
Jordan

Ingredients You Will Need

Chicken wings, salt, pepper, and garlic powder portioned out.

  • Chicken Wings: You’ll need about 2.5 lbs of wings and drumettes.
  • Seasonings: I use a simple combination of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, but feel free to season with additional herbs and spices if you like.

Variations

  • Air Fryer Chicken Breasts: If you prefer chicken breasts over wings, the air fryer still produces the juiciest results! You’ll just want to add a few extra spices.

How To Make chicken Wings In Air Fryer

Chicken wing sections seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder on parchment paper.

Step 1: Season the wings. Place the chicken wings on a cookie sheet and season.

Seasoned chicken wings in an air fryer basket arranged in a single layer.

Step 2: Place wings in air fryer basket. Make sure to arrange in a single layer.

Cooked chicken wings in an air fryer basket.

Step 3: Cook wings. Air fryer at 400 F for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Crispy air-fryer chicken wings with celery and wing sauce.

Step 4: Serve. Serve plain or with your sauce of choice, like Whole30 BBQ Sauce.

Recipe Tips

  • Pat the wings dry with a paper towel to remove any excess liquid before seasoning.
  • Toss the wings in about 1/2 a teaspoon of baking powder before air frying to make the skin even crispier.
  • Make sure to arrange the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket. This ensures they’ll be crispy. You may have to do several batches if you have a smaller air fryer. 
  • Do not use frozen chicken wings. When it comes to cooking in an air fryer, you don’t want to use anything frozen, especially meat. Frozen chicken can actually be undercooked in this appliance. You will want to make sure you take the time to thaw the chicken wings before you make them. You can thaw chicken in the fridge overnight. Simply place the chicken wings in the fridge the night before you plan on making them. This is the easiest way because you don’t have to do anything but remember to leave it in the fridge!

Recipe FAQs

How long does it take for wings to cook in an air fryer?

Timing can vary based on the size of your wings, but most likely they’ll need 25-30 minutes to cook (flipping half way through).

Should I flour my wings before air frying?

A light dusting of seasoned flour or baking powder before air frying will give your wings an extra crisp but it’s not necessary.

Why are my wings not crispy in air fryer?

One main reason this happens is because of overcrowding. The wings need a little bit of space around them for the air to properly circulate. If your wings overlap in the air fryer basket, you may need to cook them in separate batches.

What dipping sauces go best with Air Fryer Wings?

Spicy Mayo and Cilantro Lime Sauce are two of my favorites, but I love this Old Bay Sauce. Or use seasonings instead of sauce, like these Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings!

Crispy air fryer chicken wings in a glass bowl.

More Air fryer recipes for the perfect crisp

If you tried these Air Fryer Chicken Wings or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

Tap stars to rate!
4.91 from 71 votes

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

The BEST Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe for the crispiest wings made without any oil! Serve them naked or slather them in your favorite sauce.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 227
Author: Jordan

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400° F. Place wings on baking sheets and season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
    2.5 lbs chicken wings, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder
  • Place seasoned wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook the wings for 10-15 minutes, then turn them and continue cooking 10-15 minutes or until wings are golden brown.
  • Remove from air fryer and serve with sauce of your choice.
If you tried this recipe, please leave a review letting me know how it was!

Video

Notes

  • Pat the wings dry with a paper towel to remove any excess liquid before seasoning.
  • Toss the wings in about 1/2 a teaspoon of baking powder before air frying to make the skin even crispier.
  • Make sure to arrange the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket. This ensures they’ll be crispy. You may have to do several batches if you have a smaller air fryer. 
  • Do not use frozen chicken wings. When it comes to cooking in an air fryer, you don’t want to use anything frozen, especially meat. Frozen chicken can actually be undercooked in this appliance. You will want to make sure you take the time to thaw the chicken wings before you make them. You can thaw chicken in the fridge overnight. Simply place the chicken wings in the fridge the night before you plan on making them. This is the easiest way because you don’t have to do anything but remember to leave it in the fridge!
  • Some of my favorite wing sauces: Truff Hot Sauce, Buffalo and BBQ Assortment, Medium Buffalo Sauce, Asian Zing Sauce

Nutrition

Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 159mg | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Tried this recipe?I’d love to see your dish, mention @jzeats or tag #jzeats!
4.91 from 71 votes (38 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




80 Comments

  1. I am making the wings tomorrow. I brine my wings in water with garlic, salt and hot pepper flakes. Does that make a difference?
    Thank you,
    Erica NY

    1. Nope, that sounds delicious!

  2. 5 stars
    These were outstanding! Seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Nice and crispy outside and inside was tender and moist. First time making them in my air fryer and will definitely make them this way from now on. Thank you!

  3. Linda M Conner says:

    These came out perfect.Made a small batch for lunch.My husband’s were the salt and pepper which he loved.I used Weber chili lime rub on mine .Also deliciousโค๏ธ

  4. Sherri Gilbert says:

    How long do you preheat your air fryer for chicken wings

    1. If you don’t have a preheat setting on your air fryer, you can preheat for about 5 minutes before putting them in.

  5. I’m confused because this recipe says not to cook frozen wings but your eBook has a recipe using frozen wings.

    1. Hi Trina,

      I don’t have a wing recipe in my ebook. While you technically CAN cook frozen wings in the air fryer, I prefer not to cook from frozen.

  6. 1 star
    WAY TOO SALTY,I HAD TO WIPE THEM ALL OFF. NOT GOOD FOR SOME ONE WHO HAS HIGH BP

    1. Hi Janet – I’m sorry to hear that. You are welcome to adjust the salt to your liking for any recipe you are making.

  7. Anne Marie says:

    5 stars
    Easy and delicious!! Will make often. No need for sauce. I used the baking powder to make extra crispy

  8. What is the portion size of the nutritional value?

    1. Hi Tabitha – nutrition was calculated for about 2 wings per serving.

  9. Matthew Sheptycki says:

    Jordan you are the first food blogger that told the antiscroll clowns off and I respect that. Keep speaking your mind girl it’s refreshing

  10. I love your replies to the haters! Fist time trying your recipeโ€ฆwings are frying as I type!! Canโ€™t wait!

    1. Hehehe ๐Ÿ˜‰ Hope you love the wings!!

  11. 5 stars
    First time making wings in the air drier and they turned out juicy and crispy! Used drum sticks instead. Great recipe and the honey hot sauce cut down on the sodium in the old bay.

  12. Vanessa Kelley says:

    5 stars
    These came out absolutely incredible. Iโ€™m pretty picky on my wings since Iโ€™m a huge texture eater and these did not disappoint. They were so crispy and the meat was so juicy and tender. I tossed mine in Buffalo sauce and minced garlic. I wonโ€™t ever make my wings another way except with this recipe! Iโ€™m definitely on a wing kick now! Thank you so much for the recipe!

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Vanessa! I’m so glad you enjoyed them ๐Ÿ™‚

  13. 5 stars
    First time making chicken wings in my new air fryer and this recipe was so easy and so delicious! This will definitely be my go to recipe for chicken wings!

  14. M. Cockrell says:

    I absolutely hate having to scroll down endlessly to get to the recipe.

    1. While we’re on the subject of things we hate, I very much dislike when it rains outside. I also hate olives, beans, and anchovies.

    2. I don’t like scrolling either! Have tried to forward recipes to my email (I do not do Facebook) and can’t get the recipe just the picture. Any suggestions.

      1. Yes! You should buy a cookbook and stay off the internet ๐Ÿ™‚

    3. 5 stars
      There is literally a button at the top that says โ€œJump to Recipeโ€โ€ฆโ€ฆ.

    4. Always look at the top for something that says jump to recipe or go to recipe, usually there if you look for it. I agree having to scroll through is a bit annoying

    5. Yeah Iโ€™m a Karen says:

      Yeah, I really hate getting free online recipes that someone has posted with ads. Not to mention the chefโ€™s expended time, food costs, trials and errors, writing reviews, measuring, etc. Yeah, I hate having free recipes that may make me a better cook. Donโ€™t like the ads, why not create your own food blog?!

    6. 5 stars
      There is a tab on the top that says โ€œjump to recipeโ€. Tap it and it scrolls down to it automatically.

    7. Most of these recipes have a tab you can click at the top of the post to JUMP TO RECIPE ๐Ÿ˜‰ This one has it also ๐Ÿ˜ƒ