These Air Fryer Chicken Wings are SERIOUSLY crispy! Served with your favorite sauce, they’re ready in just 25 minutes with minimal clean up.
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Do you ever just crave a crispy, juicy, delicious basket of wings without having to go out?
For some reason, my kids love appetizers for dinner and we can make a meal out of these Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Nacho Fries and this Easy Stromboli!
The more I use my air fryer the more I love it!
Nothing beats that crispy exterior (with less oil!) and juicy interior.
Some of our other air fryer favorites are these Air Fryer Meatballs, Boneless Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and this Air Fryer Chicken Breast — they are all so juicy and flavorful.
But these wings — you have got to give them a try!
Ingredients Needed for Air Fryer Chicken Wings:
- Chicken Wings: split chicken wings are what I use for this recipe, skin on for the best crispy coating!
- Oil: this is how we get that golden exterior!
- Corn Starch: soaks up any excess moisture and creates a nice crust.
- Seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika: all add a ton of flavor! I use Lawry’s seasoning salt, but whichever is your favorite will work.
- Sauce: this is optional (they taste amazing without any), but you can use buffalo sauce, barbecue sauce, or any of your favroites! They also taste great with this Garlic Parmesan Wing Sauce.
How to make air fryer wings:
- Preheat the air fryer so that the wings start cooking when you get them in there. While it’s doing this, dry the wings with paper towel well (wet meat doesn’t brown!).
- Oil and season the chicken wings. Mixing corn starch into your seasoning is the key, because corn starch coats the wings easily and absorbs any excess moisture– making the crispiest chicken wings you’ve ever had.
- Then the air fryer does the rest of the work! You only have to flip them once during cooking, and they turn out so crispy and perfectly juicy!
They are just as easy as making these Crockpot Chicken Wings, but they come together even quicker!
Air Fryer Chicken Wings FAQs
In just 15-20 minutes these wings are ready to serve! The exact cook time will depend on the size of your chicken wings and how full your air fryer is. Your best bet is to check every 5 minutes until they are done.
Technically, yes. But if you really want crispy and flavorful chicken wings, the oil is key. The oil allows the seasoning and corn starch to adhere to the chicken wings and give them that crispy coating. Without it, they may be seasoned but they definitely won’t be as crispy.
Classic Buffalo sauce is always a good bet, but this Homemade BBQ Sauce or the sauce from this Honey Garlic Chicken would be amazing!
In the unlikely case that you happen to have leftovers, they can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to three days.
To reheat, simply preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees and cook until heated through, 4-5 minutes.
That depends on what your family enjoys. This recipe was made in an 8 quart Chefman air fryer and we love it! It works great. But I haven’t tried them all, obviously ๐
Absolutely! They will take a little more time, though. Simply toss in oil and seasoning as the recipe calls for, and cook for 20-30 minutes, checking every 5-10 minutes until done.
How to split chicken wings:
If you can’t find already split chicken wings, you can split for own!
- Cut wings into three pieces. Start by stretching out the wing on your cutting board and cutting between the joint of the drumette and the wingette.
- Then make a second cut between the wingette and the wing tip.
- Place drumettes and wingettes in a large bowl. You can save and freeze the wing tips to make chicken stock!
split chicken wings ready for seasoning
How to cook frozen chicken wings in the air fryer:
Cooking frozen chicken wings in the air fryer is easy to do!
Simply toss in oil and seasoning as the recipe calls for, and cook for 10 minutes, then flip and continue cooking for 10-20 minutes until done and crispy, checking every 5-10 minutes until done.
The only problem you make encounter is that the coating and seasoning does not stick as well with frozen chicken wings, since they will release some moisture as they cook. If this happens, you can season again and cook for 5-8 minutes until crispy.
More appetizers you’ll love:
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 pound split chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅓ cup Buffalo sauce (or use another sauce, or none at all!)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400℉ for 5 minutes.
- Place chicken wings in a medium bowl and dry with paper towel (wet meat doesn't get crispy!)
- Drizzle oil over chicken. Combine corn starch, garlic powder, seasoning, salt, pepper and paprika. Sprinkle over wings and toss until thoroughly coated.
- Place seasoned chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket. It is okay for the chicken pieces to touch, they will shrink down while cooking.
- Cook 15-20 minutes, turning once with tongs half way through. Toss with buffalo sauce or choose another sauce you enjoy.
Nutrition Information
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Allison says
Great flavors. I’ve done this recipe several times with wings, chicken tenders and breasts, it’s worked great every time!
Tess says
Made these tonight and they were delicious! My husband couldn’t believe how crispy they came out! They were so easy to make! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Tess! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Sharon says
This recipe is fantastic. My wings were crispy and juicy. This is a keeper will make it many times thank you.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sharon! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Sharon says
Making them again!! Husband only wants this recipe every time!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sharon! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Cherry Spangenberg says
I just tried to make this…and well…it didn’t work! I’m not happy tht I’m still trying to fix this mess!
The Recipe Rebel says
Iโm sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe, Cherry. The method, timing, and ingredients have worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would of been a hit for you too.
Gena says
We made these wings last night in our new air fryer and they were SO crispy and delicious!! The seasoning was spot on. I will never order take out wings again! If you love tasty CRISPY wings then you have to make these! I think when we make them again, I might try some lemon pepper seasoning since that is my favorite chicken wing flavor (dry rub). MAKE THESE – you will not be sorry!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Gena! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for the review!
Robert E Beck Jr says
I do small batches for my wife and me this is a very good recipe, crispy on the out side and juice inside. I’m 71and love trying new dishes.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Robert! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Mark says
I make mine by putting them in a zip lock bag with a packet of McCormick Buffalo Chicken Wing seasoning and shake it. Would adding some corn starch to the seasoning make them more crispy? Thanks?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mark! I have no idea. I haven’t tried that seasoning before or tested it out. Sorry!
Debbie says
Hands down, this is the best recipe for wings. My husband and I loved them. Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Debbie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Martha says
Perfect wings. Coated in BBQ sauce. Truly the best!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Martha! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Lisia says
I followed this recipe to the exact, and OMGEEE! These was fantastic.. Loved loved loved these
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lisia! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Shannon Siebe says
These are the bomb!!! I’ve tried other ones, but these are the best! Must be the corn starch? Regardless, my new favorite wing method!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Shannon! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Stephanie says
What temp on thw air fryer?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Stephanie! It’s in Step 1 of the instructions. 400 degrees.
Lisa says
Can you bake them ?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lisa! Here is my baked version: https://www.thereciperebel.com/baked-chicken-wings/
Streamguy says
Are the wings frozen or fresh and also do I need to spray my air fryer basket so chicken doesnโt stick? Thanks
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! These are fresh and I did not spray my basket. Hope you enjoy it!
Jennifer says
Yes, they are excellent. I would like your Buffalo sauce recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jennifer! I don’t have a buffalo sauce recipe, it’s just store bought. So glad you enjoyed the wings!
Fergy says
I made these tonite and they came out simply perfect..next time, though I am going to spice them up a bit more with some added cayenne..I love hot stuff..thanks for a great recipe..
Linda says
These wings are delicious! The spice blend is very flavorful, and the wings are super crispy. I mixed all of the ingredients together in a Ziploc bag, threw them in the RV frig, and made them for camping. I just bought another giant pack of wings at Samโs Club so I can make them again next weekend! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Linda! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
Ellen says
Much crispier than others Iโve made but would increase seasonings next time.
Sandra says
Can you substitute the corn starch with something else if you don’t have any
Ashley Fehr says
Yep! You can use 1 tablespoon flour plus 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Russell Kanner says
Forgot to emphasize how good that simple spice blend was. Really the high point
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Russell!
Sheryl says
I made these tonight for the second time in less than a week! These are amazing! My hubby who is pretty picky about his wings loves these. I just wish I had a bigger air fryer so I could make more at the same time. I used a 2-1/2 lb bag of wings and drumettes and had to do in 3 shifts. These were so crispy and flavorful. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Sheryl! I’m glad you liked them!
Allie says
Made these last night and they were absolutely perfect! The cornstarch mixed in with the spice blend was amazing. Super flavorful and they had a great crisp coating. So yummy and plates were cleared. Thank you for posting this!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Allie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!