These Air Fryer Chicken Wings are super crispy outside, tender and juicy inside, and quick and easy to make. They cook faster than the oven and require NO oil, making them faster and less messy than baked or fried wings!
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The crispiest and juiciest chicken wings.
Thanks to its high temperature and convection fan, the air fryer does a fantastic job making chicken skin super crispy while keeping the meat moist. Like my Air Fryer Chicken Legs, these wings have delicious skin and succulent meat, without any oil at all. Totally magic!
And you know what else is magic? The ridiculously easy prep! To make air fryer chicken wings, you just toss the wings in the seasonings, air fry, and devour.
You can use this method for any of your favorite sauces or rubs. Try Buffalo sauce, take it an Asian direction with Korean Air Fryer Chicken Wings, or experiment with one of the other seasoning ideas below!
Watch Me Make Air Fryer Wings
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the blog post below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Chicken Wings. This recipe calls for 1 ½ pounds of split chicken wings, which is the max amount that I can comfortably fit in a single layer in my Ninja air fryer. If you are cooking more, you’ll need to air fry them in batches
- Sauce. Frank’s RedHot Original is my go-to for tossing the wings, but you can use any sauce you like, or even skip it entirely. The wings are super juicy, even without sauce.
- Butter. This makes the wings finger-lickin’ delish.
How to Make Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
Split the Wings. Cut away the wing tips and split the “drumette” side of each of the “wingettes” from the flat side. Pat dry with paper towels—this is key for crispy skin.
Air Fry at 360°F for 24 minutes. This renders the fat so the chicken wings don’t get soggy. Flip halfway through. (And remember, don’t crowd the basket!)
Turn Up the Heat. Flip the wings again, and increase the temperate to 390°F.
Make the Sauce. We use Buffalo, but use any kind you like.
Toss. Combine the air fryer chicken wings and sauce. Dip wings in your dressing of choice (Buttermilk Ranch Dressing anyone?) ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Honey Garlic Air Fryer Chicken Wings. Use the sauce from my Honey Garlic Chicken Wings.
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings. Use the sauce from my Lemon Pepper Wings.
- BBQ Air Fryer Wings. Toss the wings in Homemade Barbecue Sauce.
- Extra Spicy Chicken Wings. Add a few pinches of cayenne pepper to your Buffalo sauce.
- Whole Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer. Place the wings in a single layer (you’ll be able to fit about 3 whole wings at a time). Air fry at 250°F for 15 minutes, then increase the heat to high and air fry at 400°F for 15 minutes more. Turn the wings over halfway through each cooking time.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
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Ingredients
FOR THE WINGS:
- 1 ½ pounds chicken wings
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup hot sauce Frank’s RedHot is what I use
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ tablespoon white vinegar
- Nonstick cooking spray
TO SERVE:
- Blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing, optional for serving
- Celery sticks
- Chopped fresh chives optional for color
Instructions
- Coat the basket of a 3 quart or larger air fryer with nonstick spray.
- Trim off the wing tips (you should be able to feel the joint soft spot). It should separate fairly easily, but if not, put the blade in place, then carefully but firmly hit the top of your knife to apply extra pressure. Discard. Next, split the drumette side of each wing from the flat side at the joint: slice down through the skin feeling for the “soft spot” and wiggle your knife as needed.
- Pat the wings very dry. Sprinkle all over with salt.
- Place the wings in the air fryer in a single layer, making sure they do not touch (if needed, stand up the drumettes along the side). Set the air fryer to 360 degrees F. Cook the wings for 12 minutes, then remove the basket and with tongs, flip the wings over. Return to the air fryer at 360 degrees for 12 additional minutes.
- Slide out the basket, flip the wings once more, then return them to the air fryer. Increase the air fryer temperature to 390 degrees F. Cook the wings for 6 minutes, flipping once more halfway through. The skin should look nice and crisp (if your wings are on the larger side, they may need a few more minutes).
- While the wings finish up, melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl in the microwave or a saucepan on the stove. Stir in the hot sauce, garlic, and vinegar until smooth.
- Transfer the wings to the bowl with the hot sauce mixture. Toss to throughly coat the wings. Transfer the wings to a serving plate. Sprinkle with chives as desired. Enjoy warm with blue cheese sauce and celery.
Video
Notes
- TO MAKE IN THE OVEN: Place a broiler rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler. Preheat to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place an oven safe baking rack on top. Arrange the wings on the rack in a single layer so they do not touch. Broil for 20 to 25 minutes, until the wings are browned and crisp, flipping once halfway through.
- TO STORE. Refrigerate leftover chicken wings for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT. Let the wings come to room temperature. Mist with water to help make them juicy, then reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 6 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Nutrition
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I make this recipe often. Delicious, and so simple. Sometimes I add other seasonings, like pepper, garlic, onion, and a pinch of Cajun seasoning.
So tasty! Thank you Janelle!
Simple crowd pleaser. I’m not a fan of wings but this recipe is so simple and my nephew is obsessed. I make these every time we get together!
Yay! Thank you Katy!
I made a different sauce to coat wings in but the wings were perfectly cooked. I love the simplicity of this recipe. So good!
I’m new to the air fryer trend and these were fantastic! Easy and tasted great – way better than oven baked. I did have to decrease the time, though. The wings I got were on the smaller side and 30 minutes was too long.
So happy to hear it Penelope!!
First time for me making wings. This recipe created excellent wings. I am not a spicy Buffalo wing person, so I may used half the hot sauce and added a little Sticky Fingers bourbon sauce (no corn syrup). I was amazed at the flavors. I look forward to cooking another of your recipes, and would definitely serve your wings to friends and family.
Yay! Thank you!
FANTASTIC!
Wings were crispy and cooked to perfection. The flavor was perfect – the teaspoon of kosher salt (I used coarse ground) was exactly the right thing.
The sauce was tart with a little kick; not overpowering.
This will be put into the regular meal rotation at our house for picky wings fans!
Great to hear, thank you Kim!
Just made wings per this recipe and they were just as good if not better than what you get out! ( and YES CRISPY!)
Yay! Thank you Rob!
tasty and easy to make. still turned out great when i used frozen wings. if you’re busy or a little low on energy like me it’s a great recipe :)
Great to hear! Thank you!
These were WAY overcooked. Had to toss out wings and waste money.
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe, Andrew. The timing has worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would have been a hit for you too! I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you.
Best wing sauce ever! I had to air fry another round but so good!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thank you Carolyn!
These were just perfect! I found that they were ready after the two rounds of 12 minutes each and did not need to do the final 6 min. Came out perfectly juicy AND crispy!
Thanks for the feedback Anna!
I made these for the 1st time yesterday. I was hesitant, because they are cooked in the air fryer without the sauce (I prefer my wings saucy). They were remarkable! I will never make wings any other way! The crispiness is restaurant-quality, & tossing them in the sauce afterwards worked well! I’m sharing your recipe on Facebook, so others can enjoy it. Thank you!
Yay! Thank you so much Courtney!