Air Fryer Chicken Wings

These Air Fryer Chicken Wings are as good as the ones you get when you’re out with your friends. They’re extra crispy and delicious on outside, juicy and tender and flavorful on the inside.

“Frying” chicken wings in the Air Fryer requires just a small amount of oil, so it’s a much healthier version of chicken wings than what you’d usually have.

Cook the chicken wings in your Air Fryer, enjoy them as is, or toss them in your favorite sauce! These air fried chicken wings are crispy, juicy, and delicious. PERFECTION!

You will love this recipe because the chicken wings are cooked without any baking powder or cornstarch, and with minimal oil.

This easy air fryer recipe is versatile and can be used to make buffalo wings, BBQ wings, lemon pepper chicken wings, or garlic butter wings! Just adjust the seasonings, or add a delicious sauce to the wings when they’re finished cooking.

Make sure to also check out my crispy Air Fryer Fish recipe and the most popular recipe on my site which is this Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe, it’s THE BEST!

Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe Highlights

• Less Fat — In restaurants, chicken wings are deep fried because it’s easy for them. But deep frying requires a lot of oil, and much of that oil stays on the wings. When air frying, we only need about a tablespoon of olive oil to get the same crispy results!
• Less Mess — Deep frying chicken wings is a messy process that you may not want to take on at home. The air fryer keeps everything neatly contained so that cleaning up is a breeze!
• Less Fuss — Many air fryer chicken wings recipes call for coating the wings with flour, baking powder, or cornstarch. I’ve found that these are not really necessary for air frying the crispiest wings, and the added carbs and calories are wasted.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Chicken Wings

• Chicken Wing Pieces – If you can find them, buy fresh chicken wings that have already been separated into individual pieces. Otherwise, buy whole chicken wings and cut them apart yourself.
• Olive Oil – For this recipe, choose light olive oil rather than extra virgin olive oil. This type of oil can withstand higher heat. Another good healthy option would be avocado oil.
• Seasonings – You are of course free to cook the wings unseasoned and add a sauce after cooking. I prefer to season the wings before cooking though, and love this blend of salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, onion, and dried oregano.

If you’d like to make air fryer buffalo wings, make my deliciously spicy homemade wing sauce to coat the wings after they’re done!

How to Cut and Separate Chicken Wings?

First, you need to wash the chicken wings and pat dry them using kitchen paper towels. Drying the wings is a key step to making them crispy, as any moisture will turn into steam in the air fryer.

If the wings are already cut into wingettes and drumettes, then you’re good to go. If not, then you’ll have to separate them.

Using your fingers, locate where the joint is connected between both parts. Then using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cut through the joint. And finally, cut off the tips.

You will use the drumettes and wingettes, and discard the tips (or use them to make homemade chicken stock).

How to Air Fry Chicken Wings

Tips for Making Wings in the Air Fryer

• Use a Liner. You can buy parchment paper liners that are cut specifically to fit the bottom of your air fryer. These will have holes in them to let air through. While this is optional, I find that it makes cleaning the air fryer much easier.
• Cook in a Single Layer. Be sure that the wings are not touching each other at all. Each piece should have some room around it so that the hot air can circulate freely and evenly. If your wings don’t all fit in the basket, cook them in two batches.
• Shake! Minimally, you need to flip the wings over at the halfway point, but if you have a minute, give the basket an extra shake or two during the cooking time as well.
• Adjust as Needed. All air fryers cook a bit differently, and chicken wings come in different sizes. If you need to, add extra cooking time to get the wings to the perfect crispy doneness. On average, 2 pounds or 1kg of wings will cook in 20 minutes in the air fryer.
• Serve Right Away. If you plan on adding wing sauce or barbecue sauce to your wings, toss the wings in the sauce while they’re still hot.
• Include a dipping sauce. Chicken wings are best when served with a creamy sauce like my homemade ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings Seasoning Ideas

Instead of the seasoning blend here, try something different!

• Smoked paprika, with stone house seasoning (which is amazing!)
• Cajun seasoning
• Italian seasoning, and grated parmesan
• Fajita seasoning, or taco seasoning
• Shawarma seasoning for Middle Eastern inspired flavors

Recipe FAQs

How to make a big batch of chicken wings in the air fryer

If you have an oven style air fryer with a double rack, then that works great. If not, then you should cook the wings in batches. If you overcrowd the Air Fryer basket, the air won’t circulate well in the basket and the wings won’t crisp up but will steam instead. Steamed wings won’t be crispy!

How Do you know if Wings Are Cooked Through and Safe to Eat?

Every time you cook chicken, you have to make sure that the internal temperature of the chicken should be around 165°F/74°C. Use a meat thermometer to know that the chicken is safe to eat.

Can I cook Frozen Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer?

You will just need to increase the cooking time by 5 minutes. If the wings are stuck together since they’re frozen, that’s totally fine and they will separate as they cook.

How to Reheat Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer?

Put the chicken wings back in the air fryer basket, and reheat at 400°F/200°C for 5 minutes or until they’re heated through.