Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Crispiest Ever!)

Prepare to Be Obsessed With Air Fryer Chicken Wings

• Quick. Air frying is quick, great for busy weeknights, and last-minute party snacks.
• Less oil. As much as I love the crunch that comes with deep-frying, these air fryer chicken wings are super crispy, too, without the oil and mess.
• Customizable. The recipe I share here is simple enough that you can really make it your own. Adapt the seasonings and toss your wings in any of your favorite store-bought or homemade wing sauces!

You’ll Need These Ingredients

This is an overview with notes on what you’ll need to make these fuss-free air fryer chicken wings. Scroll for sauce and variation ideas, followed by a printable recipe card with the full recipe amounts and details.

• Chicken Wings – Fresh or frozen (if you’re using frozen wings, make sure they’re completely thawed). You can make this recipe with bone-in or boneless chicken wings. Keep in mind that boneless wings will need a shorter cooking time.
• Baking Powder – This is a secret weapon when making wings at home! Make sure you’re using powder and NOT baking soda. See below.
• Spices – I make a simple chicken seasoning with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Feel free to swap this for your favorite spices or seasoning blend (steak spice also works nicely on chicken wings!).
• Olive Oil Spray – Do NOT use PAM or similar aerosol cooking sprays on your air fryer, as it can damage the non-stick coating on the basket.

What Does Baking Powder Do to Chicken Wings?

Baking powder tenderizes the chicken skin and draws out moisture. As a result, the chicken wings turn out crispier and nicely browned when cooked. It’s a great way to recreate that crispy, “fried” texture when baking or air frying wings.

• Dry the chicken. Take your chicken wings out of the packaging and pat each wing dry using a paper towel. 
• Season the wings. Next, add the wings to a large ziplock bag along with the spices, and give that a shake.

• Air fry. Arrange the wings in a single layer inside the air fryer basket. Give them a spritz with olive oil spray and cook at 400ºF for 18-20 minutes, turning halfway through.
• Rest. Allow the chicken wings to rest for 5 minutes afterward, then serve as-is or toss them with sauce. See below! 

Wing Sauce Ideas

If you’d like to sauce these chicken wings, add the air fryer wings to a large bowl, pour your choice of warmed sauce over them, and toss to coat. These are some easy ideas!

Tips for Successfully Air-Fried Wings

• Dry the wings well. Paper towels are great because they soak up the moisture. Dry chicken wings crisp up better.
• Preheat the air fryer. Make sure it’s good and hot before you add the wings. If the air fryer isn’t hot enough, the wings won’t be as crispy.
• Don’t use aerosols. Very important, so I’ll say it again: No aerosol cooking sprays in the air fryer! Olive oil spray is best, and you can even buy a spritzer bottle from the store and refill it.
• Leave space between the wings. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. The hot air needs space to circulate, so the wings sear instead of steam. Cook in batches if you need to!
• Check that they’re cooked. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that the internal temperature hits 165ºF at the thickest part of the wing.

What to Serve With Homemade Chicken Wings 

I love serving crispy chicken wings with crudités like carrot and celery sticks, with dipping sauces like blue cheese dressing, ranch, sour cream, or honey mustard. They’re perfect for game day, to have next to other football party apps like nachos, this spicy jalapeño popper pizza, and mac and cheese balls.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerate. Keep your leftover chicken wings in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat them within 3 days.
• Reheat. Warm the chicken wings in the air fryer or oven at 350ºF until they’re hot again.
• Freeze. Never buy frozen wings from the store again! These air fryer chicken wings freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge before reheating.

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