Extra crispy air fryer chicken wings are delicious on their own or paired with your favorite wing sauce for game day!
Crispy, air fryer chicken wings are hands-down (wings down?) the best way to make chicken wings for game day.
Growing up, chicken wing night was a big deal in my house. It involved my dad breaking out this massive, cast iron chicken fryer and spending what seemed like forever making batches upon batches of chicken wings.
If we had people over, he’d be standing over the stove making three or five pounds of wings in small batches of six wings at a time. It would take FOREVER to get through them all. The result was always amazing (at least for those of us who did NOT have to babysit a massive chicken fryer for an hour). He had his special wing sauce he’d make, and we’d usually eat them with yellow rice, veggies, and sometimes homemade bread or rolls to soak up all the wing sauce.
The bad side? The smell of deep-fried wings would permeate the house for a while. And I am at the point in my life where I simply cannot fathom deep-frying for that long. He had the patience of a deep-frying saint.
On game day, I’m either craving chicken tenders or wings. Since I just made a batch of chicken tenders for the game the week before, I knew I wanted chicken wings for last night’s game. While I love baked wings, there’s something super special and extremely hands-off (wings off?) about using the air fryer!
My dad loves his air fryer, so I was surprised to find out that he hadn’t attempted wings in it yet. After I showed him how mine turned out, he said he would try it. So, this recipe is for my dad in an attempt to save him time meticulously frying tiny batches of chicken wings for an hour straight!
How to make air fryer chicken wings
You only need a few ingredients for these air fryer chicken wings.
What you need
- Cut chicken wings: You can buy a pack of cut chicken wings or grab the whole wings and cut them yourself. Reserve the tips for broth or stock. Two pounds of cut chicken wings yields 10 to 12 drumettes and flats, so you’ll need 5 to 6 whole wings for this recipe.
- Salt and pepper: For the basic recipe, I keep it simple with salt and pepper. Once you get the hang of air frying the chicken wings, you can get creative with the spices by adding lemon pepper or Old Bay Seasoning!
- Baking powder: Don’t skip the baking powder! It’s the secret to crispy chicken skin. Baking powder’s chemical properties help break down the proteins in the chicken skin. This process pulls out the moisture from the chicken skin. It’s almost like speedrunning a dry brine. Pulling out that excess moisture makes the skin more prone to even browning and crisping up under heat. You only need a scant amount, about ½ teaspoon for a pound of chicken wings.
- Neutral oil: I add a bit of high-heat neutral oil, such as avocado or canola oil, to ensure they won’t stick to the air fryer basket.
How to make it
- Step 1: Pat the wings dry and season them with salt, pepper, and baking powder. Add the neutral oil and toss to coat.
- Step 2: Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF.
- Step 3: Arrange the wings in an even layer in the air fryer basket. Do NOT overcrowd the basket. Cook them in batches if needed. Air fry for 15 minutes. Flip and air fry for 13 to 15 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Ensure the wings have reached 165ºF when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
How long to air fry chicken wings
I see a lot of varying cook times for air fryer chicken wings. I recommend air frying them for about 28 to 30 minutes total. An initial air fry of 15 minutes gives the wings time to render out the fat. This is when they will begin to crisp up. After flipping them, 13 to 15 minutes is enough time to become extra crispy and reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Bear in mind that total cooking time will depend on the size of your wings. If your wings are quite small or very large, I recommend checking the temperature before you flip them and adjusting the cooking time accordingly. My cooking time is based on 6 drumettes with a raw weight of approximately 1½ ounces each and 6 flats with a raw weight of approximately 1 ounce each.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cut chicken wings (see Note 1)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF.
- Pat the chicken dry and season with salt, black pepper, and baking powder. Add the neutral oil. Toss to coat.
Air fry the chicken:
- Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil. Arrange the chicken wings in an even layer. Air fry for 15 minutes.
- Flip the chicken wings and air fry for 13 to 15 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken wings have reached 165ºF.
To serve:
- Serve the chicken wings with your favorite sauce or on their own! Enjoy!
