Today we’re talking Air Fryer Chicken Wings, aka the most irresistible game-day snack you can get your hands on. I actually had no idea you could cook chicken wings in an Air Fryer until Ben started “frying” these bad boys up last month. One bite and I was hooked.
Impossibly crispy, juicy, and no deep fat frying required – nor do you need to toss the wings in baking soda or cornstarch or whatever you supposedly have to do when making baked wings. All you need is chicken wings, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, and lemon pepper seasoning. Yes!
How Long do Wings Take to Cook in the Air Fryer?
2lbs of chicken wings will take 23-24 minutes to cook in a large Air Fryer. I start cooking them at 360 degrees then finish at 390 degrees to ensure the wings are tender on the inside and crispy and sizzling on the outside.
Can You Put Raw Chicken in an Air Fryer?
Yes! Although we usually use our Air Fryer to heat pre-cooked foods like chicken nuggets and tater tots, or cook vegetables, you absolutely can cook raw chicken in an Air Fryer. Chicken breasts also cook fabulously in an Air Fryer. Just think of it as a mini oven or grill.
Cooking Tips
- I recommend using chicken wings that are already broken down into drumettes and wingettes (see photo below). However, you can use whole chicken wings, which are a little less expensive, and break them down yourself.
- Chicken wings come in various sizes so if your 2lbs of chicken wings contains less than 20 wings (meaning they’re quite large,) you might need to increase cooking time at 360 degrees to render the fat and cook the wings all the way through.
- To ensure your chicken wings turn out sizzling and crispy, don’t overcrowd your Air Fryer basket. Cook the chicken wings in batches if needed for optimal crispiness.
Step 1: Prep the Chicken Wings
Start with 2lbs chicken wings that have been broken down into drumettes and wingettes. Or, as I mentioned, you can buy whole wings and break them down yourself.
Add the chicken wings to a gallon-sized Ziplock bag or a large bowl then add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil plus a pinch of salt, and 2 scant Tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning. I prefer Tone’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend.
Lemon Pepper might seem like an unexpected choice for chicken wings but it is PERFECTION – trust me!
Seal the bag keeping the air trapped inside then shake to coat, or stir to coat if you’re using a bowl. You can now either use the wings right away, or press the air out of the bag and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Step 2: Air Fry the Chicken Wings
Preheat your Air Fryer to 360 degrees then add the chicken wings to the basket – if some of the wings are bigger than others I like to group them by size and Air Fry them in the same batch. The wings can be touching but shouldn’t overlap.
Cook for 18 minutes, shaking the basket 3 times, then turn the heat up to 390 degrees and cook for another 6 minutes, shaking the basket every 2 minutes, until the wings are brown and crisp.
Toss the wings with your favorite sauce or pour onto a platter with dipping sauces, which is what we prefer. That lemon pepper seasoning is pure perfection. No matter what team you’re cheering for, everyone will root for more Air Fryer Chicken Wings – enjoy!
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Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Description
Air Fryer Chicken Wings are audibly crispy and totally addicting - they'll fly off the plate! This easy method makes the best chicken wings EVER.
Ingredients
- 2lbs chicken wings (~24) broken down into wingettes and drummies/drummettes)
- 2 scant Tablespoons Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- extra virgin olive oil
- pinch salt
- Recommended Dipping/Tossing Sauces:
- Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
- Ranch Dressing
- BBQ Sauce
Directions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 360 degrees. Add trimmed chicken wings to a gallon-size Ziplock bag or large bowl then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. ~1 Tablespoon or so. Add lemon pepper seasoning and salt then seal the bag, keeping the air inside, and shake to evenly coat.
- Arrange wings in the basket of the preheated Air Fryer - wings can be touching but not overlapping - you may need to cook in 2 batches.
- Air Fry for 18 minutes, shaking the basket vigorously every 6 minutes, or until the chicken wings are golden brown. Turn heat up to 390 degrees then cook for another 5-6 minutes, shaking the basket every 2 minutes, until wings are brown and crispy. Serve or toss with sauces.
Notes
- This is the Air Fryer I have >
- Chicken wings can come in various sizes! If your 2lbs of chicken wings contain less then 20 wings (directions here are for 24 wings,) you might need to increase cooking time at 360 degrees to render the fat and cook the wings all the way through.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Great will do again
Did you start with frozen or thawed wings?
Thawed. :)
Wings look awesome, can’t wait to try!!!
Before attempting wings at home for the first time in the air fryer (InstantPot Vortex Pro), I read many recipes. Ultimately, I went with this one based on cooking time and temperature, believing it to be a good combination to get my desired level of crispy. I did use Poultry Magic seasoning instead, and made my own buffalo sauce (still playing with that formula). Tonight was my second batch following this recipe. Twice now, this made amazingly crispy, juicy wings with little effort.
While I long for the day when I can go to a local pub to enjoy wings, a beer & some live music, I do not see the need to ever order wings out again!
Thank you!
Loved this ! Great dinner for a hot day.
What dip is in the photo with the wings?
Just tried your wing recipe in my air fryer! Great!!!
So glad you loved it, Robert! Thank you for your recipe review and rating!!
The air fryer is a game changer for wings! I’m so glad I saw this recipe. We used our own BBQ sauce instead of the lemon pepper, but the directions to air fry the wings was spot on!
[…] Air Fryer Chicken Wings […]
These are great! Made these tonight with my new Ninja air fryer. Followed the recipe exactly. Thanks!
Yeah!! So glad to hear it, Kathy! Thanks for letting us know how the recipe works using a different brand of Air Fryer. I appreciate it!
I bought an air fryer yesterday and made this recipe. Out of fear of undercooking the wings, I cooked them for an additional 3 minutes at 360. In the end they were overcooked because I didn’t follow your directions. They were still super good and I will definitely be making them again but following your original cooking times! You should add more recipes for the air fryer!
Can you add me. To your e mail lynn
[…] AIR FRYER CHICKEN WINGS […]
[…] ever even HEARD of the LA Rams?!” but that didn’t stop of us from scarfing 4lbs of Air Fryer Chicken Wings and downing two Kombucha Mules a piece. Hey, when in Rome slash your living […]
We made these on Sunday and used our new Ninja combo air fryer/pressure cooker. They were so easy to make and delicious! They didn’t even need dipping sauce. We did use the air fryer for a longer time to get them nice and crispy. Another winner, thank you.
We made these yesterday for some game day snacking! We used our Phillips AirFryer (not the same model as yours), which we got this past Christmas and still discovering all the ways to use it! The wings had great flavor, however, ours did not get crispy. We still ate them all, and we’ll try again sometime to see if we can get them crispy. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh shoot, I’m sorry to hear that, Kristine! We made these last night using a brand we haven’t used before and the wings were a bit bigger. That said, they took a little bit longer at 360 before we turned the heat up to 390 to crisp the skin. I’ll make a note of this in the recipe. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor and hope you might try again cooking longer at 360 degrees!
What’s the clean up like for an air fryer? It looks like it would be a great tool!
I let the baskets cool then pour the fat from the bottom into a can and discard. Soak in dish soap then send it through the dishwasher. :)
thank you for all of these recipes, so many to choose from, nice to have at least a few g. free recipes to offer
You bet, Sabrina! Just so you know, all recipes published after February 2014 are gluten-free. Any gluten-free free recipe will have an orange “GF” icon in the recipe card! :)
These look delicious! I have been so resistant about getting an air fryer because I don’t have the room. I was the same way about an instant pot but I eventually caved and it’s been life-changing! I have a feeling I’ll be giving into an air fryer purchase as well ?♀️
I don’t think I would have ever bought it for myself (I’m on a self-imposed 1 in 1 out kitchen appliance rule) but my husband bought it for me and I’m so glad that he did!
The wings look delicious. What dipping sauce is in your post?
Thanks Judy! The first is Tessemae’s Ranch, and the second is Stubb’s BBQ Sauce. :)