Air frying is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken wings because you can get crisp skin without dealing with a pot of hot oil. The air fryer circulates hot air around the wings, helping the skin brown and crisp while the meat stays juicy.
It’s also pretty simple once you know the basics. The biggest factors are leaving enough room around the wings, turning them during cooking, and checking the internal temperature before serving. Here’s what you need to know to get crispy air fryer chicken wings.
Tips for cooking chicken wings in an air fryer
Check your air fryer instructions. Air fryers vary quite a bit by model. For example, some manufacturers recommend preheating and others don’t. Follow the directions for your machine. Basket-style and toaster-oven-style air fryers can also cook at slightly different rates.
Start with dry wings. Pat the chicken wings thoroughly dry with paper towels before seasoning them. Removing surface moisture helps the skin crisp rather than steam.
You don’t need much oil. Chicken wings naturally contain plenty of fat, so you generally don’t need to add much oil. A very light coating can help seasonings stick, but avoid soaking or heavily coating the wings in oil.
Season them however you like. Buffalo, lemon pepper, BBQ, garlic Parmesan, Nashville hot, and sweet chili all work well in the air fryer. If you’re using a sugary or sticky sauce, it’s usually better to cook the wings first and toss them with the sauce afterward. This keeps the sauce from burning in the air fryer.
Breading is optional. You don’t need breadcrumbs, flour, eggs, or buttermilk to make crispy air fryer wings. Unlike unbreaded chicken tenders which are lower in fat, plain seasoned wings can become remarkably crisp. If you want extra-crispy skin, toss the wings with a small amount of aluminum-free baking powder before cooking. Don’t substitute baking soda, which can give the wings an unpleasant taste.
If you do want breaded wings, apply a thin, even coating and lightly mist any visible dry flour with cooking spray. Heavy breading can leave dry or floury patches because air fryers don’t immerse the coating in oil the way deep fryers do.
Don’t overcrowd the basket. Arrange the wings in a single layer with a little space between them so hot air can circulate. The exact number you can cook at once depends on the size of your air fryer and wings. Cook in batches if necessary.
Turn the wings during cooking. Flip or toss the wings about halfway through the cooking time. This helps them brown and crisp more evenly.
Check the temperature. Chicken is considered safely cooked when the thickest part reaches at least 165°F. I like to go to 170°F because the additional cooking time helps render the fat and produces more tender meat and crispier skin. Don’t try that trick with chicken breast, though. It will be way to dry.
By the way, did you know you can also cook a whole chicken in an air fryer?
How to: Crispy chicken wings in an air fryer
A good starting point for fresh, thawed chicken wings is about 20 to 25 minutes total. Exact cooking time will vary depending on the size of the wings and your air fryer.
- Air fry at 380°F for15 to 20 minutes, turning halfway through
- Increase the heat to 400°F and cook for another 5 minutes to crisp the skin.
Before serving, check a few of the largest wings with an instant-read thermometer. Once they’re cooked through and as crispy as you like, toss them with your favorite sauce or seasoning and serve them hot.
