Air fryer chicken wings are perfectly crispy on the outside and wonderfully juicy on the inside. Plus, you won’t have to worry about excess grease — or a lot of clean-up!
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Chicken wings are huge in my house and for good reason — my husband hails from Buffalo, New York. Because he is from the home of the best chicken wing sauce out there, his expectations for wings are pretty high.
It’s one of the reasons why I make recipes that involve buffalo all the time. My buffalo chicken cheese steak and buffalo chicken thighs are both made with my special homemade buffalo sauce. I also remixed the sauce a bit to create this honey buffalo sauce!
I remember the first time I wanted to make chicken wings in the air fryer (the Cosori Air Fryer to be exact), and he rolled his eyes. Nothing was as good as his beloved chicken wings in Buffalo.
The good news? The hubs was pleasantly surprised! Now we make them all the time for sports games, appetizers, and just some good snacking food. And, you can also feel free to serve them with any type of sauce — don’t feel like you HAVE to use buffalo. The options are limitless!
Here’s what I’m going to teach you in this post:
- How to make crispy and crunchy chicken wings in the air fryer without having to worry about deep frying them!
- All of the ingredients (and equipment) you’ll need to prepare air fryer chicken wings.
- Answers to some frequently asked questions about whipping up air fryer wings and my advice on how to make them extra tasty.
Air fryer chicken wings are the ultimate appetizer. When you make them in your air fryer, you can ditch that dangerous vat of hot oil without giving up on any flavor or crunchiness! Score!
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Wings
STEP ONE: Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees F. While you wait, prepare your chicken wings. Trim or separate them if necessary. You want to aim to create a flat and a “drumette” for each wing. Feel free to discard the tips.
Pat the wings dry as a dry wing equals a crispy wing. A lot of excess moisture could cause them to go soggy in the air fryer.
STEP TWO: Coat the poultry with a generous amount of salt and a touch of pepper. Cook the wings at 380 degrees F for about 20-22 minutes.
Shake the basket or flip the wings halfway through so that they crisp up evenly.
STEP THREE: Next, increase the temperature to 400 degrees F and cook for 4-5 more minutes so that your air fryer chicken wings become golden brown and crispy on the outside.
Coat with whatever sauce you’d like and enjoy ‘em while they’re hot!
Wing Sauces to Try:
How Long Do You Cook Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer?
You’ll have to cook your air fryer wings for about 20 minutes at 380 degrees F, then for about 5 minutes more at 400 degrees F.
I like using this technique as the final 5 minutes at a higher temperature does an amazing job at crisping them up. You won’t believe they aren’t deep-fried!
Do You Put Sauce On Wings Before Or After Air Frying?
You should save the sauce for after your air fryer wings have cooked. I definitely encourage you to add salt and pepper before placing them inside the air fryer.
But, if you want the extra crispy results I keep talking about, you want the wings to be as dry as possible. Once they are cooked, you can choose to add whatever sauce you like best!
Follow these directions if you are reheating chicken wings in the air fryer with sauce already on them to avoid a super messy air fryer!
Can You Stack Wings In An Air Fryer?
You can, but you need to be careful about the way that you do it. You can let the chicken wings touch, but do not officially stack them on top of each other or they won’t cook evenly.
If you do stack your air fryer chicken wings, add an extra minute or two into the initial cooking time. It’s also crucial to give it a good shake halfway through.
Can I Put Aluminum Foil In An Air Fryer?
Some people like to place a layer of aluminum foil in the basket before adding the food. You aren’t required to for my chicken wings in the air fryer recipe.
What’s more, you can’t add aluminum foil to every air fryer. If you’re just getting started with this incredible kitchen appliance, I wrote a helpful article where I explain why.
Other Air Fryer Chicken Wings To Try:
- Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Wings
- Ninja Foodi Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Garlic Parm Wings
- Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Frozen Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Boneless Wings
- 35 of the Best Air Fryer Chicken Wing Recipes
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Crispy chicken wings are coated with homemade buffalo sauce to create a delicious spicy game day snack.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken drumettes and flats
- salt and pepper to taste
- One homemade recipe of buffalo sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees.
- Trim or separate wings at the joint if needed, creating a flat and drumette per chicken wing. Discard the tips.
- Pat chicken wings dry -- you will want them as dry as possible to help crisp them up.
- Coat chicken wings with a generous amount of salt and a little pepper.
- Cook wings at 380 degrees until cooked through, about 20-22 minutes shaking the basket or flipping wings halfway through.
- Increase air fryer temperature to 400 degrees and cook until chicken wings get a nice crispy outside, about 4-5 minutes.
- Coat with homemade buffalo sauce or other desired sauce.
- Enjoy immediately.
Notes
How to reheat chicken wings in the air fryer*:
1. Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees.
2. Cook chicken wings for 5-6 minutes until heated thoroughly.
3. Remove from the air fryer and enjoy!
*They will heat up better without sauce on them as different sauces will cook differently.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 315Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 340mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 30g
This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.
this looks so yummy! would love to try this!
Should the wings be fresh or frozen?
Hi Sarah, I recommend cooking fresh wings in the air fryer for the best results. If you have frozen ones, just let them thaw out before cooking.
The nutrition info is confusing. The total carb count of 16 seems quite high for the ingredients but then, without benefit of fiber, the net carb count goes to 0. Huh? Is there a typo there?
Hi Karen, please see the above comment. This has been corrected. Thanks!
How is there 16 grams of carbs in chicken wings?? There are no carbs in meat. I’m confused.
Hi Jacklin, thanks for bringing that to my attention. It looks like the nutrition was thrown off by the term “chicken wings.” Weird, right? I went ahead and corrected it, but please keep in mind exact nutrition will depend on the exact type of products used.
This Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce article has helped me a lot, is very well written, I’m glad I found it.
These are the best wings EVER!!! So crispy and so flavorful they don’t even need the sauce.
I’m so glad you loved them, Krista!
I made this yesterday in the air fryer in the oven! YUMMY!!
These wings are amazing! We also love the buffalo sauce recipe!!
Do you flip the wings halfway during cooking time?
Hi Danielle, yes, you should shake the basket or flip the chicken wings halfway through cooking to let them cook evenly. This is included up in the post, but I just added it into the recipe directions on the bottom. Thanks!
I didn’t see receipe for the z,,sauce
Hi Ruby, there is a link to the buffalo sauce within the recipe card and also in the post. This allows you to use the easy homemade kind or your favorite buffalo sauce, whether homemade or store-bought. Enjoy!
Yum! I just made wings in my airfryer for my blog and was surprised at how well they turned out. I’m going to try these too!
Could these be done in the rotisserie basket?
Yes, you can!