One of my favorite things to order at restaurants is chicken wings. I just really love chicken! This air fryer chicken wings recipe is so awesome. If you are a chicken wing lover like me, you have got to try these.
I love using the air fryer because it is so fast. Start to finish these are ready in under 30 minutes. Perfect if you don’t want to turn your oven on, or maybe your oven is already being used with another dish. Don’t get me wrong though, I do love oven chicken wings as well like these crispy baked chicken wings.
Having a game-day party, barbecue, or just want some wings? Try these out, I don’t think you will be disappointed. And they are so incredibly easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. You can also easily make several flavors of wings.
In this recipe, I showcase 3 different flavors, barbecue, honey mustard, and plain air fryer chicken wings. If I can do it, you can do it. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Gather the ingredients and tools
In order to make these amazing air fryer chicken wings you need just a handful of easy to find ingredients:
- Chicken wings – You can use frozen or fresh.
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Ground black pepper
- Paprika
- Yellow mustard – Or dijon mustard.
- Honey
- Barbecue sauce – I really like Sweet Baby Ray’s honey barbecue sauce. You can use your favorite or even my homemade barbecue sauce recipe.
Tools
- Air fryer
- Bowls
- Basting brushes
- Tongs
- Cooking spray
- Meat thermometer (optional)
Step 2: How to make air fryer chicken wings
In a small bowl combine all of the spices and mix with a fork or small whisk. You can adjust the seasonings as you like. For example, if you want some heat, add some chili powder or red pepper. I encourage you to make it first like this and then adjust the next time you make it.
The honey mustard sauce is very easy to make, just combine both ingredients in a bowl and mix well. I really like this 2-ingredient honey mustard. It is amazing and can be used for other things like pork chops, etc.
Pick your favorite barbecue sauce or if you like you can try my homemade barbecue sauce. Just place a few tablespoon or more in a small bowl.
Step 3: Season the raw chicken wings
If you have frozen chicken wings, make sure to thaw them out ahead of time. Then dab them with a paper towel to try them. Even if you have fresh wings that weren’t frozen, I recommend still dabbing them dry.
Time to season the chicken wings. There are a variety of ways that you can do this. Just add the wings to a bowl and sprinkle all the seasonings over them and stir. Or place the wings in a bag along with the seasonings and shake. This method doesn’t work as well, because inevitably the seasonings seem to get too concentrated on one wing or two, it works really well if you have flour with the seasonings, but not just seasonings.
My preferred method is to lay each wing on a cutting board and then evenly sprinkle the seasonings on each side.
Next, slide the basket out and spray the inside of the air fryer basket. Even if you have a non-stick interior, it is still a good idea to spray it with cooking spray, or wipe it down with a little bit of oil, to help keep the wings from sticking.
Place the wings in one layer on the bottom. They can touch each other. Depending on the size of your air fryer and the size of the wings, you can probably get 8 to 12 wings in one layer. You can put more in on top of each other, but you will need to rotate them a little more frequently. I usually just do one layer, because that is plenty for me to eat at one time, haha.
Step 4: Cook those chicken wings in the air fryer
Replace the basket of chicken wings in the air fryer. Set the air fryer to 375 F/190 C. Then set the time to 8 minutes and allow them to cook.
After the wings have cooked for that amount of time, remove the basket once again.
Now baste each wing with the honey mustard and or barbecue sauce. I always like to leave a few plain, that I dip in ranch, and then do some honey mustard and some barbecue for three flavors to eat.
Baste one side, then use tongs and flip them over and do the other side. Now slide the basket back into the air fryer and cook for another 8 to 9 minutes. 16 to 18 minutes total is usually enough time.
Once done remove them. If you have a meat thermometer you can double-check the internal temp of the wings. The temp should be at least 165 F/74 C. But the thermometer is optional. You should be okay with that amount of time. You can always cut into one and make sure there isn’t any pink if you want to check it to be sure, as well.
The wings are done. Use tongs and place them on a plate or platter and then baste them with another layer of the sauces if you want. Maybe add a bowl of ranch to dip the plain ones in, totally up to you. And enjoy! Super easy right?
And there you have it, amazing, crispy air fryer chicken wings.
How long do the air fryer chicken wings last?
You can place any leftover chicken wings in a ziplock bag or an airtight container and store them in the fridge. They will last 3 to 4 days. Make sure to not let them sit out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
Here are other recipes you may like:
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Bowls
- Basting brushes
- Tongs
- cooking spray
- Meat thermometer (optional)
Ingredients
- 10 to 12 chicken wings thawed and dried
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2g
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 2g
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper 1g
- 1/4 tsp. paprika 1g
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard 26g
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey 21g
- 2 to 3 tbsp barbecue sauce 26 to 40g doesn’t have to be exact, add more as needed
Instructions
- If you have frozen chicken wings, make sure to thaw them out first. Then dab the chicken with paper towel to dry them.
- Mix together the dry seasonings in a bowl. In a small bowl combine both the honey and the mustard. In another small bowl add a few tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Lay the chicken wings out flat on a cutting board and sprinkle the seasonings on each side evenly. You can also place the wings in a bag and shake it with the seasonings, or place them in the bowl and season them in that.
- Remove the air fryer basket and spray it with cooking spray. Lay down a layer of wings. You should be able to get 8 to 12 wings on the bottom. It's okay if the wings touch each other. Set the temp to 375 F/190 C. And cook for 8 minutes.
- Once done remove the basket and baste whichever ones you want with the honey mustard sauce and barbecue sauce. Then flip them over and baste the other side. I usually do a third plain, third honey mustard, and a third barbecue. Totally up to you.
- Now replace the basket and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. Once done, remove the basket. They are ready to go. You can check them with a meat thermometer if you like. Internal temp should be at least 165 F/74 C. Or cut into one and make sure there isn't any pink.
- Baste the again with any leftover sauce if you like, and serve. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Do you like the recipe? Please give it a rating and comment down below, I really appreciate it.  If you make it tag me on Instagram @inthekitchenwithmatt. Also, sign up for the newsletter so you won’t miss out on any of my new posts and recipes.
The air fryer makes cooking perfect wings a breeze! Thanks for this great new recipe!
You are welcome!! 🙂
This is so easy! The wings come out tasting so good and perfectly done! Love the easy honey mustard sauce. Tastes so good on the wings! Yum!
So glad you like it. 🙂
Most recipes are just wings and sauce, the dry seasoning mix really made these stand out for me. Delicious!
Glad you like it!