Air fryer chicken wings are perfectly crispy on the outside and wonderfully juicy on the inside. Plus, you won’t have to worry about excess grease — or a lot of clean-up!
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Cooking Wings in Air Fryer
You just found your new favorite way to make extra crispy chicken wings in the air fryer. I air fry at two different temperatures — higher for the last 5 minutes — to give you the crispiest and crunchiest results you’ll ever taste.
Another trick for crispy chicken wings in the air fryer? I add the sauce after they’ve been air fried. You want the wings to be as dry as possible for that crunch I know you’re after.
I almost always add buffalo sauce (my husband is from Buffalo, NY, and is kind of obsessed), but you can use your favorite. Perfect as an appetizer for game day, or a savory snack, they’re ready in just 25 minutes!
What You’ll Learn About Cooking Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer in this
- How to make crispy and crunchy chicken wings in the air fryer without having to worry about deep frying them!
- All of the ingredients (and equipment) you’ll need to prepare air fryer chicken wings.
- Answers to some frequently asked questions about whipping up air fryer wings and my advice on how to make them extra tasty.
Air fryer chicken wings are the ultimate appetizer. When you make them in your air fryer, you can ditch that dangerous vat of hot oil without giving up on any flavor or crunchiness! Score!
Chicken Wing Air Fryer Ingredients
- Chicken Drumettes and Flats
- Salt & Pepper
- Homemade Buffalo Sauce – or your choice of sauce
How to make Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
STEP ONE: Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees F. While you wait, prepare your chicken wings. Trim or separate them if necessary. You want to aim to create a flat and a “drumette” for each wing. Feel free to discard the tips.
Pat the wings dry as a dry wing equals a crispy wing. A lot of excess moisture could cause them to go soggy in the air fryer.
STEP TWO: Coat the poultry with a generous amount of salt and a touch of pepper. Cook the wings at 380 degrees F for about 20-22 minutes.
Shake the basket or flip the wings halfway through so that they crisp up evenly.
STEP THREE: Next, increase the temperature to 400 degrees F and cook for 4-5 more minutes so that your air fryer chicken wings become golden brown and crispy on the outside.
Coat with whatever sauce you’d like and enjoy ‘em while they’re hot!
How Long Do You Cook Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer?
You’ll have to cook your air fryer wings for about 20 minutes at 380 degrees F, then for about 5 minutes more at 400 degrees F.
I like using this technique as the final 5 minutes at a higher temperature does an amazing job at crisping them up. You won’t believe they aren’t deep-fried!
Wing Sauces to Try:
Chicken Wings Recipe Air Fryer FAQ
You should save the sauce for after your air fryer wings have cooked. I definitely encourage you to add salt and pepper before placing them inside the air fryer.
But, if you want the extra crispy results I keep talking about, you want the wings to be as dry as possible. Once they are cooked, you can choose to add whatever sauce you like best!
Follow these directions if you are reheating chicken wings in the air fryer with sauce already on them to avoid a super messy air fryer!
You can, but you need to be careful about the way that you do it. You can let the chicken wings touch, but do not officially stack them on top of each other or they won’t cook evenly.
If you do stack your air fryer chicken wings, add an extra minute or two into the initial cooking time. It’s also crucial to give it a good shake halfway through.
Some people like to place a layer of aluminum foil in the basket before adding the food. You aren’t required to for my chicken wings in the air fryer recipe.
What’s more, you can’t add aluminum foil to every air fryer. If you’re just getting started with this incredible kitchen appliance, I wrote a helpful article where I explain why.
Your chicken wings may not get crispy in the air fryer for a few different reasons.
– The chicken wings aren’t dry – pat the wings dry (dry wings = crispy wings) and season them with salt and pepper before adding them to the basket
– The wings are overcrowded in the air fryer basket — you need to leave ample space for the hot air to circulate properly. Air fry chicken wings in a single layer for best results
– The temperature is not hot enough – remember to increase the temperature to 400 degrees F for the last 5 minutes for super crispy results!
Other Chicken Wing Recipes (Air Fryer)
- Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings With Baking Powder
- Ninja Foodi Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Garlic Parm Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Dry Rub
- Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Frozen Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Boneless Wings
- 35 of the Best Air Fryer Chicken Wing Recipes
Chicken Wings Recipe (Air Fryer)
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken drumettes and flats
- salt and pepper to taste
- [One homemade recipe of buffalo sauce optional ]
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees.
- Trim or separate wings at the joint if needed, creating a flat and drumette per chicken wing. Discard the tips.
- Pat chicken wings dry — you will want them as dry as possible to help crisp them up.
- Coat chicken wings with a generous amount of salt and a little pepper.
- Cook wings at 380 degrees until cooked through, about 20-22 minutes shaking the basket or flipping wings halfway through.
- Increase air fryer temperature to 400 degrees and cook until chicken wings get a nice crispy outside, about 4-5 minutes.
- Coat with homemade buffalo sauce or other desired sauce.
- Enjoy immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.
this looks so yummy! would love to try this!
Should the wings be fresh or frozen?
Hi Sarah, I recommend cooking fresh wings in the air fryer for the best results. If you have frozen ones, just let them thaw out before cooking.
The nutrition info is confusing. The total carb count of 16 seems quite high for the ingredients but then, without benefit of fiber, the net carb count goes to 0. Huh? Is there a typo there?
Hi Karen, please see the above comment. This has been corrected. Thanks!
I’m sure the confusion was because of the Buffalo sauce. That’s where the carbs are.
How is there 16 grams of carbs in chicken wings?? There are no carbs in meat. I’m confused.
Hi Jacklin, thanks for bringing that to my attention. It looks like the nutrition was thrown off by the term “chicken wings.” Weird, right? I went ahead and corrected it, but please keep in mind exact nutrition will depend on the exact type of products used.
This Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce article has helped me a lot, is very well written, I’m glad I found it.
These are the best wings EVER!!! So crispy and so flavorful they don’t even need the sauce.
I’m so glad you loved them, Krista!
I made this yesterday in the air fryer in the oven! YUMMY!!
These wings are amazing! We also love the buffalo sauce recipe!!
Do you flip the wings halfway during cooking time?
Hi Danielle, yes, you should shake the basket or flip the chicken wings halfway through cooking to let them cook evenly. This is included up in the post, but I just added it into the recipe directions on the bottom. Thanks!
I didn’t see receipe for the z,,sauce
Hi Ruby, there is a link to the buffalo sauce within the recipe card and also in the post. This allows you to use the easy homemade kind or your favorite buffalo sauce, whether homemade or store-bought. Enjoy!
Yum! I just made wings in my airfryer for my blog and was surprised at how well they turned out. I’m going to try these too!
Could these be done in the rotisserie basket?
Yes, you can!