These crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings take 5 minutes to prep with basic pantry seasonings. They can be cooked from fresh or frozen and have multiple different sauce options.
Air Fryer Wings are the easiest!
Air Fryer Wings are the easiest!Really though, Air Fryer Chicken Wings are a MUST on game day! I do still love my original crispy baked chicken wings but I love how air fryer wings effortlessly achieve the crisp we want and only take 5 minutes to prep.
Toss them up in any wing sauce you want; it’s fun to have a few different flavors! My wing sauce recipe is a sweet and spicy buffalo sauce, but we also love them with Hot honey, BBQ sauce, and Ranch.
Check out all of my appetizers like Popcorn Chicken, Ham and Cheese Sliders, BBQ Meatballs, and Pulled Pork Nachos!
How to make Air Fryer Chicken Wings:
Dry and Season: Pat wings dry with paper towels. This step is essential for the wings to be crispy. Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and baking powder (has to be aluminum free baking powder) in a small bowl then sprinkle it over the wings. Toss the wings so they all get evenly coated in the seasoning.
Air Fry: Place wings in the air fryer basket, skin side up. Turn them every 5 minutes during cooking time, until they are crispy and browned (15-20 minutes). Remove from air fryer and rest for 5 minutes before tossing in your favorite sauce. Try the buffalo sauce down in the recipe card or Honey BBQ, BBQ, or Ranch!
For Perfectly Crispy Wings:
- Pat them Dry. Use paper towels and get the wings as dry as you can before you add seasonings.
- Use aluminum-free Baking Powder. This will help the chicken wings have that perfectly brown crispy coating we love. I like to use the red label Rumford brand. Aluminum free is essential or the flavor will be off.
- Don’t Stack the Wings. When you arrange the wings in the air fryer, make sure they are in a single layer and have a little space between.
Recipes Variations:
- Baked Chicken Wings.
- Frozen Chicken Wings: Follow the recipe to prep and season the wings then cook them in the air fryer frozen. Add on about 10 additional minutes, until they are cooked and crispy.
Serve With:
- Fresh Veggies and Homemade Ranch
- Other finger foods or game-day appetizers, like:
- French Fries
- Potato Wedges
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- Rice Pilaf
- Buttermilk Cornbread
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Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken wings , halved at joints, wing tips discarded
- 2 Tablespoons baking powder (aluminum free)*
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Buffalo Sauce:
- 1/3 cup Frank's Wings Hot Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Dry wings with paper towels. This is essential to getting a crispy coating.
- Season: Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and baking powder in a small bowl then sprinkle seasoning over the wings, tossing to evenly coat.
- Air Fry: Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees. Spray the fry basket with cooking spray. Arrange wings in an even layer, skin side up. Spray the top of the wings with cooking spray and air fry, turning the wings every 5 minutes for about 15 minutes or until crispy. Total cook time will depend on the size of the wings and air fryer but may take up to 20 minutes.
- Sauce: Remove from air fryer allow to rest for 5 minutes before tossing in desired sauce.
- Buffalo wing sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat stir together all sauce ingredients. Mix well until sugar has dissolved.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe April 2021. Updated December 2023 and January 2025.
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So good! Husband said better than restaurant and he is the cook in the family.
Added garlic powder to the sauce. Yum.
Love hearing this!!
Doesn’t work, coating flakes off.
I tried this recipe and don’t know what I did wrong. I followed the directions to a T and the skin on the wings were tough. I did use my air fryer. I have the emril Lagasse one.
And it was almost like I could taste the baking powder. I used my own sauce but I know it had to do something with the way I cooked them. Any suggestions
I’m not sure what went wrong other than that I would check that you used aluminum free baking powder, and if the wings were tough it may be more due to the quality of the meat purchased, then the cooking method.
Question regarding the amount of light brown sugar. Is that correct
Yes, the amount is correct! If you don’t like sweet wings you can use a different sauce!
Great recipe! Wings were crispy and delicious
This recipe is a great foundation for chicken wings. The wings came out crispy. I used straight wing sauce as I don’t like my wings sweet. I will definitely use this recipe again. Thanks
Wow! You have got to make these wings. Easy recipe and great directions. I set my air fryer to 400 degrees and flipped every 5 minutes for 20 minutes. The wings came out crispy and so flavorful. Its a keeper!
Just made your gumbo. 👍👍👍 it’s delicious. I’m going to follow you totally 💕❤️👍 thank you
THE ABSOLUTE BEST CHICKEN WINGS according to my husband and his buddy watching football this past Saturday! I left some crispy and some I covered in barbeque sauce and broiled in the oven… his buddy even asked for the recipe! Thanks for making this wife look good! 😉
What a game changer! Never would I have thought to do wings in the air fryer, but I am so glad I saw this post. We were looking for any excuse to make wings (although, admittedly, my husband was a little skeptical about making them in the air fryer). They couldn’t have been better! They were cooked perfectly – they had a nice crispy outside and it took half the time of doing them on the grill. Will definitely be making these in the air fryer from now on. Thanks for all the great tips!