Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Crispy and Juicy)

Name: Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 27 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2lbs chicken wings (fresh, flats and drumettes, about 18 pieces); 2 tsp kosher salt; 2 tsp thyme, dried; 2 tsp rosemary, dried; 2 tsp oregano, dried; 1 tsp ground mustard; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp paprika; 1 tsp vegetable oil

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Last Modified: April 29, 2023

Looking for the ultimate air fryer chicken wings recipe that promises tender, juicy meat and irresistibly crispy, golden skin? You’ve found it! This foolproof recipe delivers mouthwatering chicken wings with ease, making it the go-to choice for anyone who loves a tasty and hassle-free meal.

Crispy, air fryer chicken wings with a simple seasoning and cooked to perfection.

With an easy list of ingredients, many of which you may already have on hand, you can whip up air fryer chicken wings that are packed with taste and impossible to resist. Yes, they’re genuinely that amazing!

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Why I Love This Recipe
Use Fresh Chicken Wings for Crispy Results
Simple Ingredients
Preparation
Air Fry at 390°(F) for 20-24 Minutes
How to Serve
Goes Well With…
Recipe
💬 Comments

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 air fryer 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 wings.

Simple Ingredients

We 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 bite 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

Preparation

Our recipe uses chicken wing drumettes and flats. Many supermarkets sell wings that 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 wing tips from the flat right at that joint. Discard the tips or save them to make chicken stock later.

Pat the Wing Sections Dry

Once we have our wing drumettes and flats, use a paper towel and pat them all as dry as possible. This is very important for crisping the skin during the air fryer process. If there is any excess moisture, they will steam on not crisp.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a small dish. Add the wings to a large mixing bowl and toss with the oil until all the wings are well coated. Add the seasonings and toss again until all the wings are well coated with the seasonings.

That’s it! See? Told ya this was easy!

Air Fry at 390°(F) for 20-24 Minutes

The wings are now ready to go into a preheated air fryer. Make sure not to stack the wings on top of each other. They need to be in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray, depending on the type of appliance you have. Use the air fry setting at 390°(F) for 20-24 minutes. The wings are done when the internal temperature should be at least 165°(F). You’ll probably find that the wings are closer to 180°-200°(F) internally, which is totally fine. In fact, it just makes the meat inside more tender. Wings hold up great with higher internal temperature.

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

The serving possibilities for chicken wings are endless. These wings go great with just about any dipping sauce. My favorite dipping sauce includes:

Ranch dressing. Add some coarse-ground black pepper to the ranch for an additional flavor boost.
Blue Cheese Dressing
BBQ Sauce
Honey Garlic Sauce
If you are looking for some spice, any hot sauce or buffalo sauce will fit the bill

Wings naturally partner with fresh celery sticks 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.

Air fryer chicken wings recipe. — Crispy air fryer chicken wings are herb crusted and cooked to perfection in under 30 minutes.

Can I Double the Recipe?

To make more than the 18 wings this recipe calls for, simply double the number 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 food, the circulating air needs to easily reach all sides of the chicken wings. We do not want to crown the basket or tray or stack the wings on top of each other, a single layer works best. 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 Air Fryer Chicken 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 pepper to the seasoning mix. Or, use ½ – 1 teaspoon of crushed red peppers.

Can I substitute Prepared Yellow Mustard for 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 cooked wings in the air fryer is easy. 380°(F), 5-8 minutes of cooking time 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.

Why are my wings not crispy in air fryer?

Starting with defrosted wing sections (wingettes) which are patted dry is key. If the wings are too moist, they will steam more than they will crisp. Have some paper towels handy and pat those wings as dry as possible before adding the oil or seasonings!

Also, make sure not to overcrowd your air fryer with a batch of wings that are too large. For the air frying to be effective, the wings need room. Make sure they’re in a single layer, not stacked on top of each other, and that each wing has a little bit of room around it. This will allow the hot air to properly circulate and get those wings nice and crispy.

Goes Well With…

Aside from the above serving suggestions, I love the good crunch of coleslaw with chicken wings. Our Country Creamy Coleslaw is a winner for sure and a great partner for our chicken wings.

Do you know what else I love with chicken wings? Macaroni and cheese. Yep, the two go together so well. Our Best Damn Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is so creamy and delicious and loaded with flavor.

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