Want to make the best air fryer chicken wings recipe? It’s right here — with just 5 minutes prep time! Plus, get 3 wing sauce ideas including buffalo, bbq, and soy teriyaki. So let’s air fry…
Want to cook ‘em in the oven instead? See this crispy oven baked wings recipe.
Why this is the best way to air fry wings
- The most crispy air fryer wings. EVER. Without a deep fryer!
- Makes 1LB or 2LB chicken wings. Scale up for a party appetizer or down for a meal for one or two.
- Perfect game day air fryer recipe. Serve with a variety of sauces (3 wing sauce recipes included!) so everyone can enjoy their favorite flavor.
- Way healthier than traditional fried wings. This is an oil free wings recipe, but they are just as good!
- Air fry frozen chicken wings! See the tips at the end of this recipe guide.
See 9 EASY chicken wing recipes to make at home >
Ingredients
This recipe comes together with just a few ingredients that are probably already in your pantry and fridge.
- For cooking the wings – chicken wings, garlic powder, salt, cooking spray (optional)
- Buffalo sauce – Franks Hot buffalo sauce, butter
- Teriyaki / soy sauce – teriyaki sauce / soy sauce, honey, water, sesame seeds
- Honey bbq sauce -barbecue sauce, honey, water
- For serving – cilantro, blue cheese dressing / ranch, carrot and celery sticks
No oil and no baking powder!
These wings are extra crispy, but they are made without oil and without baking powder. Those ingredients are used in traditional deep fried or oven baked versions. It’s remarkable, but with the air fryer technology, chicken wings are not soggy at all.
What are chicken wings?
How to make them
Step 1. Prep the air fryer for wings. Preheat the air fryer to 375°F (190°C) for 5 minutes.
Step 2. Season air fryer chicken wings. Dry chicken wings with a paper towel. Sprinkle wings with garlic powder and salt dry rub seasoning.
Step 3. Air fry chicken wings. Spray the basket with cooking spray (optional). Add wings to the basket, skin side up, ideally not overlapping. Stand some wings up on the side of the basket if necessary. Air fry chicken wings for 15 minutes.
Flip the wings, then bake wings for an additional 10 minutes at 375°F. Increase the temperature to 400°F, flip chicken for a final time, and then air fry wings for an additional 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown. Around 30 minutes – 45 minutes, the wings should be done.
Note: If you’re wondering, can you stack chicken wings in an air fryer? My answer is that I think it’s best not to, so they cook evenly for the time and temperature recommended in this recipe. Do batches instead.
Note: for some air fryer recipes, like air fryer tater tots or air fryer bacon wrapped hot dogs, shaking the basket is just fine. But for chicken wings, flipping them is the best way to ensure they cook properly.
Step 4. Check the temperature of air fryer wings before finishing them. Use a thermometer to check the thickest part of the thickest wing has reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
If they aren’t ready, continue cooking wings in the air fryer for 3 minute increments until the temperature has been reached.
Step 5. Make the air fryer wing sauce of your choice. In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients to make either the buffalo sauce, teriyaki sauce, or honey bbq air fryer wings.
These wings are also super crispy and exceptional served “dry” – without a sauce coating.
Step 6. Coat air fryer wings with sauce. Add wings to bowl of sauce and stir or toss the wings to combine. Serve with a drizzle of extra hot sauce on top. And a side of blue cheese dressing, carrots, celery, and a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro.
FAQs
It all starts with a simple seasoning of garlic powder. In this recipe you’ll find a few of my favorite sauce flavors for wings including traditional hot buffalo sauce, bbq sauce, soy or teriyaki sauce, and even a dry rub idea. We love Old Bay seasoning in my house, and lemon pepper wings and garlic parmesan wings with a little salt and pepper are another favorite for our game day rotation.
No problem. Just keep in mind that surface matter of the wings is important when air frying them. To do this, air fry the wings in a large air fryer basket and finish at 400°F either all standing up so they are barely touching (not overlapping), or finish them in batches so they can lay flat in the basket (in a single layer) and bask in the hot heat.
Add an additional 10-15 minutes cooking time to cook wings from frozen in the air fryer. Don’t forget to flip the wings for this final step. And for an extra tip: if your wings are frozen together when you stick them in the air fryer, that is generally okay. They should separate as they cook. As always, make sure to take the wings temperature to ensure they are 165°F before serving.
You can use any air fryer for this recipe. Using an air fryer attachment to the Instant Pot may not yield as crispy results as using a traditional convection oven type models like the Philips XL (seen in this Sip Bite Go recipe demonstration), Nuwave, Power XL, Emeril or Ninja air fryer machines.
Lately I’ve been doing a ton of chicken wings cook-offs to land on the best recipes for these small chicken pieces. My goal has always been to get perfect happy hour style wings. Or “wing night” wings like I used to get in college.
Air fryer vs. oven wings are almost the same (aka equally delicious) when you use Sip Bite Go recipes to get them super crispy. But air fryer wings are faster to make (they take ⅔ the time) and don’t require baking powder. So air fried wings are always a great choice if you’re just making a small batch.
Air fryer wings are definitely healthier than fried chicken wings in a deep fryer. This is a no oil recipe for wings, other than spraying the basket with olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray, which is optional. Sous vide chicken wings are also lower in calories.
What you need to air fry food
- Air Fryer Machine: In Sip Bite Go recipe tutorials, you’ll see the higher end model, the Philips Airfryer XXL Digital. Other popular air fryers include the Ninja Foodi, NuWave, and Black & Decker.
- Air Fryer Accessories: Save time with reusable air fryer basket liners and this bundle of air fryer accessories.
Easy air fryer recipes
- Air fryer chicken wings
- Air fryer hot dogs
- Air fryer chocolate chip cookies
- Air fryer filet mignon
- Air fryer broccoli
- Air fryer onions
- Air fryer sweet potato tots
- Air fryer acorn squash
- Air fryer chicken patties
Are you a foodie, too?
If you’re wondering what to make for dessert… I have just the thing. Baking air fryer chocolate chip cookies makes them super soft and gooey. I usually set out to just make 1-2 small batches (about 4 cookies fit in the air fryer at a time) then all of a sudden, I’m baking up the whole thing because I know my family will devour ’em.
So what else can you try other than air fryer wings?
You need to try these lemon pepper wings and garlic parmesan chicken wings.
I also love these smoked wings, grilled chicken wings, and crispy baked wings.
If you’re into sous vide cooking, my sous vide buffalo wings and sous vide bbq wings are popular, too.
For more foodie inspiration, find me on Instagram @sipbitego. And to find more delicious recipes to try on your culinary journey, scroll through the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
Want to make restaurant-style food at home? I teach you how here on Sip Bite Go and with in-depth video guides on the Sip Bite Go channel.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe With 3 Sauces | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
Ingredients for air fried chicken wings
- 1 lb chicken wings cut into separate drumettes and flats
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- cooking spray optional
For buffalo sauce air fryer wings
- 1 tbsp buffalo sauce
- 1 tbsp butter melted
For teriyaki air fryer wings
- 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce substitute soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp water
- ½ tsp sesame seeds optional, to garnish
For honey bbq air fryer wings
- 1 tbsp bbq sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp water
To serve with wings
- 1 tsp cilantro fresh chopped
- ½ cup blue cheese dressing substitute ranch
- 1 carrot sliced into sticks
- 1 celery sliced into sticks
Instructions
- Prep the air fryer for wings. Preheat the air fryer to 375°F (190°C) for 5 minutes.
- Season air fryer chicken wings. Dry chicken wings with a paper towel. Sprinkle it with garlic powder and salt.
- Air fry chicken wings. Spray the basket with cooking spray (optional). Add wings to the basket, skin side up, ideally not overlapping. Stand some wings up on the side of the basket if necessary. Air fry chicken wings for 15 minutes. Flip the wings, then bake for an additional 10 minutes at 375°F. Increase the temperature to 400°F, flip chicken for a final time, and then air fry wings for an additional 8-10 minutes at 400°F until golden brown.
- Check the temperature of air fryer wings before finishing them. Use a thermometer to check the thickest part of the thickest wing has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. If they aren’t ready, continue cooking wings in the air fryer for 3 minute increments until the temperature has been reached.
- Make the air fryer wing sauce of your choice. In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients to make either the buffalo sauce, teriyaki sauce, or honey bbq air fryer wings. These wings are also super crispy and exceptional served “dry” – without a sauce.
- Coat air fryer wings with sauce. Add wings to bowl of sauce and stir or toss the wings to combine. Serve with a drizzle of extra sauce on top. And a side of blue cheese dressing, carrots, celery, and a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro.
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