My family loves crispy chicken wings. For a while, my oven-baked wings were just okay. Good, but never as crispy as my crew wanted. So I kept testing and kept reading, and a few years ago I stumbled onto the trick I still use every single time: a little baking powder in the dry rub.
Why Baking Powder Makes Air Fryer Wings So Crispy
It’s the reason these air fryer chicken wings come out so crunchy. Baking powder raises the pH of the chicken skin, so it browns faster and crisps up more. It also makes tiny bubbles on the surface, which means more little nooks to get crunchy. Add the hot air whirling around in the air fryer, and you get crackly skin with juicy meat inside. No breading. No deep fryer.
You won’t taste it, either. It’s only half a teaspoon for a pound and a half of wings. Nobody in my house has ever noticed, and trust me, they would tell me.
I love this trick so much I use it on my air fryer tilapia too.
Why Make Wings in an Air Fryer?
I’ve never been much of a deep fryer. Too much oil, too much mess. The air fryer gives you crispy skin and juicy meat without any of that. The hot air does the crisping, and the fat drips away from the wings instead of soaking into them. They cook in a fraction of the time my oven wings took. And cleanup is just a quick wash of the basket.
Success Tips
- Pat those wings dry. Seriously. Water is the enemy of crispy skin. Blot every wing with paper towels before you season them.
- Test a small batch first. Every air fryer runs a little different. If your first few wings aren’t crisp enough, bump the temp or add a couple of minutes next round. Once you find your sweet spot, you’re set.
- Give ’em space. Don’t cram the basket. Wings need air moving around them to crisp. Crowd them and they steam instead.
If you love easy air fryer meals, try my air fryer turkey breast or this air-fried chicken breast next. Feeding a crowd of wing lovers? My slow cooker sticky chicken wings are a hands-off, saucy win.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Ingredients
- Chicken Wings: I like flats and drumettes best, sometimes sold as “party wings.” Drumettes are thicker, so they may need an extra minute or two. Whole wings work too. Add 2 to 3 minutes and give them a little extra room in the basket.
- Avocado Oil: Any high-heat oil works. It helps the skin crisp without smoking up your kitchen.
- Spices: Kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried onion flakes, and black pepper. Smoked paprika gives the wings a little grilled flavor. Regular paprika works fine too.
- Baking Powder: The key to extra crispy skin. I’ve always used aluminum-free baking powder, and I’d rather skip the aluminum when there’s an easy swap. Most baking powder is gluten-free, but check the label if you’re cooking for someone who can’t have gluten.
- Green Onion: A sprinkle on top for color and a little fresh bite.
- Dipping Sauce: My buttermilk ranch or blue cheese dressing, or whatever your crew likes best.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Step 1: Preheat & Prep Seasoning
Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Most take about 5 minutes. While it heats, pat the wings really dry with paper towels.
In a large bowl, stir together the oil, salt, spices, and baking powder. Add the wings and toss. Rub the seasoning in with your hands to coat every wing.
Step 2: Air Fry the Wings
Spray the air fryer basket with oil. Use a pure oil spray or a refillable oil mister. Skip Pam and other cooking sprays; they gum up your air fryer over time.
Lay the wings in a single layer with a little space between them. Air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes. Flip, then cook 6 to 8 minutes more, until golden and 185°F inside. Whole wings need 2 to 3 extra minutes.
Let them rest 3 minutes. Sprinkle with green onion and serve with your favorite dips.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Tips
- Always preheat. Wings that go into a hot air fryer start crisping right away. In a cold one, they sit there and steam first.
- Sauce them last. Toss the wings in sauce after they’re cooked, right before you serve them. Sauce them too early and the skin goes soft. If the sauce cools them down, pop them back in the air fryer for a minute or two.
- Don’t cover them. Foil or a lid traps steam and softens that crispy skin fast. Leave them uncovered until they hit the table.
- Line the drawer for easy cleanup. A piece of foil in the drawer under the basket, never in the basket, catches the drips without blocking airflow. Check your manual first, since some brands don’t want foil in there at all.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Sauce Variations
These wings are your blank canvas. Cook them with the dry rub, then pick your sauce. Here are my favorites:
- Buffalo Wings: Toss hot wings in buffalo sauce (Frank’s is the classic) with a little melted butter. Pop them back in the air fryer for 1 to 2 minutes so the sauce sets.
- Garlic Parmesan: Full honesty, I haven’t tested this one yet. The classic way is to warm melted butter with minced garlic for a minute, toss in the hot wings, then shower them with finely grated Parmesan and a little parsley. Want a recipe to follow? This garlic Parmesan wing sauce looks like a good one. If you try it before I do, tell me in the comments how it turned out!
- Honey BBQ: Stir a spoonful of honey into my homemade barbecue sauce. Use my hot honey if you like a kick. Toss and return to the air fryer for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Honey Garlic: Drizzle with honey, soy sauce, and garlic for a sticky glaze. Use tamari instead of soy to keep them gluten-free.
- Lemon Pepper: Add lemon zest and extra black pepper to the dry rub.
Keeping it low-carb? Stick with the buffalo, garlic Parmesan, or lemon pepper.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Wings go with just about everything. Here are my favorite ways to serve them:
- Game Day: Set them out with cowboy crack dip and BBQ chicken sliders. Need a whole spread? Browse my 144 best game day foods.
- Parties and Potlucks: Pair them with Philly cheesesteak dip and air fryer Italian sausage and peppers.
- Weeknight Dinner: Add crispy air fryer steak fries and a classic wedge salad, and dinner’s done.
- Dips: Set out a few so everyone gets their favorite. My buttermilk ranch, blue cheese dressing, barbecue sauce, and yum yum sauce are all easy to make ahead.
- More Dips from My Blogger Friends: Honey Bourbon Sauce, Alabama White BBQ Sauce, and Creole Mustard Dipping Sauce.
How to Store Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Leftovers are rare, but it happens! Get the wings into an airtight container and into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. They’ll keep for up to 3 days. If you can, store sauced wings separately from plain ones, since plain wings reheat crispier.
To freeze, spread cooled plain wings on a sheet pan until firm, then move them to a freezer bag. They’ll keep for about 3 months.
How to Reheat Wings in an Air Fryer
Preheat your air fryer to 375°F. Reheat the wings for 4 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway, until they’re hot all the way through (165°F). They come out almost as crispy as day one. Skip the microwave; it turns the skin rubbery.
No Air Fryer? How to Bake in the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Use convection if you have it. The moving air works a lot like an air fryer.
- Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment and set a wire rack on top. Lightly spray the rack with oil.
- Prep the wings the same way. Pat them dry and toss them with the oil and seasonings. Lay them on the rack in a single layer, not touching.
- Bake and flip. Bake, turning the wings every 20 minutes, until they’re crispy, browned, and 185°F inside. Cook time depends on wing size, but plan on up to 1 hour. For more color, broil the last 2 to 3 minutes, keeping a close eye on them.
- Let them rest a couple of minutes before serving.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings FAQs
About 16 to 18 minutes at 400°F. Cook them 10 minutes, flip, then give them 6 to 8 more. Drumettes are thicker than flats, so they usually need an extra minute or two. Whole wings need 2 to 3 extra minutes. Your thermometer is the real boss here, so check before you pull them.
400°F. That’s hot enough to melt the fat out of the skin and crisp it up before the meat dries out. Cooking at 375°F works too. Plan on a few extra minutes, and the skin won’t get quite as crisp. Wings are safe at 165°F inside, but I take mine to 185°F. The skin gets crispier and the meat pulls right off the bone.
Yes. Most air fryers blast heat down from the top, so the side sitting on the basket browns slower. Flip once at the 10 minute mark. Skip it and you’ll end up with one gorgeous golden side and one pale, flabby one.
Yes. Pat them extra dry and don’t crowd the basket, and they’ll still crisp up nicely. They just won’t get quite as crunchy. If you have aluminum-free baking powder in the pantry, I’d use it.
Cook them in batches so the basket never gets crowded. Leave the finished wings uncovered so the skin stays crisp. Right before serving, give the first batch a quick 2 minutes back in the air fryer, then sauce them all at once.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes, or whole wings, trimmed of excess skin
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil I used avocado oil, or other high-heat oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular is fine too
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free; optional, but it’s my secret to extra crispy skin
- ½ teaspoon dried onion flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 green onion chopped for garnish
- ½ cup Ranch dressing or Blue Cheese Dressing or favorite sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (205°C). It takes about 5 minutes. While it heats, blot the Chicken Wings really dry with paper towels.Note: Every air fryer heats a little differently. Try one batch, and if they’re not as crisp as you like, bump the temperature up 15 to 25 degrees next time.
- In a large bowl, stir together the Oil, Salt, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Baking Powder, Onion Flakes, and Pepper.1 tablespoon vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon dried onion flakes, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add the Chicken Wings and toss. Rub the seasoning in with your hands so every wing is coated.1 ½ pounds chicken wings
- Generously spray the air fryer basket with a pure oil spray or oil mister. Skip Pam and similar cooking sprays; they gum up your air fryer over time.
- Lay the wings in the basket in a single layer, not touching. Air fry for 10 minutes. Flip, then cook 6 to 8 minutes more, until golden brown and 185°F inside. Whole wings need 2 to 3 extra minutes.
- Let the wings rest 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped Green Onion. If you’re saucing them, toss right before serving. Serve with your favorite dip.1 green onion, ½ cup Ranch dressing or Blue Cheese Dressing
Notes
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Use convection if you have it.
- Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment and set a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with a little oil.
- Prep the wings the same way: pat dry, toss with oil and seasonings, and lay them on the rack in a single layer, not touching.
- Bake, turning every 20 minutes, until crispy, browned, and 185°F inside. Plan on up to 1 hour, depending on wing size. For more color, broil the last 2 to 3 minutes and watch closely.
- Let them rest a couple of minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Denise
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
So happy you liked it, Denise!!