How to Cook Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer. Plus, What to Avoid
If you're making a larger batch than what fits in one layer, cook the wings in multiple rounds. Make sure none overlap. While the wings will shrink as they cook, it's still important to give each piece enough space to crisp up properly.
You have no shortage of sauce options or spice combos to try when making air fryer wings -- so don't be afraid to experiment. As long as you nail the cooking steps and don't under- or overcook them, you're likely to end up with a restaurant-quality snack that costs a fraction of the price and takes very little effort to whip up.
Here's how to nail air fryer chicken wings next and every time.
Ingredients for buffalo chicken wings
1 pack chicken wings (about 15 wings)
1/2 cup Frank's RedHot hot sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
How to make air fryer chicken wings in 25 minutes
Step 1: Pat dry the chicken wings and place them in a large mixing bowl and drizzle olive oil over them.
Step 2: Combine the seasonings and sprinkle them on the wings, then mix well so that the meat is fully covered.
The four seasonings you will need for air fryer chicken wings.
Corin Cesaric/CNET
Step 3: Place the wings in a single layer in the air fryer and cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then flip them and cook for another 10 minutes. Do not overcrowd the air fryer. Cook them in multiple batches if needed.
Don't stack the chicken wings in the air fryer. Instead, make sure they're all in a single layer.
Corin Cesaric/CNET
Step 4: While the wings are cooking, melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan. Add Frank's RedHot hot sauce (or a hot sauce of your choosing) and simmer on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If you would rather use a buffalo sauce instead of traditional hot sauce, you do not need to add butter to this recipe.
Corin Cesaric/CNET
Step 5: When the wings are done cooking and have reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit, place them in a clean mixing bowl and pour the buffalo sauce mixture over them.
These air fryer chicken wings are simple and quick, making them perfect for a weeknight meal.
Corin Cesaric/CNET
Step 6: Toss the wings until they're fully coated and serve immediately with dipping sauce, carrots and celery.
These wings are perfectly crispy every time.
Corin Cesaric/CNET
Read more: 7 of the Best Air Fryer Accessories
Air fryer wings FAQ
How long does it take to cook chicken wings in the air fryer?
Cook your wings for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Farenheit.
Should I coat my wings before air frying?
You should toss your wings in a small amount of oil and your seasonings of choice. However, you should not coat them with sauce before cooking them. Save that step for last.
More tasty air fryer recipes to try
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Where Have All the Novel-Reading Men Gone?
To the Editor: I enjoyed 'Men Fade From a Literary Circle,' by Joseph Bernstein (Thursday Styles, July 3), about the decline in the number of men who read novels. After graduation from college, while working in my first real job, I consumed 'Anna Karenina' in a beautiful marathon of reading; I worked all day, then drove home to read Tolstoy late into the night. I repeated that cycle again and again, devouring every word, happy but also sad because I knew the reverie could not last. Mr. Bernstein offers that men have stopped reading novels, but it is not only men. I try to interest my nieces in novels. I explain to them that fiction contains the distilled experiences of other people. You may never be a secret agent posted to Havana, but you can imagine what it would be like in 'Our Man in Havana.' You may never create life and be forced to live with the consequences, but you can imagine what it would be like in 'Frankenstein.' Stuart GallantBelmont, Mass. To the Editor: Joseph Bernstein's article resonated with me, but failed to reach the next step of why men should be reading more fiction. Fiction allows us to step into others' shoes, enabling us to understand how they feel (emotional intelligence) and why they make the decisions they make (cognitive empathy). As a 20-something woman, I've had the 'book genre conversation' with heterosexual men around my age, but many brush over it and don't acknowledge what there is to be gained from reading fiction. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
I Found My Daughter's Pregnancy Test. Should I Have Told My Wife?
About a year ago, while doing some minor renovation work in my 25-year-old daughter's bedroom closet, I stumbled upon an unopened but clearly hidden pregnancy-test kit. I left it alone without mention, wanting to honor my daughter's privacy about her sex life. A year later, my wife stumbled upon the same unopened test kit while searching for a handbag my daughter had borrowed. When my wife mentioned finding it, I admitted to seeing it a year earlier. My wife is now hurt that I didn't tell her at the time. Had my daughter been a minor, I might have acted differently, but I believe that my daughter's right to privacy as an adult superseded the duty my wife says I owed her as a co-parent. Who is right? — Shawn, Queens From the Ethicist: You owe it to your adult daughter to respect her privacy. You owe it to your wife to share important information about your daughter's life. Which matters more here? That may depend in part on your particular marital understanding, which may depend, in turn, on your cultural traditions. But to my way of thinking, that unused plastic wand is pretty low on the list of things that clamor for disclosure. This wasn't a cache of heroin or an alarming medical report. (If you ever did come across something truly consequential, you might want to talk to your daughter first and offer to help her share it if needed.) So I'm with you. You stumbled on something that this 25-year-old presumably intended to keep private, and you recognized that she's entitled to that privacy — even when under your roof, even when sharing the Wi-Fi. That doesn't make you a secretive spouse. It makes you a father who knows, perhaps better than most, how to respect an adult child's boundaries. Kudos for that. Readers Respond The previous question was from a reader who was dating a man who wanted to be exclusive. He wrote: 'I'm a 20-year-old male college student who met someone new this spring. I recently let him know I'm not interested in monogamy right now. He seemed to take it all right, but I later discovered that within two weeks, he slept with three people without telling me. 'To ease tensions, I agreed to four months of exclusivity to see where we stand. … Should I suppress my bohemian urges and go along with his desire for exclusivity or attempt another structured conversation about it?' — Name Withheld Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Many seniors in the Bronx are facing poverty, study finds
Many older adults in the Bronx are living in poverty and left without the option to retire, according to a study by The Center for an Urban Future. Jonathan Bowles, executive director of The Center for an Urban Future, said the study looked at data from 2013-2023, and the findings in the Bronx were alarming. "Twenty-five percent of all older adults in the Bronx today are living in poverty. It's the highest rate in the entire state of New York, and we've seen an increase by over 50% over the last decade," said Bowles. Bowles said as the number of Bronx residents 65 and older continues to increase, so does their vulnerability. "So many people work their lives making fairly low wages, they didn't have enough money. And in a city with such a high cost of living to put money aside for retirement and, for many of them, particularly those who are immigrants, they're not benefiting fully from Social Security. In fact, we find that a pretty significant share of older adults in the Bronx are not receiving any Social Security income," Bowles said. In fact, the study, which received support from the AARP, reports 63.6% of Bronx residents over 70 do not have retirement income, and nearly one in four reported no Social Security income. Bowles said there are a number of things that are needed from the state to combat the issue. "More than ever, these low income older adults are relying on food banks for their meals. Many of them are really falling into poverty at old age. We've got to make sure that there are the kind of Meals on Wheels programs that deliver to folks that can't get out to those food banks. We as a city need to be investing in housing, affordable housing for seniors," said Bowles. While living in their Bronx apartment for nearly 30 years, Patrick and Audrey Hoover have witnessed changes in their neighborhood and have adapted to stretching their dollars. "We're shopping a lot more, but we're buying a lot less, or our funds are just not going as far as it used to," said Audrey Hoover. Although the Hoovers are able to cut costs, they hope more will be done to help seniors. "Whether it's health care, whether it's other benefits for seniors, a lot of times they're not taking into consideration the tech savviness of seniors and the language and things like that. So if any of these things could be addressed, in whatever ways," Hoover said. To see the report from The Center for an Urban Future, click here. You can email Erica with Bronx story ideas by CLICKING HERE.
