Use your air fryer to make crispy chicken wings that are seasoned to tender, juicy perfection. Awesome for any meal, party, event or any time you just want to enjoy chicken wings. Your air fryer is the ideal kitchen appliance to make you a chicken wing superstar!
With a simple mix of ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry, you can make chicken wings that will rival any store bought or restaurant wings. The combination of herbs and spices will leave reaching for more. You can’t put them down, they’re just that good.
Jump to:
Why I Love This Recipe
Developing this recipe was so much fun. The simple fact is – I LOVE chicken wings. And I knew I could use my air fryer to make awesome wings. I just never expected them to come out THIS awesome! They are so crispy, so savory, so perfectly seasoned… I’m making myself hungry again just writing this. This has been one of my most satisfying recipes and i’m beyond excited to share it.
Use Fresh Chicken Wings for Crispy Results
To get the very best results, use fresh chicken wings, not frozen. If you only have frozen wings, we recommend thawing them first. Air frying uses rapidly circulating hot air to crisp the food and this result is best achieved with fresh chicken wings.
Cutting Whole Wings
Our recipe uses chicken wing drumettes and flats. Many supermarkets sell wings which are already cut. But if you only have whole chicken wings that’s fine too, we’ll just need to cut them. Use a good, sharp butcher’s knife or kitchen scissors and cut right at the joint that joins the drum and flat. Then, cut the tip section from the flat right at that joint. Discard the tips or save them to make a chicken stock later.
Simple Ingredients
Our air fryer chicken wings will use a very simple dry rub seasoning that so perfectly accentuates the natural flavor of the chicken. This savory combination of herbs and spices, when air fried, gives us unbelievably flavorful and crispy wings. Each bit has that crispy crunch and burst of flavor that you will fall in love with. Our ingredients include:
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Salt
- Pepper
- Mustard powder
- Paprika
How Long to Cook Chicken Wings in an Air Fryer?
The method for making crispy chicken wings in an air fryer couldn’t be easier. We season the wings with the seasoning mix and a little vegetable oil, then air fry at 390°(F) for 20-23 minutes. When the wings are done, we toss them with the drippings from the bottom of the basket for an extra juicy flavor boost. That’s it!
How to Serve Chicken Wings?
The serving possibilities for chicken wings are endless. These wings go great with just about any dipping sauce. My favorites include:
- Ranch dressing. Add some course-ground black pepper to the ranch for additional flavor boost.
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- BBQ Sauce
- Honey Garlic Sauce
Wings naturally partner with fresh celery and carrot sticks. Also, since these are herb seasoned wings, side dishes of potato salad or coleslaw are excellent choices for making them a meal.
FAQ’s
Can I Double the Recipe?
To make more than the 18 wings this recipe calls for, simply double the amount of ingredients for the seasoning mix. However, we recommend air frying doing 2 batches or more. For air frying to effectively crisp and cook the foods, the circulating air needs to easily reach all sides of the chicken wings. We do not want to crown the basket or tray or especially stack the wings on top of each other. It’s ok if the batch fits snuggly, there will be some shrinkage during cooking. But we definitely don’t want to crowd or stack the wings.
Are These Wings Hot?
These wings do not contain any ingredients which are considered hot. The flavor profile is extremely savory. But if you want to add a little heat, simply add ¼tsp of cayenne to the seasoning mix. Or, use ½ – 1 teaspoon of crushed red peppers.
Can I substitute Prepared Yellow Mustard for the Ground Mustard?
We do not recommend using regular prepared mustard in place of ground mustard. We want to keep all of the ingredients dry to be able to get the crispiness. If you do not have ground mustard, simply leave it out. (However, ground mustard is an awesome ingredient in many recipes and it’s very affordable. Pick some up on your next trip to the supermarket).
How to Reheat in Air Fryer?
Reheating your chicken wings in the air fryer is easy. 380°(F) for 5-8 minutes will yield the best results.
How to Store Cooked Chicken Wings?
Keep the cooked chicken wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
PrintRecipe
Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 18 wings
Description
Crispy chicken wings are perfect for air frying! With our delicious seasoning mix, this easy recipe in on your plate in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2lbs fresh chicken wing flats and drumettes (about 18 pieces)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried crushed rosemary
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients. Set aside.
- Add chicken wings to a large bowl or zip-top bag and toss with vegetable oil. Add seasoning mix and toss to coat all the chicken well.
- Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes at 390°(F).
- Add chicken wings to tray or basket of air fryer. Air fry at 390°(F) for 20-24 minutes. Shake basket/turn wings 2-3 times during cooking for even crisping.
- When done, remove wings to a large bowl and toss with and drippings from bottom of air fryer basket or drip tray.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 22min
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: air fryer chicken wings
Marie
My son is a picky eater, but he LOVES this recipe and the best damn air fryer pork chops. Thanks!!
★★★★★
Ellen A Clark
Tried these wings tonight. Delicious!!!!! I tweaked the recipe by adding about a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes for just a little heat and used smoky paprika.
this is now one of our favorite suppers! So glad I found this recipe and tried it.
RecipeTeacher
Thanks so much for the feedback, Ellen! I’m a big fan of smoked paprika. Great addition!
kamoon
Haven’t tried this yet. I have a toaster oven style air fryer…would you suggest any modifications using this type? Thanks! Love your recipes ♥
RecipeTeacher
Hi Kamoon… so the toaster oven style air fryers are basically “tray” style air fryers and should be the same for everything. Some of the smaller ones can run a little hot so if its smaller, just keep an eye on the wings for doneness. Otherwise, all should be good. Let me know how they turn out!
Jackie Taylor
Hi! I’ve tried almost every recipe you have and the they’re ALL great. On this one I have a question – I’m not a big wing or drumette fan – do I need to make any adjustments if I go with tenders cut into similar sized pieces?
RecipeTeacher
Hey Jackie! Thanks so much for your kind words as always. So a couple of things… I actually am working on a version of this for boneless, skinless breast tenders. Here’s the thing, as currently written you could use the same amount of ingredients, but you won’t quite get the same crisp or tenderness. The skin of the wings gives us the crispiness. Also, chicken breast is much leaner so the cooking time will be less. I’ll have the whole recipe out soon after I do several more test batches. Gotta make sure it lives up to the same excellent standards as the rest of the recipes. 🙂
Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart for all your kind words. It means a lot!