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Air fryer chicken wings — the ultimate party appetizer! In this post, we’ll teach you how to make chicken wings in air fryer + we’re sharing 4 amazing sauces for you to choose from.
Perfect Chicken Wings in Air Fryer!
This air fryer chicken wings recipe is truly the best way to make chicken wings! They come out perfectly cooked on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. Toss them in one of our amazing sauces and you’ve got finger food at its finest.
Whether you’re serving these as a game day appetizer, for the holidays, or just because — your guests are going to rave over these wings!
Why You’ll love them!
- Perfectly cooked wings
- Versatile
- Crispy on the outside
- Easy clean-up
- Fool-proof
What You Need for Air Fryer Chicken Wings
This recipe calls for 3 basic ingredients (+ other ingredients for the sauces).
Chicken wings: In this recipe, we’re using fresh chicken wings. We recommend a combination of drummettes and wingettes. You can sometimes find them at the butcher in your grocery store and you can almost always find them in the frozen meat section of your grocery store.
Olive oil: a little olive oil is used to crisp up these wings. It’s necessary, so don’t skip it!
Salt and pepper: since we’re sharing a basic air fryer chicken wings recipe, you only need salt and pepper.
Top Tips for Perfectly Air Fried Chicken Wings
Olive oil is key: a little olive oil is key to getting these wings extra crispy, so don’t skip this part!
Don’t overcrowd your wings: make sure not to overcrowd and overlap your wings or they will have a hard time crisping up. You’ll likely need to cook these in multiple batches.
Flip after 10 minutes: don’t forget to flip your wings over after 10 minutes for prime crispiness.
Keep an eye on your wings: all air fryers are different, so keep an eye on your chicken wings starting at 15 minutes. Ours took around 20-22 minutes, but not all air fryers cook the same!
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings – What’s the deal?
So, can you make frozen chicken wings in air fryer, too? Yes, you can! While we prefer using fresh chicken wings (the fresher the better), you’re more than welcome to use frozen.
Let your frozen wings thaw for a little bit on the counter so that they can break apart into single wings. Then, air fry the frozen wings at 400ºF for around 6-10 minutes or until thawed. Then, remove the chicken wings from the air fryer and dump out any liquid that may have collected in the bottom and follow the recipe as written.
Flavor Ideas
There are two main ways to flavor chicken wings — dry rubs and sauces.
Dry Rubs
We recommend using around 1-2 tablespoons seasoning per 1.5 lbs. chicken wings depending on how salty your seasoning is.
Make sure to season your chicken wings before air frying. Here are some ideas:
Sauces
As for sauces, you’ll need around 1/2 cup per 1.5 lbs. chicken wings. Below you’ll find the 4 flavors we’re sharing in this post! You can find the recipes in the recipe card.
- Buffalo
- Korean
- Garlic parmesan
- Teriyaki
Dip Suggestions
Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer Quick Guide
How long does it take to air fryer chicken wings at 400?
It takes around 20 minutes to cook chicken wings in the air fryer. We recommend cooking for 10 minutes, flipping, and cooking for 10 more minutes or until crispy.
Should chicken wings be thawed before air frying?
For best results, we do recommend thawing your chicken wings before air frying so that they get nice and crispy.
Can you put chicken wings on top of each other in the air fryer?
While you can stack your chicken wings on top of one another, we do not recommend doing this because the more overlapped they are, the less crispy they will get. They can be touching, but we don’t recommend overcrowding.
Can I air fryer frozen wings?
4 Sauces to Flavor Your Wings With
If you’re a sauce person like us, we can’t wait for you to try all 4 of these epic chicken wing sauces to toss your wings in after they’re cooked!
How much sauce should I use? If you’re hoping to use a store-bought sauce such as BBQ, we recommend at least 1/2 cup of sauce per 1.5 lbs. wings.
Buffalo
A classic wing flavor — buffalo sauce! We’re keeping this sauce super basic with just 2 ingredients. Pair your buffalo air fryer wings with homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing.
- Buffalo sauce
- Butter
Korean
This perfectly sweet and sticky Korean-inspired sauce is made with honey, soy sauce, garlic, and Korean red peppers.
- Sesame oil
- Garlic
- Honey
- Soy sauce
- Sriracha
- Korean red pepper
- Ketchup
Garlic Parmesan
Garlic parmesan is such a classic chicken wing flavor and it will leave your tastebuds dancing. Here’s what you need:
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Salt
- Grated parmesan cheese
Teriyaki
We are huge fans of chicken teriyaki and even have our own homemade teriyaki sauce. We’re using a variation of that for this recipe.
- Soy sauce
- Maple syrup
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sriracha
Storage
Got leftover wings? Simply store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
To reheat: place chicken wings on a microwave-safe plate and cook on high for 60-90 seconds.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Air fryer chicken wings – 4 ways! Whip up these perfectly crispy chicken wings in air fryer and then toss them in one of these amazing sauces for the perfect party appetizer.
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 20 minutesTotal: 30 minutes
Fat 28 Carbs 0 Protein 30
Yield 4 1x
Ingredients
Wings
- 1.5-lbs. chicken wings (we used a mixture of wingettes and drumettes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Sauces
Parmesan Garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Buffalo
- ½ cup buffalo sauce (we used Frank’s Hot Sauce)
- ¼ cup melted butter
Korean-Inspired
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2–3 teaspoons sriracha
- ½ teaspoon korean red pepper
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
Teriyaki
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free option)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
Chicken Wings
- First, prepare your chicken wing sauce of choice (see directions below).
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF and spray the air fryer basket with olive oil or cooking spray.
- Next, place the chicken wings in a large bowl. Drizzle the wings with olive oil and then sprinkle the wings with salt and pepper. Be sure every wing is covered in oil, salt, and pepper.
- Next, add chicken wings to your air fryer basket, making sure not to overcrowd or overlap them. You’ll likely need to air fry these in a couple batches.
- Cook the chicken wings for 10 minutes, flip the chicken wings over, and then cook them for an additional 10 minutes. If the chicken wings are crispy, remove them from the air fryer and toss them in sauce. If they are larger chicken wings they may need 2-3 more minutes in the air fryer.
- Place the chicken wings in a bowl and toss with your sauce of choice.
Sauces
Parmesan Garlic
- Add olive oil to a small saucepan. When olive oil is fragrant, add garlic and salt to the saucepan.
- Sauté the garlic in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and cover until chicken wings are done.
- When chicken wings are done, add the air fryer chicken wings to a large bowl.
- Pour the olive oil and garlic over the wings and toss until the chicken wings are coated.
- Sprinkle the finely grated parmesan cheese over the wings and toss in cheese until coated.
Buffalo Sauce
- Add the butter to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted.
- Slowly drizzle the hot sauce into the saucepan, whisking constantly until combined.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
- Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until the chicken wings are ready.
- When chicken wings are done, add the air fryer chicken wings to a large bowl.
- Pour the buffalo sauce over the wings and toss until the chicken wings are coated.
Korean
- Heat the sesame oil over medium/high heat until fragrant. Add the garlic.
- When garlic is fragrant turn the heat to low and add the rest of the ingredients for the korean sauce to the sauce pan and whisk until combined.
- Turn the heat to medium/high and bring to a gentle simmer.
- When the sauce has thickened, remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep warm until the chicken wings are ready.
- When chicken wings are done, add the air fryer chicken wings to a large bowl.
- Pour the sauce over the wings and toss until the chicken wings are coated.
Teriyaki
- Place soy sauce, maple syrup, minced garlic, ginger, and sriracha into a mason jar.
- Close the lid and shake until combined.
- To thicken, make a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of hot water until dissolved.
- Next, place teriyaki sauce in a small saucepan and heat over medium/high heat.
- Once the sauce begins to simmer, add in the cornstarch slurry and whisk until combined.
- Turn the heat down to medium and continue whisking until it begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm until chicken wings are ready.
- When chicken wings are done, add the air fryer chicken wings to a large bowl.
- Pour the teriyaki sauce over the wings and toss until the chicken wings are coated.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe is written to have saucy wings, if you would like your chicken wings extra saucy feel free to double the sauce recipes.
- The cook time in the air fryer may vary based on how large the chicken wings are. We used medium-sized organic chicken wings. If your chicken wings aren’t as crispy as you would like, cook them in the air fryer for 1-minute increments until they reach your desired crispy level.
- It is normal for your air fryer to smoke when cooking chicken wings.
- Nutrition information is for just the chicken wings and not the sauces.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/4 Calories: 375 Sugar: 0 Fat: 28 Carbohydrates: 0 Fiber: 0 Protein: 30
Author: Lee FunkeCategory: AppetizerMethod: Air FryerCuisine: American
Keywords: air fryer chicken wings, chicken wings in air fryer
About Lee Funke
Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness.
