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American

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are salted and dusted with baking powder so the skin dries and crisps in the basket. A butter and hot sauce toss waits until they hit 165°F, and you can skip it if you want them dry.

Prep
10 min
Cook
22 min
Total
32 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
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Golden chicken wings with blistered skin piled on a plate, a small bowl of butter-hot sauce beside them, and celery sticks at the edge.

Why you’ll love it

  • Baking powder helps the skin dry and blister at air-fryer heat.
  • Patting the wings dry matters more than extra oil.
  • A single layer is what browns them. A piled basket steams the skin.
  • Sauce goes on after cooking so it does not soften the crust in the basket.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Pat the wings very dry with paper towels. Wet skin will not crisp. Toss them with the salt, baking powder, pepper, and garlic powder until evenly coated.

  2. 2

    Heat the air fryer to 380°F. Do not crowd the basket. Arrange the wings in a single layer, skin side up where you can.

  3. 3

    Cook for 10 minutes. Flip the wings.

  4. 4

    Cook 10 to 12 minutes more, until the skin is deep gold and blistered and the meat at the bone reads 165°F. Thicker drumettes take the longer time.

  5. 5

    If all 2 pounds do not fit in one layer, cook a second batch for the same time. Do not stack raw wings on top of cooked ones.

  6. 6

    Stir the melted butter and hot sauce together. Toss the hot wings in the sauce, or leave them dry and serve the sauce beside the plate.

Pro tips

  • Aluminum-free baking powder tastes cleaner here. A full teaspoon is enough for 2 pounds. More can taste metallic.
  • Pull a wing and check the joint, not just the meatiest looking spot. The bone area is the last to hit 165°F.
  • Toss only the wings you are eating now. Sauced leftovers soften in the fridge.

Easy substitutions

baking powder
1 tsp cornstarch
hot sauce
2 tbsp barbecue sauce
butter and hot sauce
a dry rub only, no toss

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate plain or sauced wings for up to 3 days. Plain wings keep a better crust.

Reheating

Air-fry leftovers at 350°F for 4 to 6 minutes, until hot and crisp again. A microwave heats them but softens the skin.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
490
Protein
39 g
Carbs
2 g
Fat
36 g
Fiber
0 g

Moderate · Air Fryer · High Protein

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients