The best ever SUPER CRISPY chicken wings cooked in the air-fryer (NO OIL Required!) 3 ways (Buffalo, Honey BBQ, & Garlic Parmesan) in just 30 Minutes!
Air Frying has made eating healthy and fast possible without compromising flavor or texture. Chicken wings are one of my favorite things (other than fries) to make in the air fryer. Air-frying chicken wings make the most crispy wings with tender juicy meat, with NO OIL required. The result is SUPER crispy wings that are not only incredibly delicious but are so much healthier too! The only ingredients you will need are chicken wings, baking powder, and salt & pepper.
You can eat the wings as is without a sauce toss them in your favorite wing sauce. Today I will be sharing 3 quick wing sauces that you can make while the wings are cooking in the air fryer.
Enjoyed these wings? Check out my crispy air fryer fried chicken or my popular air fryer chicken tenders next or see my full line of air fryer recipes here!
How to Make Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
Prep: To make chicken wings in the air fryer, get started by cutting and drying the chicken wings. Make sure the wings are completely dry so they yield a crispy texture. Next, toss the wings in baking powder along with a dash of salt and pepper. You can get creative here if you’d like and season the chicken with your favorite spice blend but that’s pretty much it!
Air Fryer: Place in the air fryer (preferably on a rack) and air fryer until crispy (refer to the recipe box below for more details). As you can see, the wings are SUPER crispy and mouth-watering. At this point, you can simply serve the wings as is or toss them in a wing sauce.
Toss in Sauce: Now to the fun part, the sauces! The first is buffalo sauce, the 2nd option is a honey BBQ sauce and the 3rd is a garlic parmesan coating. if making things from scratch is not your thing, simply toss the wings in a store-bought wings sauce!
Tips for Extra Crispy Chicken Wings
Use Baking Powder: I learned this trick years ago and it has been my favorite way to get crispy skin on chicken wings. This Magic Ingredient raises the PH level in the chicken wings and makes them SUPER crispy. Just be sure the baking powder you are using is aluminum-free.
Pat the chicken dry: Be sure the wings are completely dried through. This will help the baking powder stick to the skin and result in a super crispy texture
No Oil Needed: This is my favorite part about air frying chicken wings. That’s right, no oil is needed. The oil from the chicken wings will break down and when combined with the salt and baking powder, will form a crunchy crust that is to die for.
Air-frying Method: The wings are first air-fried on medium heat to cook the interior and then the heat is turned up to 400F+ to crisp up the skin. The result is chicken wings that are soft and tender on the inside and super crispy on the outside.
Don’t over-lap: Spread the wings out so they don’t overlap. Giving the wings enough room will allow them to cook evenly and crispy all around. Using a large air fryer will allow you to achieve the best results in just 1 round. This is our favorite air fryer for large batches.
More Delicious Chicken Wing Recipes
Super Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings (3 Ways!)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken wings
- 1 tbs baking powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Garlic Parmesan Wings
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, freshly grated or pre-grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley leaves
Honey Bbq Wings
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 2 tsp sriracha or hot sauce optional
Instructions
- Prep: Remove the tips of chicken wings and split them at the joint. Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel. In a large bowl, toss chicken wings with 1 tablespoon baking powder (NOT BAKING SODA!) and a dash of salt and pepper. Transfer to the air-fryer basket and place in the air fryer.
- Air Fry: Cook at 375F for 25 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through cooking time. Increase the temperature to 420F or the highest setting and bake for another 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and brown. Remove from air fryer and immediately toss in the wing sauce of choice.
- To Make Garlic Parmesan Wings: Cook garlic in butter then turn off the heat and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients along with the wings to the bowl and toss.
- To Make Buffalo Wings: Cook butter with garlic for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and pour into a large bowl. Add hot sauce and salt. Stir in wings.
- To Make Honey BBQ wings: Simmer all ingredients in a small pot or pan. Transfer to a bowl and toss in wings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Instant Pot XL Air FRyer
My absolute favorite air fryer! This air fryer is well insulated and gets super hot for the perfect texture and doneness.
Storage recommendations
- Storing leftovers: Refrigerate cooled chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat: Gently rewarm leftovers in the air fryer at 375F for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is warmed through and the skin is crispy.
Recipe by Layla Atik // Photography by: Eat Love Eats
Made it for the first time . Successful with baking powder. Real crispy and wonderful.
Can I add everything bagel spice with the baking powder. Can any spice be addes
Made these for dinner tonight. The recipe was perfect! Great instructions!!! Whole family loved them! Thanks so much!
Please update the instructions so they don’t say baking powder.
I mean baking soda – sorry! Everyone don’t use baking soda 🙂
I’m glad I checked the comments. We were out of baking powder, so I used corn starch like suggested and they came out amazing! Added a little paprika when I put in the salt and pepper as well. My mom said they were better than take out wings because they weren’t greasy at all. Will plan to make this again.
Can I use flour instead of baking powder? I ended up buying baking powder with aluminum and I see everyone saying it leaves an after taste
Yes, you can also replace it with cornstarch if you’d like!
let’s just get one thing straight, baking soda does not contain aluminum. Regardless of whether it says aluminum-free or not on the packaging. Even good old Arm & Hammer, with their otherwise questionable products, does not contain aluminum.
You shouldn’t be using baking soda. The recipe calls for baking POWDER. Baking powder and baking soda are not the same thing.
I used cornstarch instead of baking powder and it worked fine so probably a light flour coating would work as well.
These are the best!!! Made them several times now and always super delish😋… thanks!
These were amazing! We have a smaller AF so I did 2 batches, it was perfect! One with bbq honey and the other hot wing sauce. Both fantastic. This is the only way I’ll do wings now, not greasy at all.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you! Just received my air fryer, kids and hubby did not believe the chicken wings would be as good as deep fried. This is my first attempt at air frying and your recipe amazed us all! Awesome tip w the baking powder, taste and texture are perfect! Thanks for this recipe!
Do you think corn starch would work in place of the baking powder?
Yes, it should work 🙂
really enjoyed the BBQ wings. Made sure to use the baking powder and not baking soda. They were a big hit with the teenage boys.
Baking soda on chicken tasted horrible! Just season them and they’ll be great.
I think she said baking powder not baking soda lol. Baking soda would be pretty awful.
You can make backing powder with baking soda. I’m curious why it has to be aluminum free. It’s damn near impossible to find right now.
*baking 🤦♀️🤦♀️
You can’t put aluminum in an air fryer.
Sorry to laugh but I cracked up reading that just now. It happened to me making some cookies for my wife’s co-worker about a year ago and I still haven’t lived it down. At least we noticed after backing and had to re-do the batch. I felt so silly afterwards.
Do you think you could do most of the cooking with the basket pretty full and then the last 5 mi bites or so in batches so the wings have more space? Our air rye is pretty small.
I don’t recommend overlapping as it will take longer to cook that way and will also make it super hard to crisp up the chicken.
Mine came out very crispy but the baking soda made them taste weird and really quite salty. I would not use baking soda again. Corn starch is more commonly used for something like this and I’m going to try that next time.
It’s baking powder, not baking soda 😉 Try the baking powder next time and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
Wish I would have looked at the comments we used the baking soda the recipe says above and they taste horrible 😢
So sorry about that! The recipe calls for baking powder not baking soda.
I always wash my chicken before cooking, in that case will pat dry with kitchen towel be enough?
Yes, that should be enough! Just be sure to pat them well 🙂
omg I accidentally used baking soda, do NOT use baking soda hahaha but they did have a great crust! Can’t wait to try again with baking powder 🙂
My husband and I love buffalo wings and sample them frequently at restaurants we go to. We did this recipe yesterday in the air fryer and they were the best! Just crispy enough without being tough or dry. They were juicy and perfectly flavored. Will definitely use this recipe a lot!
At the beginning of the article it says to preferably use a rack but the receipt says use the basket. Does it matter which is used?
Best wing recipe ever…the baking powder took them to another level. Thank you !!!
Just absolutely amazing!! My boyfriend and his 2 daughters couldn’t get enough of them!! We tried all 3 sauces and they were divine!! I especially loved the buffalo sauce!! We used Frank’s original hot sauce for it and forvthe bbq sauce we did Famous Dave’s righ and sassy. The gatmrlic parmesan was good but not as rich and flavorful for the family. We will definitely make them again!! Thank you!!
Yum! So glad you enjoyed all the sauces 😀
I just made the garlic parmesan wings and they were really good. I think I would just cut back on the amount of salt the next time as they were a bit too salty for me.
I rarely comment on recipes, but I have to for this one. This recipe made the best wings I have ever eaten. I was concerned that using the air fryer for the whole cook time might dry them out, but just the opposite. They were crisp on the outside, and very juicy on the inside! I only cooked 6 or 7 wings, so there was no overlapping. (Just cooking for me). I followed the recipe exactly, only at the end, finished them at 400 degrees, because my fryer only goes that high. YUMMMMM. !!!!
I have made these twice and they are great! Both times I used defrosted chicken wings. Could I use frozen chicken wings?
I haven’t tried using frozen wings so I can’t say but please do let us know if you try it out!
Our wings turned out perfectly! They were so crispy and delicious! We had to use one Tbsp. of flour because we didn’t have baking powder. It was still delicious! This will be something we will eat again!
Is each sauce for 2lbs of wings or are the 3 sauces for 2lbs of wings all together?
Each sauce listed is enough for about 2 lbs of wings.
I had to make 6 pounds of wings, so I air fried them all in batches, but of course the first few batches cooled down. So, I finished them off in the oven at 420 for about 5 minutes. They were perfect. Anyone else come up with another way?
Tried these and they were sooooo good will cook them again.
Have you ever used frozen wings?
Tasted great. Thank you.
So cripsy! These were so good on their own we wound up not even using any sauce
Can I cook with hot sauce and or garlic sauce already on the wings
I honestly have not tried cooking them with the sauce already on the wings so I can not say but I would assume the sauce will leak into the bottom of the air fryer and cause it to smoke.
Hi, are these thawed before frying or frozen?
thank you!
They are thawed!
Best wings ever!!!!
Hi! I made these yesterday and they were fantastic! I’ve made wings before in the air fryer, but your baking powder method made these way crispier than other recipes. I’m not sure why it works, but it really does! If I was wondering how you keep yours warm and crispy while making large batches? Do you pop them in the oven while you are waiting for the other batches to cook? Thanks again for a great recipe!
I would just cover them with foil or as you said, place them in the oven until the rest are ready!
If you want to make several Patches how should you keep them warm without drying them out?
Irene
I turn my oven on :warm” and put the first batch in an oven proof bowl and keep them warm when I’m cooking the next batch. I use Sweet Baby Rays wing sauce which I add to the wings before I put them in the oven. They come out great every time!
Delicious! I added baking powder and a few other seasonings, cooked for 15 minutes, shook them and cooked for an additional 10 minutes. Turned out perfectly! Very flavorful and crunchy. I’m still amazed at how simple this was. By the way, this was my first time using my air fryer and I think I’ve fallen in love! Thanks for sharing 🥰
Thanks for the feedback, Shae!! <3
What’s the reason for aluminum free baking powder
The aluminum may have a bitter aftertaste.
do you use 1 tbs baking powder for each wing?
no, the tablespoon is for the entire recipe! 😀
how does that little amount of baking powder cover all the wings? Doesn’t make sense to me. Can you explain?
It should be enough. Try it and let us know how it turned out! 🙂
This looks great but what kind of hot sauce do I USE for the buffalo chicken? I have some old elpasso chunky salsa THAT I use for tacos. I assume that would work.
Hot sauce……not salsa
https://assets3.thrillist.com/v1/image/1877539/size/tl-horizontal_main_2x.jpg
You need franks hot sauce & butter. NO honey. The more butter the more mild the hot sauce.
For wings, Frank’s is best!
These wings are the best!! They were PERFECTLY done. I used creaMy ranch buffalo sauce.
So glad you enjoyed them, Jamie!
A question….why should it be alum free baking powder? Didn’t even know baking powder had aluminum, but of course what I have here at home has aluminium! -_-
Aluminum had been linked to Alzheimer’s and kidney disease. Some people say you shouldn’t cook with aluminum foil anymore, but it’s all around you already, it’s actually a major active ingredient in most deodorants. It’s not gonna ruin your wings if you use it. If you have massive amounts in your body for long periods of time, you’d have higher likelihood of getting sick someday.
This is not prove. Please see alzheimer.ca which flat out says – “Current research provides no convincing evidence that exposure to trace elements of aluminum is connected to the development of dementia.”
Aluminum is cumulative so when you combine with deodorant, aluminum foil, vaccinations, etc. it all adds up. Of course, the Alzheimer’s site will say that aluminum does not cause dementia. I don’t trust anything they say.
This recipe was PERFECT. I might add a little more baking powder for more “crust” on the wings, but tried the buffalo style and they were just perfect. My husband is from Buffalo, NY and he said that they were the closest thing to the original Anchor Bar wings he had ever had.
I’m curioUs, as for the baking powder, why aluminum free?
Aluminum-free baking powder will ensure here is no aftertaste from the baking powder!
Layla is absolutely right! I tried this with one baking powder I didn’t know had it. They came out great, but had a metallic soda-ey aftertaste. Going to run to the store in a little while to get some aluminum-free baking powder and will try again when I get back home. Other than the aftertaste, this is the tastiest recipe I’ve tried!
Makes a difference doesn’t it! Happy you enjoyed them regardless 😀
Wow…I am going to prepare and eat