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Can chicken wings really be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with NO OIL? YES! These Air Fryer Chicken Wings are cooked perfectly crisp then smothered in our favorite wing sauce!
Featured with this Recipe
These Air Fryer Chicken Wings are the perfect appetizer and game day food. They are easy to snack on, easy to make, and everyone loves them. My favorite way to serve them is with ranch dipping sauce or blue cheese dressing, and carrot and celery sticks on the side. I still can’t believe how crispy this air fryer chicken wings recipe is without frying them in oil. My Air Fryer could be my new favorite appliance in the kitchen!
Ingredients in Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe
For this recipe all you need are a few simple ingredients, and the very best hot sauce in the world:
Wings
- Chicken wings – two pounds of your favorite wings. I like to find them at Costco, where they sell huge bags of wingettes and drumettes.
- Baking powder – one teaspoon, to coat the wings. This will help the sauce stick to the wings and help them crisp up in the air fryer.
- Salt and pepper – to taste.
For the Sauce:
- Dark brown sugar – One and a half cups. Dark brown sugar can be found in the baking aisle right next to the regular sugar. It’s best for a rich, sweet sauce for the wings.
- Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce – my favorite sauce of all time. I use it in everything, but especially when cooking wings. The spices balance out the sweetness of the sugar.
- Water – one tablespoon to mix everything together.
For the Ranch Dip
What are wings without the perfect ranch dip? It’s easy to make from scratch and tastes SO much better than a bottle of ranch dressing:
- Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix – one packet of the dry mix.
- Buttermilk – one cup. If you don’t have buttermilk, add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk.
- Mayonnaise – one cup. We love the Best Foods Mayonnaise, but you can use your favorite brand.
Best Air Fryer Chicken Wings Sauce
Our favorite sauce for wings is a copycat recipe from Winger’s Roadhouse Grill. It is sweet with a little kick of spicy. Feel free to use your favorite BBQ sauce or buffalo sauce as a substitute. Either will work great on these Air Fryer Wings.
Additional Dippings Sauces and Seasonings
Once you have a basic recipe in mind, you can change it up a million different ways!
- Whisk in onion powder and garlic powder to some melted butter or olive oil to brush on after frying.
- Garnish with paprika for extra color and flavor.
- Make lemon pepper wings with ground pepper and a splash or two of lemon juice.
- Add an extra kick with some cayenne pepper
- Try dipping these tasty air fryer wings in our homemade ranch dressing or our creamy blue cheese sauce. Serve with carrots and celery for dipping.
Tips for using an Air Fryer
Don’t be intimidated by an Air Fryer! Once you get the basics down, it is so simple to use. Here are a few suggestions and tricks for this crispy chicken wings recipe and using an Air Fryer in general:
- When you purchase an Air Fryer, make sure you read through the instruction manual before using. Many Air Fryers are multi-functional and come with recipes and cooking ideas that are helpful in the kitchen. You will also get cooking tips that are specific to your Air Fryer. This Air Fryer, and comes with 3 stackable baskets and a recipe book.
- Always preheat your Air Fryer before use. It only takes a minute. Set it to 400 degrees for 1 minute, cook with it empty, and it will be hot and ready to use.
- Use a little non-stick cooking spray or air fryer parchment sheets (with holes) to prevent food from sticking to trays.
- Keep food from touching, this will help the air circulate all around each piece of food for even cooking and crispiness. Food may need to be cooked in a couple of batches.
- Shake excess moisture, then turn food halfway through the cooking process for more even cooking.
- Use toothpicks to secure lighter foods. I’ve had bread fly off the top of a sandwich from the air circulating.
- Don’t be afraid to check your food for doneness, opening the drawer won’t ruin the cooking process.
- Get an oil sprayer for making dry breaded foods like our Homemade Mozzarella Sticks. A little spritz of oil can make breading more crispy (not needed for this wing recipe).
Can I Air Fry Frozen Chicken Wings?
Yes! Using chicken wings from the freezer in the Air Fryer is a breeze. Generally frozen wings take an additional 5-10 minutes to cook depending on the Air Fryer. In addition, follow these steps to ensure thoroughly cooked and crispy wings:
- While frozen wings are still in the bag, use your hands to break apart any wings that may be stuck together.
- Make sure the frozen wings are in a single layer and do not touch each other when placed in the basket.
- Halfway through the cooking time, remove the Air Fryer rack or basket containing the wings. Carefully drain the excess liquid from the bottom tray or basket and place it back in the Air Fryer. Replace the rack or basket with the wings, and turn the wings over for the remaining cooking time. Frozen wings will release liquid into the Air Fryer and the wings will cook but not get crispy. Not all Air Fryers require this step, but better to be safe than sorry.
- Increase cooking time by 5 -10 minutes. Check doneness and crispiness after 5 minutes. If not quite there, cook for 5 more minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
These wings will fry up at 400˚F for 8 minutes per side, or a total of 16 minutes. The wings should be golden brown and slightly crispy on the edges.
If your wings aren’t crispy, you may be cooking too many at once. Make sure to leave room in between each wing of the air fryer. You can also start at a low temperature to render the fat, then increase the air fryer to a higher temperature to crisp the skin.
Air fryers circulate hot air around the food, resulting in a crispy texture that is similar to deep frying. Baking on a sheet pan can make them crispy; just make sure to turn them over halfway through cooking.
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More Air Fryer Recipes
I recently purchased an Air Fryer at the recommendation of a good friend. How did I ever live without it? I first used it to give new life to leftovers. Now I’m using it for many recipes I used to bake in the oven or fry in the deep-fryer. In addition to these air fryer wings, try the air fryer for these recipes:
- Air Fryer French Fries: Air Fryer French Fries gives you the crisp texture of deep-fried french fries with a fraction of the oil. A fabulous recipe for easy French fries.
- Air Fryer Chicken Teriyaki Bowls: In this quick and easy recipe, teriyaki marinated chicken and sliced vegetables “air fry” together for a delicious dinner.
- Air Fryer Bacon: This is the best way to cook bacon! You won’t be cleaning up grease splatters all over the kitchen.
- Air Fryer Donuts: Learn how to make donuts in your air fryer with this simple and delicious recipe.
- More Air Fryer Recipes: Get inspiration for delicious ways to use your Air Fryer.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
For the Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
For the Ranch Dip
- 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup Best Foods mayonnaise
Instructions
- Mix together ranch ingredients in a small bowl. Keep in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to serve.
- Cut tips off wings then cut in half at the joint.
- Place wings in a plastic bag and sprinkle in the baking powder. Seal the bag and toss the wings until evenly coated.
- Lightly coat air fryer basket with some non stick cooking spray. Preheat air fryer to 375 for 1 minute. Add the chicken wings to the air fryer. Spread them out evenly so they do not touch. Cook in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Turn wings over half way through the cooking process.
- While the wings are cooking, combine the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
- When the wings are done cooking, add ¼ cup of the sauce to a small bowl and use a basting brush to coat each wing in sauce. Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 2 more minutes.
- Place the wings in a large bowl and pour in the remaining sauce. Gently stir to coat.
- Serve with ranch dressing and veggies.
Notes
-
- When you purchase an Air Fryer, make sure you read through the instruction manual before using. Many Air Fryers are multi-functional and come with recipes and cooking ideas that are helpful in the kitchen. You will also get cooking tips that are specific to your Air Fryer. This Air Fryer, and comes with 3 stackable baskets and a recipe book.
-
- Always preheat your Air Fryer before use. It only takes a minute. Set it to 400 degrees for 1 minute, cook with it empty, and it will be hot and ready to use.
-
- Use a little non-stick cooking spray or air fryer parchment sheets (with holes) to prevent food from sticking to trays.
-
- Keep food from touching, this will help the air circulate all around each piece of food for even cooking and crispiness. Food may need to be cooked in a couple of batches.
When I let the dipping sauce boil. then took it off the heat, it went solid as rock. It was also very grainy.. What did I do wrong?
Oh no! It sounds like the heat was too high. It should just barely come to a boil.
I love chicken wings and the easier the better! They come out crispy and delicious.
Thank you for this recipe, I’ve been looking for an easy, tasty chicken wing recipe.
Super easy and yummy!
I love that these were made in the Air Fryer. So simple and cooked to perfection!
Wings are our appetizer of choice, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try! Perfect!! Easy & so good!
The best wings ever!! The air fryer is my new favorite way to make wings. They turn out perfectly & the whole family enjoys them!
So much healthier than deep frying plus the clean up is so much easier too. These are a total win!
This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give these a try! My family is going to love them!
These air fryer wings are AMAZING!
This is awesome!! I love trying new recipes with my air fryer! This was a huge hit!
These wings cooked up perfectly in the air fryer! They tasted delicious, were perfectly crisp and it was so much easier than other methods I’ve tried. Fabulous!
Yummy! I haven’t tried making chicken wings in my air fryer yet. This recipe is awesome, can’t wait to make it.