Delicious Air Fryer Chicken Wings can be cooked from fresh or frozen, with a simple spice rub, then tossed in your favorite wing sauce. They are crispy and only take 5 minutes to prepare.

If you love appetizers, try our Hawaiian Meatballs, Tomato and Basil Bruschetta, Blistered Shishito Peppers, and Bacon Wrapped Dates.

The best air fryer chicken wings on a wooden platter with carrots, celery, and a side of ranch.

Why I love Air Fryer Wings:

  • Faster than the oven: my oven baked wings are amazing, but they can take 30 minutes to an hour to cook and get that great crispy skin. This air fryer chicken wings recipe only takes about 20 minutes.
  • Crispy Skin: Like my other air fryer recipes, you end up with a crispy product that’s just as good as if it were truly “fried”, but without the extra calories. Here are all of my air fryer tips, if you need help getting started.
  • 5 minute prep!

How to Make Air Fryer Wings:

Dry the wings well with paper towels. This is essential to getting a crispy coating.

Toss with dry spice rub. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and baking powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning over the wings, tossing to evenly coat.

Two images showing spices in a bowl for an easy air fryer wings recipe, and then the wings after they are coated in the spices.

Air Fry. Arrange wings, skin side up and bake, turning every 5 minutes until wings are crispy and browned (about 15 minutes total). The total cook time will depend on the size of the wings but may take up to 20 minutes.

Two images showing crispy air fryer chicken wings before and after being cooked in the air fryer.

Toss in sauce. Remove from oven allow to rest for 5 minutes before tossing the air fryer wings in your desired sauce.

Easy air fryer chicken wings being tossed in a homemade buffalo sauce.

For Crispy Wings:

  • Pat them dry. As with many other air fryer foods, the trick to crispiness is to ensure you dry them really well before adding seasonings.
  • Use (aluminum free) Baking Powder. This is another secret to crispy air fryer chicken wings and will help add that nice brown crispy coating. The red label Rumford brand is aluminum free.
  • Single layer. Be sure to lay the wings in a single layer with a little space between. If you have an air fryer that allows for multiple layers, your cook time may need to be increased.

Wing Sauce Suggestions:

Air fryer ranch chicken wings on a platter with one wing being dipped in a cup of homemade ranch.

Recipes Variations:

  • Baked Chicken Wings.
  • Frozen Chicken Wings: Prepare the wings the same and add them, frozen, to the air fryer. Cook for about 10 additional minutes, or until crisp and cooked through.

Serve With:

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Recipe

Air Fryer Chicken Wings on a wood board with ranch and veggies.
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 25 minutes
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Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Buffalo Sauce*:

Instructions
 

  • Dry wings well with paper towels. This is essential to getting a crispy coating.
  • Season: Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and baking powder in a small bowl, and then sprinkle seasoning over the wings, tossing to evenly coat.
  • Air Fry: Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees. Spray the fry basket with cooking spray. Arrange wings in an even layer, skin side up. Spray the top of the wings with cooking spray and air fry, turning the wings every 5 minutes for about 15 minutes or until crispy. Total cook time will depend on the size of the wings and air fryer but may take up to 20 minutes.
  • Sauce: Remove from air fryer allow to rest for 5 minutes before tossing in desired sauce.
  • Buffalo wing sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat stir together all sauce ingredients. Mix well until sugar has dissolved. 

Notes

Baking Powder: use aluminum free (like Rumford brand). Do NOT use Baking Soda!
Baked Chicken Wings
Frozen Chicken Wings: Prepare the wings the same and add them, frozen, to the air fryer. Cook for about 10 additional minutes, or until crisp and cooked through.
Sauce Ideas: Honey BBQ sauce, BBQ sauce, Ranch.
Serve Wings with:

Nutrition

Calories: 434kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 23gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 902mgPotassium: 273mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 320IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 228mgIron: 2mg

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I originally shared this recipe April 2021. Updated December 2023.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    UNREAL!!! Had I not cooked them myself, I would have said there is NO WAY that was not deep fried! Wife who does not eat bone-in wings LOVED IT! That coating is AMAZING! I use Franks RedHot Buffalo by itself. as I love it, but honest to God, I only covered two wings just to try it. The seasoning on its own, and how juicy the wings turned out are DELECIOUS by themselves! I am diabetic, and I have found unbraided wings will drop my sugar level quite a bit. This is the only way I will ever make them again. Only regret? Having to clean the air fryer after eating them, and that I only made 8 (and got to eat 7) Thank you so much for this!!

  2. 4 stars
    Good seasoning, and air fryer instructions, but the sauce is WAY too sweet. I used 1/3 the sugar, and it was still too sweet for my taste.

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