Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Ingredients
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- 2 pounds chicken wings – patted dry (~15 medium chicken wings)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder (8g)
- 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cups hot sauce
- celery sticks – for serving
- blue cheese dressing – for serving
Instructions
- 1.
Separate the wings into flats and drumettes if needed, discarding tips or saving them for stock. Pat the pieces very dry with paper towels.
- 2.
In a large bowl, mix the aluminum-free baking powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Add the wings and the vegetable oil, then toss until the wings are lightly coated and the seasoning is evenly distributed.
- 3.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes. Arrange wings in a single layer in the basket with a little space between pieces; work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding.
- 4.
Air-fry at 400°F for 18–22 minutes, flipping the wings halfway. Cook until the skin is deep golden and very crisp and a thermometer in the thickest part reads at least 165°F (180–190°F yields more tender, pull-from-the-bone meat). If needed, air-fry 3–5 minutes more for extra crispness.
- 5.
While the wings cook, melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat until just melted, 2–3 minutes. Whisk in the hot sauce until smooth and glossy; keep warm off heat.
- 6.
Transfer the hot wings to a clean bowl and toss immediately with the warm sauce until evenly coated.
- 7.
Serve right away with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.
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Air fryer chicken wings deliver shatteringly crisp skin and juicy meat with a fraction of the oil of deep-frying. The appeal is in the contrast: well-rendered, blistered skin that stays light and crackly, wrapped around tender morsels that pull cleanly from the bone. Tossed in a buttery hot sauce or served plain with dips, they satisfy the same cravings as bar-style wings while being weeknight-friendly and mess-minimizing.
The dish draws on the American bar-and-grill tradition of Buffalo wings, a style that originated in Buffalo, New York, in the 1960s and became a national staple. As countertop convection cookers grew popular in the 2010s, cooks adapted wing techniques to the air fryer’s rapid hot-air circulation to mimic deep-fried results. Today, air-fried wings are a mainstay for gatherings and game days, offering classic flavor and texture with a modern, efficient method.