Air fryer chicken wings are a cult following for a reason. With air fryer chicken wings you get delicious, golden and crispy chicken wings every single time.
Air fryer chicken wings are the perfect protein filled snack, meal or make a great addition to any event you are hosting or attending. Air fryer chicken wings are perfect for game day too.
How do you get delicious, golden and crispy chicken wings every time?
The air fryer is the only method I use to make chicken wings. This method will get you delicious, golden and crispy wings in 25 minutes.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Wings:
- Place 12-15 chicken wings into a large mixing bowl.
- The chicken wings should be defrosted and separated into drum and flat. The amount of chicken wings you place into the mixing bowl depends on how large your basket or tray is. The large tray in the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer can accommodate at least 12-15 wings.
- Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle Tony’s Creole Seasoning all over the chicken wings. Instead of Tony’s Creole Seasoning you can use salt, pepper and paprika or seasoning of your choice. Mix with tongs or your hands to evenly coat all chicken wings with olive oil and seasoning. You can omit the olive oil but I find a small amount of olive oil helps the wings from sticking to the basket.
- Spray the basket with olive oil spray. Add the wings in a single layer to the air fryer tray. Give the wings some room, let them breathe.
- Select Airfry and cook for 20-25 minutes. I find that the first batch takes 25 minutes then the second batch I cook only takes 20 minutes since the air fryer is preheated or warm. See, Should you preheat your air fryer post here.
- Flip the air fryer chicken wings half way through cooking time then continue cooking.
- The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer has a convenient preset function for air fryer chicken wings. After selecting the airfry button you scroll through the menu to wings. The air fryer will automatically be set at 400 degrees F at 25 minutes.
Is it better to bake or air fry chicken wings?
Chicken wings in the air fryer are more crispy and faster to cook. In general, chicken wings in the oven take 45 minutes to an hour versus air fryer chicken wings which take 20-25 minutes. Air fryer chicken wings are much healthier than traditional chicken wings that are deep fried.
What are the best sauces for chicken wings?
- Barbecue sauce
- Bleu Cheese
- Ranch
- Buffalo sauce
- Sriracha sauce
- Honey mustard
- Sweet chili
- Ketchup
What are the best sides to serve with chicken wings?
You will often see chicken wings served or plated with celery and carrots. Celery and carrots are great options as they give you another crunchy option,are healthy and give you another excuse to use your dipping sauces. Here is a list of other sides:
- Creamy mac and cheese
- French fries or tater tots
- Corn on the cob
- Rice
- Mashed potato
- Sweet potato
- Coleslaw
- Potato salad
- wedge lettuce salad
Why are my chicken wings not crispy?
Overcrowding or stuffing the air fryer tray or basket is the main reason that your chicken wings may not be crispy enough. The air fryer circulates hot air around the food. As a general rule, you should give chicken wings room to breathe in the air fryer tray or basket. What does room to breathe mean? Room to breathe means that each chicken wing will have space in between each other in the tray or basket.
What is the secret or tip to get crispy chicken wings?
If your chicken wings are still not crispy enough then there is a secret ingredient you can use to get extra crispy wings. The secret ingredient is baking powder. After adding your seasoning of choice you can add 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Make sure to mix your wings with your hands or tongs after adding the baking powder. You want to make sure you get an even coat of baking powder on all the wings. Make sure you are adding baking powder and not baking soda as they look similar. Then follow the air fryer directions above or in the recipe for cooking time and temperature.
Tips:
- If you have full wings then separate into drums and flat
- This recipe uses defrosted wings
- Spray the basket with non-stick olive oil spray
- Chicken wings should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees to ensure food safety
- For easier clean up the drip pan can be lined with aluminum foil
The Best Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 12-15 defrosted chicken wings
- 1 tsp olive oil or avocado oil
- Tony's Creole Seasoning or seasoning of your choice
Instructions
- Place 12-15 chicken wings into a large mixing bowl. The chicken wings should be defrosted and separated into drum and flat. The amount of chicken wings you place into the mixing bowl depends on how large your basket or tray is.
- Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle Tony's Creole Seasoning all over the chicken wings in the mixing bowl. Instead of Tony's Creole Seasoning you can use salt, pepper and paprika or seasoning of your choice. Mix with tongs or your hands to evenly coat all chicken wings with olive oil and seasoning. You can omit the olive oil but I find a small amount of olive oil helps the wings from sticking to the basket.
- Spray the basket with olive oil spray. Add the wings in a single layer to the air fryer tray. Leave space between the air fryer chicken wings so that the chicken wings are not touching one another.
- Select Airfry and cook at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. I find that the first batch takes 25 minutes at 400 degrees F then the second batch only takes 20 minutes at 400 F since the air fryer is preheated or warm.
- Flip the air fryer chicken wings half way through cooking time then continue cooking.
- After the timer goes off then carefully open the air fryer and remove chicken wings. from tray and serve.