These Air Fryer Chicken Wings are amazingly crispy on the outside, juicy in the center. Simply serve with celery, carrots and your dipping sauce of choice!
I recently purchased the 10 quart Instant Pot Vortex and it’s quickly become my favorite appliance. It bakes, it dehydrates, it broils, it roasts a whole chicken, and most importantly… it’s a double-decker AIR FRYER. How… who…..what is this magic? It’s a Christmas miracle (even though I purchased it after Christmas, lol).
OTHER AIR FRYER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Garlic Cheddar Air Fryer Drop Biscuits
Parmesan Air Fryer Fried Pickles
The Juiciest Air Fryer Fried Chicken Bites
How To Make Air Fryer Potato Wedges
The Ultimate Guide For Air Fryer Chickpeas
Sweet And Spicy Air Fryer Green Bean Fries
Pickle Juice Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli
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MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
CRISPY AIR FRYER CHICKEN WINGS STEP 1:
There are a couple of secrets when it comes to air frying extra crunchy chicken wings. First, make sure to pat each wing dry with a paper towel. Next, lightly dust the wings with a coating of baking powder, salt and pepper. Is the baking powder absolutely necessary? Well, no. But after testing the wings with and without… I prefer them with.
CRISPY AIR FRYER CHICKEN WINGS STEP 2:
Next you’ll place them in a single layer on both trays. Each tray holds around one-pound of wings. So depending on how many you are prepping, you may need to cook the wings in multiple batches. There’s no need to preheat the Vortex in advance, simply add the wings, crank it up to 380F and set the timer for 25 minutes.
CRISPY AIR FRYER CHICKEN WINGS STEP 3:
While those bad boys are cooking, go ahead and decide what kind of sauce you’d like to serve them with. If you’re a fan of heat, try my brother-in-law’s extra spicy buffalo sauce. He prefers to grill his wings, but something tells me that once he tries them this way he’ll swoon for both options.
I had some extra parmesan on hand… so I thought I’d make a spicy, garlic-y, buttery sauce for half the wings. First I melted a stick of Minerva Dairy’s garlic butter in a small pot with 1 chopped jalapeño and 2 cloves of minced garlic. If you haven’t tried their butters yet, I definitely recommend that you should! If you’re using regular butter (and still want the extra garlic-y goodness), go ahead and add a couple more cloves of minced garlic to the pan. Bring the butter to a light simmer and then turn off the heat.
When the wings are ready, toss half in the spicy butter sauce and mix them together with fresh parmesan. BOOM, so good. Toss the other half with buffalo sauce and serve with freshly chopped green onions and jalapeños as a topping. Celery, carrots and a dipping sauce are never a bad idea either.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Pickle Juice Fried Chicken Sandwich
Chicken Cobb Salad with Dill-Dijon Vinaigrette
Dutch Oven Pozole Verde with Chicken
- 2 lbs. Chicken Wings
- Salt + Pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp. Baking Powder (optional)
- 1 cup Frank's RedHot Sauce
- 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- ½ Fresh Jalapeño, chopped
- ½ tsp. Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- ¼ cup Butter
- 1 Jalapeño, chopped
- 2 - 4 cloves Garlic, minced (per preference)
- ½ tsp. Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- ½ cup Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Green Onions, sliced
- Jalapeños, chopped
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Celery
- Carrots
- Your Favorite Dipping Sauce
- Pat chicken wings dry with a paper towel.
- Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper and optional baking powder.
- Set them in a single layer on the air fryer trays. Cook at 380F for 25 minutes, switching the trays halfway through.
- While the wings cook, make your desired sauce (or both!). To make the sauces, place all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a simmer. If making both sauces, use separate pots.
- Toss wings in sauce before serving. Enjoy!
NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:
- If you are using an air fryer that has a basket: Follow the same directions, making sure to shake the basket halfway through. Depending on the size of the basket, you may have to do multiple batches.
- I prefer to use an equal mix of drumettes and flats. If using the tips, keep an eye on them (as they may cook faster).
- Try these with our Tangy Alabama White Sauce. We keep a jar of this in our fridge at all times (and have been told by fans that they’ve straight up licked the jar clean… it’s THAT good).
PIN THIS FOR LATER:
I got an air fryer last yer for Christmas and i love it too.
I have done wings before and they always turn out nice and crispy.
Thanks for sharing your wing sauce recipe because I am always looking to try some new flavors.
Goodness, I’m completely hooked! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, can’t wait for you to try it!
If making only about 1 lb of wings, do you suggest any changes to the time/temperature/tray placement? My wife and I are light eaters 🙂
Hey Neil! Good question! It should still be the same time and temperature if you are using the Instant Pot Vortex, you’ll still divide them evenly among the two trays. However, if you are using a different air fryer, make sure to shake the tray halfway through (and times / temps may vary slightly). Can’t wait to hear what you think! We LOVE them here at our house. Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet! 🙂
Hi Jess! I ended up making these before reading your suggestion to still split up the wings between two trays. I placed them all on one tray, in the center, and they were still delicious! Crunchy on the outside and juicy in the inside. Next time I’ll try splitting them up.
Thanks again for sharing! My search for the perfect Instant Pot Vortex wing recipe is finally over 🙂
Looking forward to trying even more recipes I could easily make in the Vortex.
Hey Neil, glad to hear the recipe works all on one tray! I’ll make sure to add more Instant Pot Vortex recipes in the near future. 🙂 If you have time, please sign up for my mailing list. That way you’ll see the new recipes when they come out. Have a great day!
Can you start with frozen wings ? Or do I have to defrost
I haven’t tried this with frozen yet, so I would recommend thawing them before cooking. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
I have the instant pot vortex but the 1 with the basket. Do you recommend same temp & time?
The temp and time should be the same, but you may have to work in batches… depending on the size of your basket. I’d also recommend flipping them halfway through to make sure they cook evenly. 🙂
Can you use the rotisserie basket to make wings?
Also, how many uses does it take until the chemical/plastic smell goes away?
Thank you.
You can definitely try the rotisserie basket, although your cooking times may vary. Just make sure the internal temperature has reached 165F before consuming. My oven didn’t come with a chemical smell, I’d give yours a good clean before using. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my recipe!
Should I use the Bake or Airfry setting?
I use the air fryer setting but I’m sure the bake option would work as well!
What if I want to just make regular fried wings ? Can I use flower ?
Are you using this recipe for the sauces only? You can certainly fry your wings coated in flour and then toss together with the sauce afterwards. 🙂
I just got an air fryer last night for the sole purpose of making wings. I didn’t know where to start, but Google brought me here! They turned out perfectly. I used a pre made sauce though because I’m on a lemon pepper kick right now.
Hooray! Lemon Pepper sounds amazing. Enjoy your new air fryer! I use mine almost every day.