Air Fryer Chicken Wings Perfectly Crispy Wellplated Com

Air fried wings have a fabulously crispy outside, are juicy inside, and (my favorite part) require exactly zero deep frying As much as I adore cooking and—like anyone else with tastebuds—find fried food addictive, I draw the line at deep frying in my own kitchen.

A fryer is a hot mess to clean.Foods cooked in a fryer are something I prefer to indulge in when I am eating out, versus a more nutritious meal that I’d cook at home.

The air fryer (this is the model I have) changes the game and brings “fried” food into the realm of everyday enjoyment. A super-powered convection oven, the air fryer creates healthy versions of foods that are typically deep-fried, like Air Fryer French Fries, Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks, and Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts. Air fryer chicken wings are our next bar-food makeover (right alongside other satisfying snacks, Air Fryer Chicken Tenders and Air Fryer Meatballs). No frying oil or air fryer chicken wings baking powder tricks are needed in this easy recipe! As it turns out Buffalo chicken wings cook in an air fryer so successfully, they might just be the best of all of my air fryer recipes so far. It might also be my favorite of all chicken wing recipes—even more than ones with BBQ sauce, or a paprika or cayenne pepper dry rub, or other spices. At least that’s what Ben, who would happily dip anything in Buffalo sauce, would say!

The Best Way to Cook Wings in the Air Fryer

Wings are considered the best cut of chicken to fry.

Of all of the cuts of chicken, wings have the highest skin-to-meat ratio.This makes wings ideal for air frying, because all of that skin can become deliciously crisp (just like Air Fryer Chicken Thighs).

The tricky part of making crispy chicken wings in an air fryer is ensuring that the fat can fully render (a.k.a. cook out). If it doesn’t, the wings will be soggy and greasy.

While some recipes call for making air fryer chicken wings with flour or air fryer chicken wings with baking soda to crisp them, I found this step tedious and messy, and it didn’t solve the problem of rendering the fat.Adding baking soda or flour also doesn’t avoid the grease-factor.

Here’s what does…

How to Make Perfect Air Fryer Chicken Wings

In total, 30 minutes is how long you cook chicken wings in the air fryer. Here’s how you make your air fryer wings crispy:

First, air fryer the chicken wings at 360 degrees F for 24 minutes, turning once halfway through. This step renders the fat.Then, turn up the heat to 390 degrees F. This high temperature crisps the outsides of the wings, leaving the interior meat moist.

The two-temperature approach is easy, less messy than baking soda, and you put raw chicken in an air fryer! This method works for frozen air fryer chicken wings too.

If your wings are especially large or small, you may need to adjust the time by a few minutes in either direction.

Once the wings are air fried, you can toss them in any sauce of your choosing (such as the slightly sweet umami sauce with these Korean Air Fryer Chicken Wings). But as indicated by the cult following of this Slow Cooker Healthy Buffalo Chicken and the Buffalo Chicken Burgers in my cookbook, the penultimate fan favorite is Buffalo sauce.

The Ingredients

Chicken Wings. Pack the protein. This recipe calls for 1 ½ pounds of chicken wings, which is the max amount that I can comfortably fit in a single layer in my air fryer. If you are cooking more, you’ll need to air fry them in batches.

Hot Sauce. Frank’s RedHot Original is my go-to, though you can use a similar mildish hot sauce you prefer (something like Tabasco would be too spicy).Garlic. Minced garlic gives the sauce extra zip that’s a step above garlic powder. It’s worth it for these air fried chicken wings.Vinegar. A small splash helps cut the richness of the wings and balance the sauce.Butter. What makes the wings finger-lickin’ delish.

The Fixings. Blue cheese sauce (the Greek-yogurt based one in my cookbook is perfection), Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip, and celery (or carrots) sticks bring the bar experience home to you. Ranch dressing is a favorite of readers too.

The Directions

What to Serve With Buffalo Chicken Wings

Baked French Fries. Because air fryer chicken wings and fries are a match made in comfort food heaven. You can plan these recipes so that both are ready at the same time.Sweet Potato Fries. Another tasty option in the fry department.Air Fryer Broccoli. This quick-cooking air fryer side can be ready shortly after you finish up the wings. Or try oven Roasted Broccoli.

Storage Tips

To Store. Refrigerate chicken wing leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.To Reheat. Let the wings come to room temperature. Mist with water to help make them juicy, then reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 6 minutes, turning once halfway through.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Knife Block Set. Ergonomic and with a broader blade curve for easy rocking cutting, this knife set is worth every penny!Kitchen Tongs. These 16-inch tongs easily reach deep into the air fryer’s basket.Glass Mixing Bowls. With 10 different stackable sizes and easy to wash, they’re ideal for tossing or dipping air fryer chicken wings recipe in any type of sauce.

Crispy, spicy, juicy, and messy: exactly what Buffalo chicken wings should be! Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked the recipe.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings Video

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