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- Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Wings Recipe
- Basic Ingredients
- Seasoning Variations
- How To Cook Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer
- Tips For The Best Air Fryer Wings
- How Long To Cook Wings In An Air Fryer?
- How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Wings In An Air Fryer?
- Storage Instructions
- What To Serve With Air Fryer Wings
- More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
- Recommended Tools
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe (Super Crispy!)
This air fryer chicken wings recipe is my favorite way to cook wings, because they get SO crispy! With just a couple simple ingredients and a few minutes of prep time, these are as easy as it gets, but also easy to customize with your favorite sauce. Perfect for game day, or–let’s be real–or any day! Let me show you how to cook chicken wings in the air fryer perfectly — I’ll show you the simple steps and a few key tips for the crispiest skin ever.
If you like air fryer chicken recipes, try air fryer drumsticks or whole chicken next. For those, there’s a different method for getting the skin super crispy.
Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Wings Recipe
- Juicy, flavorful, and tender chicken
- Super crispy skin
- Just 2 simple ingredients (plus salt and pepper)
- No oil required
- Only 5 minutes to prep
- Packed with tips for the best air fryer chicken wings ever – see below!

Basic Ingredients
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for wings in the air fryer, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Chicken Wings – Buy them trimmed, or separate whole chicken wings at the joint (to make wingettes and drumettes) before cooking.
- Baking Powder – This surprising ingredient makes the wings nice and crispy! This is because it soaks up extra moisture, helping to dry the skin. (Be careful not to use baking soda by mistake, which won’t work and will have an aftertaste.)
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Seasoning Variations
Chicken wings in an air fryer are delicious plain, but you can also mix it up with a variety of seasonings or sauces:
- Simple Spices – If you don’t want to make any special seasoning or sauce, the easiest way to spice up your wings with sometjhing basic like garlic powder or paprika.
- Lemon Pepper – Season with lemon pepper seasoning, or try my baked lemon pepper wings.
- Buffalo – Cook wings as written below, and after cooking, toss in this buffalo sauce.
- Ranch – Skip the salt and season wings with dry ranch seasoning instead.
- Cajun – Skip the salt and season wings with Cajun seasoning.
- Garlic Parmesan – Air fry wings like below, and toward the end, toss in the sauce from this garlic parmesan wings recipe. (Some Italian seasoning is also delicious with this one.)
No matter what seasoning or sauce you use, I recommend keeping the baking powder on the skin — it’s the key to super crispy air fryer wings.

How To Cook Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer
This section shows how to make chicken wings in the air fryer, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Dry. Pat the wings with paper towels to dry them. This is another key tip for making them crispy!
- Season. In a large bowl, toss wings with baking powder, sea salt, and black pepper.

- Air fry at low heat. Place wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook in batches to not overcrowd. Cook at 250 degrees F for 15 minutes.
- Flip & air fry at high heat. Flip wings and increase the temperature to 430 degrees F. Air fry until wings are cooked through on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Tips For The Best Air Fryer Wings
- Let wings come to room temperature if you have time. This is not required, but letting them sit out for 20-30 minutes before cooking will help them cook more evenly.
- Dry the skin. Moisture is the enemy of crispy skin, so patting dry with paper towels helps you achieve maximum crispiness.
- Use the right salt ratio. A good rule of thumb for meat and poultry is a teaspoon of salt per pound of meat, but since chicken wings have mostly bones, only about 1/3 of their weight is actually meat. This air fryer chicken wing recipe is for 2 pounds of wings, which is about 11 ounces of meat, and that’s why I used 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Adjust accordingly if you make a bigger or smaller batch.
- Sprinkle baking powder on the skin. This is the main trick for extra crispy skin! Don’t skip it.
- Grease the air fryer if needed. Mine is pretty nonstick, but you can spray with cooking spray or brush lightly with olive oil before adding the wings if you like, for easier cleanup.
- Don’t crowd the air fryer basket. This ensures that the air can flow through and crisp up the skin. It’s okay if the wings touch a little, but try not to have their entire sides touching. If you have patience to have them not touching each other at all, even better.
- Start at low temperature. Cooking the wings at 250 degrees F first makes the meat super juicy. Also, if you are cooking frozen chicken wings in the air fryer, starting at low temp helps them cook more evenly.
- Flip and max out the heat. Flipping halfway through helps with even cooking as well, and increasing the heat is necessary to crisp up the skin on the outside.
- Check internal temperature. The best way to know the wings are done is to use a meat thermometer to confirm that the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
How Long To Cook Wings In An Air Fryer?
Air fry chicken wings for 15 minutes at 250 degrees F first, then flip and air fry for 15-20 more minutes at 430 degrees F. The total time is 30-35 minutes.
How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Wings In An Air Fryer?
Air fry frozen chicken wings for 25 minutes at 250 degrees F (that’s 10 minutes longer than thawed ones), then flip, increase heat, and proceed with the same cooking time (15-20 more minutes), until crispy and cooked through.
If you prefer to thaw the chicken wings first (for more even cooking), you can do so in a few ways:
- Water: Put the wings in a zip top bag (not straight into the water!), then place the bag into a bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water and use something heavy to submerge the wings in the water.
- Microwave: The defrost setting on your microwave is by far the fastest way to thaw chicken wings, but can lead to pre-cooked spots. Select the weight of wings you have, and rotate frequently if your microwave doesn’t have a turntable. (Cook immediately with this method.)
- Fridge: Thaw frozen chicken wings overnight in the refrigerator.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover cooked wings in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Can you freeze air fryer chicken wings?
Yes, freeze air fryer chicken drumettes in an airtight container the freezer for 2-3 months.
How to reheat wings in the air fryer?
Reheat wings in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes, until hot.

What To Serve With Air Fryer Wings
- Dipping sauces – Blue cheese dressing is a classic, and ranch dressing, keto teriyaki sauce, or bbq sauce are always hits. For a spicy sauce, try buffalo sauce or hot sauce.
- Raw veggies – Carrots and celery sticks are classic sides to air fryer wings. You can also use cucumber, radishes, or bell pepper strips.
- Air fryer veggies – Serve the best air fryer chicken wings with a veggie like air fryer eggplant, air fryer brussels sprouts, or air fryer zucchini chips.
- Simple salads – Veggie salads always pair well with wings! Try my creamy cucumber salad, coleslaw, or wedge salad.
- Other appetizers – Serve wings with rotel dip, zucchini pizza bites, or caprese salad skewers.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
If you like this air fryer chicken wings recipe, you might also like some of these other easy air fryer recipes:
Recommended Tools
- Air Fryer – My favorite basket air fryer for all my air fryer recipes!
- Air Fryer Oven – If you want to make a bigger batch of air fryer wings, this version has a space for two racks.
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe
Reader Favorite Recipes
The recipe card is below! Readers that made this also viewed these recipes:
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe (Super Crispy!)
Learn how to cook chicken wings in an air fryer! This easy air fryer chicken wings recipe includes tricks for extra crispy skin, seasoning ideas, and even how to air fry frozen wings.
Recipe Video
Tap on the image below to watch the video.Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy recipes weekly! (Click the bell icon to be notified when I post a new video.)
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Pat the chicken wings very dry with paper towels. (This will help them get crispy.)
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In a large bowl, toss the wings with baking powder, sea salt and black pepper.
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Place the chicken wings in the air fryer in a single layer, without touching too much. (Cook in batches if they don't fit.)
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Air fry the chicken wings for 15 minutes at 250 degrees F. (If your wings are frozen, add an extra 10 minutes at this step.)
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Flip the wings over. Increase the air fryer temperature to 430 degrees F (or the highest your air fryer goes). Air fry for about 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken wings are done and crispy.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 4-6 chicken wings, or 1/4 of entire recipe
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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149 Comments
Rosanne
First thing I made in air fryer worth making again! TY
Phillip
Cooked with your Instructions and my spices cumin, chili powder, garlic powder sea salt, and the baking powder, and thought they came out fantastic. Will use this method from now on thx a lot.
Ben
I was pleasantly surprised how enjoyable these wings were! I added some Chinese five spice to the blend with a firecracker sauce… awesome wings! Crispy, juicy,tasty!
Raymond
Just made these wings and they are great no sauce needed…. did dip in sriracha and it was amazing…. thank you for the recipe
Vince
These air-fryers sometimes take some experimenting to get different foods cooked just right…Even when going by recipes in the included cookbook. Also, there are the “Preset” buttons for certain foods like chicken, fish, french fries, etc. The other thing is when you have an air-fryer that has different levels for the cooking racks. The top-level for braising and searing…The middle rack, basically, for best air-flow, which also possibly acts to virtually rotisserie food without having to fuss around with a spit… Then there’s the bottom level which pretty much serves as a way to bake food. Combine all of this with cooking-times and what to set the temperature at and things start to get quite interesting. Ultimately though, air-fryers serve as a great tool for cooking healthy meals quickly. I’ve had mine (Door with window) made by Faberware, for about 8 months now and I’m just having such much fun using it.
Lamar
Thank you. This is the best chicken wing air fryer recipe that I have ever used. I have tried to cook wings in the air fryer for a long time and I have not come close to regular fried wings. This recipe was as close as I can possibly get to actual fried wings which were excellent! It took a little bit longer in time than I really wanted but the end result is perfect. I would give this recipe at 10 star if I could.
Cindi
Um….YUM! I don’t usually comment but I HAD TO!
Rich
Tried these recently…did not grease the basket or crisping tray in my Bella fryer. The baking powder and chicken fat combined to create deposits on the non-stick surfaces about the same hardness as concrete! No amount of scrubbing/soaking would remove them. Finally placed in dishwasher which resulted in removing the deposits AND the non-stick coating under each deposit. Spoke with Bella CS – not covered under warranty and they do not sell replacement parts – SOL 🙁 Will be using parchment paper in the future – lesson learned…
Gail
Is gluten free powder necessary? just bought my air fryer and trying to learn.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Gail, Baking powder is a necessity in keto cooking, however, unless you are strictly clean keto it does not have to be gluten-free.
Paula
My husband and I just made these wings. They are the best wings I have ever eaten! And we eat lots of wings. No more having to go out for wings.
I didnt even use a sauce, they were soooo good as is! Thank you for sharing. This will be a staple in our home!
Lisa
When I buy fresh chicken, I wash them first. Do I let it dry first before I cook in the air fryer? Or is it ok to cook right away after I wash them?
Wholesome Yum
Hi Lisa, you’ll want to thoroughly pat the chicken dry.
Anna
I did this recipe however I could not eat the wings the taste was horrible… perhaps I put too much baking powder or baking powder was bad? Could either of these reason be possible?
Wholesome Yum
Hi Anna, that could be possible. Is there also a chance you used baking soda instead of baking powder?
Tracey
I am so grateful for your reply because I too experienced the worst tasting chicken I’ve ever had but they were beautiful in appearance. After reading through the comments and coming upon this one I realized I too mistakenly used baking soda instead of baking powder, LOL!!! Can’t wait to try this recipe again with the correct ingredient. Baking POWDER!!!
Amy
I made these and they didn’t turn out at all but I used a Farberware Airfryer that just had the one basket. They never got crispy at all and I cooked them forever.
Wholesome Yum
Hi Amy, did you arrange your wings in a single layer? They won’t get crispy if they are in more than one layer.
Diane
The best wing recipe for an air fryer on Pinterest.
Excellent recipe.
Lorri
Made these tonight for the first time. Oh my goodness! It won’t be the last time. They were incredible!!!!!
Steven
I made this exactly as written, super good and crispy! I will tweak it a little next time by adding a little more salt and probably some paprika……other than that, cooking low first and high second is the ticket! My air fryer can only hold 8 pieces so this is definitely an appetizer recipe, I keep each batch warm in the oven at 170 degrees.
Zerra
I never used the Baking Soda before in my AirFryer Chicken Wings… #GameChanger
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Zerra, I recommend using baking powder, not baking soda. The crispy effect will be similar, but with baking soda you might get that baking soda aftertaste.
Frank
Hello, my Air fryer has recipes that say one of the ingredients is 1Tbsp of olive oil, where and how do you use it?
Wholesome Yum
Hi Frank, you would probably coat the wings in oil before air frying them. This recipe needs no oil, though.
Laura
Hi. Could you tell me how I would make these into dry lemon pepper wings? If it works the same as when I make them in the oven, I just pick the lemon pepper seasoning I prefer and coat them in the seasoning and bake in the oven. But, what about making them in my air fryer?
Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Laura, I would use the same recipe here (including the baking powder), and just add the seasoning you want in addition.
Melody
Just made these in my GoWiseUSA air fryer!! Excellent! Crispy skin! Going to experiment with seasonings next time!
When I read the recipe and comments and saw the first comment with another Melody I knew that was my sign!!!
Melody
I just bought an air fryer and tried this recipe for the first time! Best chicken wings I ever cooked!
Kathy
The only issue I had was eating too many!! I am soooo picky and these are the best wings I’ve ever had! And I’m 59!
Jude
HI. Some baking powders come with an arrowroot base vs corn starch. More suitable for those avoiding all grains or a corn intolerance. I’m pretry sure it”s the absorbent starch base that does the drying. Mean to experiment with a batch of wings comparing all 3 methods. Ta! ~Jude
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Jude! Would love to hear how that goes for you.
Katie
I love this idea! So much healthier than frying them in oil, and the flavor is so good!!
Hope
I so need to get an air fryer! These look so tasty!
Megan
Delicious!!!! I think it’s time for me to an air fryer, finally. I love how simple your recipe is and that you get that crispy skin with just simple ingredients.
Zuzana
This is why I need Air Fryer right this moment. Love it.
Erin
These are fantastic!
Raia
They are so delicious and crispy!
Renee
Ok, this is so cool! My husband adores wings – a great recipe for my air fryer! Thanks!
Jean
I recently learned about the baking powder trick and it’s seriously a game changer! This looks so crispy and amazing.
Amanda
These are going to be a regular for our sports nights. (Watching, not playing that is!) Wings were a big hit. You have some great air fryer recipes. I’m looking forward to trying all of them.
Chelsea
How did you put in the button to change the servings? I am creating a blog and love this feature.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Chelsea, It’s part of my recipe plugin.
Frannie
Will this recipe work for other chicken parts – such as thighs? Not a big wing fan.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Frannie, Yes, you can make it using other chicken parts, but the cook time might differ.
Sandi
I need to figure out my new air fryer so I can make these again. They were so good.
Leslie
These look amazing. I think I’ll surprise my hubby with these for a Valentine’s Day appetizer.
Emily
What a good tip about replacing baking powder with baking soda and cream of tartar. I will definitely use homemade baking powder now.
Sues
I just got an air fryer and have been collecting recipes I want to make with it. This looks like a fabulous chicken wing recipe to try out!
Kim
So much flavor and so easy too! Love this!
Helen
Air frying is such a good way of enjoying chicken wings without the greasiness of deep frying. This is a great recipe for a delicious alternative and extra crispy is certainly the best choice.
Aimee
LOVE these air fryer wings. They turned out so crispy!
Sarah
Thank you for such great information on air frying wings. You answered all my questions!
April
I really need an air fryer – just so I can make these wings! Yum!
Layne
Thank you for the Air fryer recipe! Recently bought a GoWiseUSA air fryer and haven’t used it much. This will help me get the incentive
Maya | Wholesome Yum
You’re very welcome, Layne! I love mine! Hope you’ll try these in it.
Justine
Our favorite appetizer ever.
Courtney
Extra crispy is always the way to go!
Valentina
So cool you can make something so crispy in an air fryer! I have one and have been experimenting with it, but haven’t tried something like this yet. Thanks for the recipe and idea!
Wilhelmina
Your tip about baking powder is one I will have to try! Thanks!
Guy
Um, isn’t baking soda + cream of tarter the ingredients used to make baking powder?
TillyEats
These were so crispy!
Krissy
This chicken is so crispy and full of flavor! Such a great way to have this classic chicken without all the fat of frying! Great recipe!