Learn how to make healthy and easy wings in your air fryer. In this recipe, I use a homemade rub and cook them until they are nice and crispy.
The air fryer wings my husband won’t stop talking about… I’m not exaggerating when I say he seriously will not stop talking about them. Wings are his favorite food right now, and I am grateful because they are so easy to make. They are perfect for a weeknight meal because you can pop them in the air fryer and walk away!
I like to use a homemade dry rub, but honestly, any seasoning will do. You could even keep it simple and toss them with some salt or all-purpose seasoning and then use your favorite BBQ sauce or buffalo sauce to dip them in after they cook. I love how versatile chicken wings are!
Below is the method I use to cook the wings in my Ninja Air Fryer. It has a huge basket that can fit at least 2 pounds of wings at a time. I LOVE this thing! It has multiple settings, including air frying and baking, and I use it just about every time I cook.
If you are using a different brand or model of an Air Fryer, make sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions. The manual should have temperatures and times to cook different types of proteins. That is how I learned the perfect method for mine! If you have a smaller basket, you will need to cook the wings in batches or less at a time. You do not want the wings to be overcrowded because they will not get as crispy.
What you will need
2 pounds of wings (or more if you are feeding a crowd!)
Avocado Oil
Dry Rub (Find my BBQ dry rub recipe here!)
Air Fryer
My favorite Air Fryer
I think it is safe to say that I am obsessed with my Ninja Air Fryer! It has multiple functions, including a toaster oven and regular oven, AND it flips up, so it saves so much room on the countertop. I love that it is so many tools in one, and it doesn’t take up too much space. It is also larger than you would expect, and you can even cook a 13-inch frozen pizza in it. What did I tell you? It’s perfect. You can find it on Amazon here!
I think that Avocado oil is best for this application because it has a higher smoke point. Other oils, such as olive oil, have a lower smoke point, and since we are cooking on a higher heat in the air fryer, I recommend avocado oil. Learn more about oils in my blog post here.
While you certainly can cook wings from frozen, I recommend that you thaw them in the fridge overnight so that you can toss them in the dry rub before cooking.
Both methods work fine, but I like to toss them before cooking to have the flavors blend into the crispy skin.
Yes! Cooking them in the air fryer with avocado oil is a healthier alternative to cooking them in the deep fryer. Less oil is used, therefore this recipe has fewer calories and is made with a healthier oil.
Easy Air Fryer Wings
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Chicken wings
- 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 2 tbsp Dry Rub
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees
- Add wings to a large bowl. Add avocado oil and dry rub. Toss to combine.
- Add to air fryer basket in a single layer. My air fryer basket is large, so I can do all the wings in 1 batch, but if yours is small, you may want to cook in separate batches. You don't want to overcrowd the wings.
- Air fry for 30 minutes – flipping halfway through.
- Check your wings at about 20 minutes and then continue to cook until the skin is crispy and the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Sometimes I have to flip and rotate the wings around to get it crispy all over and prevent burning.
- Enjoy!!
I can’t wait to try these!! Would you use barbecue sauce on them after they air fried?
I like to use my homemade dry rub (linked in the recipe) and the dry rub gives it a nice BBQ flavor. If you want to dip them in BBQ sauce also you could, but I think the rub gives it enough flavor on it’s own. I hope you enjoy!