These Air Fryer Chicken Wings turn out crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside with very little effort. They cook in under 30 minutes, making them perfect for busy weeknights, game day, or an easy family dinner.
Skip the deep fryer and make this budget-friendly recipe at home with simple ingredients and less mess.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Chicken wings are always a fun meal idea and now the air fryer makes this even easier and faster. You can enjoy perfectly crispy chicken wings any day of the week with hardly any effort.
Traditional recipes for chicken wings and Boneless Chicken Wings can take awhile so when I discovered how easy the air fryer makes it without sacrificing any taste, I was sold. Whip these up for a Game Day Snack, family dinner, parties and more and have everyone coming back for more. They are that delicious!
Make sure to also check out Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe, Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Wings, and Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings if you love chicken wings as much as my family.
Quick Glance at this Recipe
- Cooking Method: Air Fryer
- Total Time: 25–30 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Family-Friendly: Easy to customize with sauces
- Best For: Game day, quick dinners, appetizers
- Freezer-Friendly: Yes (cook first, then freeze)
Ingredients
- Chicken wings – Buy whole wings and cut them yourself to save money
- Vegetable oil – Helps crisp the skin (use any neutral oil)
- Salt and Pepper – Keep it simple or customize with your favorite spices
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Step 1 – First, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
Step 2 – Use a paper towel or pastry brush to brush the inside of the air fryer basket with vegetable oil.
Step 3 – Next, place the chicken wings in the air fryer. (You can stack them but more skin that is exposed the crispier they will be). I suggest you cook in two batches.
Step 4 – Season with the salt and pepper and cook.
Step 5 – Flip the chicken wings over and cook for the remaining cooking time.
Step 6 – Remove from the air fryer. You can eat them just like this and they are amazing or you can season them to your liking. If adding a sauce, place in a large bowl then add the sauce.
Tips for Success
- Pat wings dry before cooking for the crispiest skin
- Cook in a single layer for best airflow
- Flip halfway through for even cooking
- Don’t overcrowd—cook in batches if needed
- Add sauce after cooking to keep wings crispy
Variations Ideas
- BBQ Chicken Wings -When the chicken wings are finished brush them with ¼ cup of BBQ sauce. Honey BBQ is amazing! We have a great Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe here.
- Buffalo Chicken wings – When the chicken wings are finished brush them with ¼ cup Buffalo Sauce or you favorite wing sauce.
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings – Season the chicken wings with 1 teaspoon garlic salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook according to the directions. Then top with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Lemon Pepper – Lemon pepper is another delicious seasoning that we add to wings. You may also like to adding these spices – garlic powder and paprika.
How Long do you Cook Wings in the Air Fryer?
In under 30 minutes, you can enjoy crispy and delicious chicken wings even during busy week nights.
Air Fry time may vary and you can cook longer for an even crispy texture.
Serving Suggestions
We like to keep it really simple. These wings are great with celery sticks and carrots. They taste even better to dip into Homemade Ranch Dressing, Chicken Dipping Sauce and blue cheese dressing.
You might also like to try these brussel sprouts in air fryer, Hasselback Sweet Potatoes Air Fryer or Air Fryer French Fries Recipe. See Best Sides for Chicken Wings for more ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Essentially, the air fryer moves air quickly over food similar to broiling it in an oven that it gives the food a similar tastes to food that has been fsried in oil. It is crispy and delicious without all of the oil. The air fryer doesn’t require a large amount of oil like a traditional fryer requires so foods cooked in the air fryer generally have less calories and less fat than fried foods.
You can stack them but more skin that is exposed the crispier the chicken wings will be. Due to this, I suggest you cook them in two batches. Remember, the air fryer works by moving air quickly over the food. So in order for it to work correctly, you’ll want to keep as much part of the food exposed to the air as possible.
This recipe calls for 18 chicken wings and while you can stack them, I wouldn’t recommend it. It would be best to cook 9 wings at a time and do 2 batches. If you want crispy wings, this would be the best option.
Yes, you can place raw chicken in the air fryer. We have even made Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets for an easy lunch on the weekends.
We have found that the key to making crispy wings is to place in the air fryer basket in a single layer. This ensures that all sides of the wings get crispy.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Storing – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The wings will last about 3-4 days.
- Reheating – For best results, we recommend reheating in the air fryer to obtain that crispy texture again.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
We love to hear from you. If you make this recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 18 chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees for 5 minutes
- Use a paper towel or pastry brush to brush the inside of the air fryer basket with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
- Place 18 chicken wings in the air fryer. You can stack them, but more exposed skin will make them crispier. Cook in 2 batches if needed.
- Season the 18 chicken wings with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
- Cook for 13 minutes.
- Flip the chicken wings over and cook for an additional 13 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer. You can eat them just like this and they are amazing. Or you can try one of our suggestions in the post.
Recipe Notes
When the chicken wings are finished brush them with ¼ cup of BBQ sauce. Honey BBQ is amazing! Buffalo
When the chicken wings are finished brush them with ¼ cup Buffalo Sauce. You can also toss the wings in the buffalo sauce BEFORE you cook them. Garlic Parmesan
Season the chicken wings with 1 teaspoon garlic salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook according to the directions. Then top with ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
Thaw frozen wings first?
Hey Rachel – You can cook frozen wings, but the recipe time is for thawed wings. If you don’t thaw the wings, the cooking time will need to be adjusted. Hope this helps.
What can I say but great:)
Hey Janice – Wahoo! So happy to hear this.
how when cooking in batches do you keep the first batch warm
can I use bone in chicken wing ? How long in the Air Fryer. First using my AirFyer
Yes, I use bone-in chicken wings in this recipe. Cook for 13-15 minutes per side until the chicken wings are cooked through and crispy at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I hope you enjoy them!
Can I use other seasoning as well as salt/pepper?, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper?
TY
Yes you can.
Best naked wings I have had. They are so juicy with a crispy skin
We love chicken wings and may never go out for them again! This air fryer recipe was delicious! I added the garlic and Parmesan and we were so happy! Thanks so much for this recipe!
First time cooking with my air frier. The chicken wings were nice and chrisp. My husband loved them. I will be fixing them again.
Great to hear! Thank you!
Sounds like a good recipe, but can you verify the amount of Parmesan cheese in the recipe notes? It has 14 cup.
Sorry, it’s supposed to be 1/4 cup. I have corrected the recipe. Thank you.
I like chicken wings. Can you please suggest any air fryer specially for chicken wings?
Thanks–I will do this SOON———