Everybody loves chicken wings — no one loves cleaning up after deep-frying. These 20 recipes take the stress and cleanup out of wings.
Plain Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
This should be your basic template for wings in the air fryer. Once you master this, you're good to go with pretty much any air-fryer wing recipe.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 360°F for 3 minutes. Pat wings very dry; toss with oil, salt, and pepper.
- Arrange half in one spaced layer; cook 16 minutes, turning after 8 minutes.
- Increase to 400°F; cook 8 to 10 minutes more, turning once, until crisp and thickest meat reaches at least 165°F.
- Transfer uncovered to a rack. Repeat remaining wings, resetting fryer to 360°F for first stage.
- Rest final batch 3 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Baked Buffalo Wings
Buffalo has become the default format for wings. The sauce is to coat, not to bake.
Don't lose these recipes! Drop your email and we'll send them to you, so you've got them handy the next time you're planning dinner.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat wings very dry; toss with baking powder, salt, and pepper. Arrange on a rack over a rimmed pan; refrigerate uncovered 2 hours, included in prep time.
- Heat oven to 250°F. Transfer to a lightly oiled oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed sheet; bake 25 minutes.
- Increase to 425°F; bake 40 to 50 minutes more, turning halfway, until deeply golden and thickest meat reaches at least 165°F.
- Warm hot sauce, butter, and honey in a small saucepan over low until butter melts; whisk smooth.
- Toss hot wings just to coat; serve immediately as 4 appetizer portions.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Lemon pepper is great on wings, but the stuff in the jar isn't very good. Black pepper, freshly ground, along with a little fresh lemon zest, levels up your wings.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed sheet. Pat wings dry; toss with baking powder and salt.
- Space whole wings unfolded on rack; bake 25 minutes. Carefully turn at joined sections.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes more until crisp and thickest meat reaches at least 165°F.
- Mix oil, lemon zest, pepper, and garlic powder; thinly brush hot wings. Rest 3 minutes.
- Serve 4 appetizer portions with lemon wedges; squeeze onto individual bites, not entire batch.
Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings
Garlic Parmesan is another wing order you'll commonly see at fast-food spots, but they rely on the stuff in the shaker. Use a good-quality Parmigiano Reggiano, and you have a wing you could serve at a top restaurant.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 380°F for 3 minutes. Pat wings dry; toss with neutral oil, salt, and pepper.
- Cook half in one uncrowded layer 12 minutes. Turn; cook 10 to 13 minutes more until golden and at least 165°F. Transfer to a rack; repeat.
- Meanwhile, warm olive oil and garlic over low 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant, not browned. Remove from heat.
- Brush cooked wings with garlic oil; evenly scatter Parmesan. Air fry in two batches for 1 minute each at 380°F to set cheese.
- Rest final batch 2 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Honey BBQ Wings
Honey barbecue wings, like any wings with a sweet component, can be a bit challenging. Apply a thin glaze at first, then a thicker glaze later, and watch vigilantly for any burning.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Pat wings dry; toss with baking powder, salt, and paprika.
- Arrange without touching; bake 25 minutes. Turn; bake 20 to 25 minutes more until golden and at least 165°F.
- Mix barbecue sauce, honey, and vinegar. Thinly brush half over wings; bake 3 minutes.
- Brush remaining glaze; bake 2 to 4 minutes more until tacky, watching to prevent blackened sugar.
- Rest 3 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
These Buffalo wings depart a bit from the normal formula, with a delicate crust courtesy of a little rice flour. As with any air fryer recipe, leave enough space for proper air circulation.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 380°F for 3 minutes. Pat wings dry; toss with rice flour, cornstarch, salt, and garlic powder. Shake off loose powder.
- Dab oil onto flour patches to moisten. Arrange half in one layer; cook 12 minutes. Turn; cook 11 to 14 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F.
- Transfer to a rack; repeat. Warm hot sauce, butter, and vinegar in a small saucepan until butter melts.
- Thinly coat cooked wings with warm sauce. Air fry in two batches for 1 minute each at 380°F.
- Serve immediately as 4 appetizer portions while crust retains texture.
Gochujang Chicken Wings
A flashback to a trip to Korea, sitting on a freezing-cold beach, trying to enjoy our beers and the sand, but keeping warm with piping-hot gochujang fried chicken. The mix of spicy and sweet is absolutely perfect for a wing.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Pat wings dry; toss with baking powder and salt. Arrange in one layer.
- Bake 25 minutes; turn and bake 25 to 30 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F.
- Meanwhile, simmer gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, and ginger in a small saucepan 2 minutes until smooth and lightly thickened.
- Thinly brush hot wings with glaze; bake 2 to 3 minutes more, watching sugar closely.
- Add sesame seeds; rest 3 minutes. Serve 4 appetizer portions.
Salt and Vinegar Wings
Salt and vinegar, not just for kettle chips anymore. This recipe uses cider vinegar, but I'd actually use malt vinegar.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix marinade vinegar, water, and salt; add wings in a covered container. Refrigerate 1 hour, included in prep time.
- Drain; pat very dry. Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 380°F for 3 minutes; toss wings with oil.
- Cook half in one layer 12 minutes. Turn; cook 12 to 15 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F. Transfer to a rack; repeat.
- Quickly toss hot wings with finishing vinegar, salt, and pepper, using only measured tablespoon vinegar for entire batch.
- Serve immediately as 4 appetizer portions.
Dry Rub Baked Chicken Wings
A dry rub works just as well as a glaze on wings. However, the spices can burn, so reduce the oven temperature if they darken too fast.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Pat wings very dry.
- Mix baking powder, salt, paprika, cumin, sugar, garlic powder, coriander, and pepper; toss evenly with wings.
- Space wings on rack; bake 25 minutes. Carefully turn each.
- Bake 25 to 35 minutes more until crisp and thickest meat reaches at least 165°F. Reduce to 400°F if spices darken too fast.
- Rest uncovered 5 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Honey and garlic work as an Asian-inspired glaze for these wings. It's very prone to burning, though, so this recipe only gets one layer of glaze.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Pat wings dry; toss with baking powder and salt. Arrange in one layer.
- Bake 25 minutes; turn and bake 25 to 30 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F.
- Whisk honey, soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, and cornstarch in a small saucepan before heating. Gently simmer 2 to 3 minutes until lightly thickened and garlic softens.
- Thinly glaze hot wings; bake 2 to 3 minutes until tacky.
- Rest 3 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Teriyaki Chicken Wings
There's no need to buy teriyaki sauce, as it comes together quickly (and feel free to batch it to save for later). As with all glazes, a little goes on the end, or else you'll end up with a charcoal crust.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Pat wings dry; toss with baking powder and salt.
- Space wings on rack; bake 25 minutes. Turn; bake 25 to 30 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F.
- Whisk soy sauce, mirin, sugar, water, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until lightly thickened.
- Thinly coat cooked wings with sauce; bake 2 to 3 minutes more until tacky.
- Add sesame seeds; rest 3 minutes. Serve 4 appetizer portions.
Baked Nashville Hot Wings
What makes it Nashville is the spiced oil on the finish. A quick rest gives those spices plenty of time to affix themselves to the wing.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Pat wings dry; toss with baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Arrange in one layer; bake 25 minutes. Turn; bake 25 to 35 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F.
- Warm coating oil in a small saucepan over low 1 minute; remove from heat. Add cayenne, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, pepper, and remaining salt.
- Thinly brush hot wings with spiced oil, stirring between strokes to keep spices suspended.
- Rest 3 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions with drained pickles alongside.
Cajun Chicken Wings
I know more than a few Louisianans who roll their eyes at the "Cajun" seasoning they see in the store. This spice mix isn't too different from the standard rub for blackened chicken, and that name should be a clue — these should come out dark, not burned, but decidedly dark.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Thoroughly dry wings.
- Mix baking powder, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, cayenne, and pepper. Toss wings with their oil; evenly coat with spices.
- Arrange without touching; bake 25 minutes. Carefully turn each.
- Bake 25 to 35 minutes more until crisp and thickest meat reaches at least 165°F. Reduce to 400°F if herbs darken quickly.
- Rest uncovered 5 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Ranch Dry Rub Baked Wings
A ranch-inspired dry rub beats the heck out of whatever's in the bottle. The mix of buttermilk powder and herbs complements chicken beautifully.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Pat wings dry; toss with baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Arrange in one layer; bake 25 minutes. Turn; bake 25 to 35 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F.
- Mix buttermilk powder, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and remaining salt in a small bowl.
- Toss hot wings with melted butter; add ranch mixture in two additions, tossing between for a fine, even coating.
- Rest 3 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Sweet Chili Wings
In Southeast Asia, fried wings and sweet chili are inseparable, albeit as a dip. This recipe takes the concept to a glazed wing.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 380°F for 3 minutes. Pat wings dry; toss with oil, salt, and pepper.
- Cook half in one uncrowded layer 12 minutes. Turn; cook 12 to 15 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F. Transfer to a rack; repeat.
- Meanwhile, simmer sugar, vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, chile, and garlic 3 minutes. Mix cornstarch with remaining water; stir into sauce and simmer 1 minute until lightly thickened.
- Remove sauce from heat; add lime juice. Lightly coat hot wings with warm sauce.
- Serve immediately as 4 appetizer portions.
Jerk Chicken Wings
A Jamaican jerk marinade is one of the most classic ways to level up a humble piece of chicken. In the islands, they typically do this on an outdoor grill, but the oven with a rack works year-round.
Ingredients
Method
- Blend scallions, Scotch bonnet, garlic, ginger, lime juice, soy sauce, oil, sugar, allspice, thyme, salt, and cinnamon to a thick paste. Coat wings; refrigerate 2 hours.
- Scrape off excess paste; arrange on a rack over a tray. Refrigerate uncovered 15 minutes. Both rests are included in prep time.
- Heat oven to 400°F; transfer wings to an oiled oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Bake 25 minutes; turn.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes more. Increase to 425°F for 5 to 8 minutes until edges brown and thickest meat reaches at least 165°F.
- Rest uncovered 5 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Smoked-Then-Air-Fried Wings
If you've got a home smoker, (a) I'm envious, and (b) you can do so much more with chicken. A light smoke does most of the cooking, and an air fryer finishes the job.
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare smoker at 225°F with light applewood smoke according to directions. Pat wings dry; toss with oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper.
- Arrange without touching; smoke 60 to 90 minutes until thickest meat reaches at least 165°F.
- Near smoking’s end, preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 400°F for 3 minutes. Add half the hot wings in one layer.
- Air fry 7 to 10 minutes, turning halfway, until crisp. Repeat remaining wings; confirm finished meat remains at least 165°F.
- Rest final batch 3 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Parmesan Ranch Wings
If you're already using buttermilk powder for a ranch-style wing, Parmesan helps you double down on the tang. Mayo helps fix the coating to the wing, an intriguing change from mustard or egg.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 370°F for 3 minutes. Pat wings dry; thinly coat with mayonnaise.
- Mix panko, Parmesan, buttermilk powder, dill, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Press onto wings; dab oil on raised crumbs until moistened.
- Arrange half in one spaced layer. Cook 12 minutes; carefully turn and cook 12 to 15 minutes more until crust golden and meat reaches at least 165°F.
- Transfer to a rack; repeat. Reduce to 350°F if cheese browns before meat is ready.
- Rest final batch 3 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Mango Habanero Wings
If you like tropical flavors, a mango glaze is fun to experiment with. Make sure it's falling-apart ripe — underripe mangoes are bland and often weirdly piney.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F; oil an oven-safe rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan. Pat wings dry; toss with baking powder and wing salt.
- Arrange in one layer; bake 25 minutes. Turn; bake 25 to 30 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F.
- Blend mango, habanero, honey, lime juice, water, and glaze salt smooth. Simmer in a small saucepan 4 to 5 minutes until lightly coating a spoon.
- Thinly glaze hot wings; bake 2 to 3 minutes more, watching for scorching.
- Rest 3 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
Air Fryer Old Bay Chicken Wings
Old Bay is for far more than just crab. The seasoning here comes on in two layers: one for a rub, and one mixed with melted butter for a quick coat.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 380°F for 3 minutes. Pat wings very dry; toss with oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay, and pepper.
- Arrange half in one spaced layer; cook 12 minutes. Turn; cook 12 to 15 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F.
- Transfer to a rack; repeat. Keep cooked wings uncovered while waiting.
- Toss hot wings with melted butter and remaining 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay for a thin, even coating.
- Rest 3 minutes; serve 4 appetizer portions.
