Air Fryer Chicken Wings - A Little Spoon

Close-up of crispy, air fryer chicken wings.

Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Make crispy, air fryer chicken wings with the perfect basic seasoning to go with any dip or sauce. The trick to being extra flavorful and crispy? Dry-brining and chilling the wings for 6-12 hours before cooking them. I promise you'll never go back!

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Yield2 lbs (.9kg)

Prep30

Cook15

Chill6

Total6 45

Ingredients

Dry-Brined Chicken Wings

2 lbs chicken wings, fresh or defrosted
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Dry Rub Seasoning

1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ tablespoon onion powder

Equipment

paper towels
1-2 large bowls
1 9x13 cooling rack
1 baking tray
Measuring spoons
kitchen scale optional
2 tongs
1 airfryer

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Instructions

Dry-Brine Wings

First, make sure the wings have fully defrosted before beginning the recipe. Then, pat down the defrosted chicken wings with paper towel and add them to a large bowl. Sprinkle in the kosher salt and give them a toss. Once coated, lay the chicken wings out (not touching) on top of a cooling rack inset into a baking tray. Place the tray in a refrigerator, for 6-12 hours.

Season Wings

When ready to cook the wings, take them out of the refrigerator. If you see any residual moisture pat the wings dry again. Then, add the chicken wings into a medium bowl and set them aside. Next, mix the dry rub spices in a small bowl and pour them over the top of the wings. Mix everything, with your hands, until the wings are well coated by the rub. Now, it’s time to cook.

Air Fry Wings

Using tongs, arrange the wings, in a single layer, inside your air fryer. You want to place them all meatiest and thickest skin-side down for the first half of the cooking process. Turn your air fryer to 390°F (199°C) and cook the wings for 6 minutes. With a clean set of tongs, flip the wings over and cook for another 7-8 minutes. Use a probe thermometer to make sure the wings have hit 165°F (74°C) internally. If they are fully cooked, use the second pair of tongs to remove the wings. Wait 5-10 minutes for them to cool down enough to eat and enjoy!
If your air-fryer is too small to cook all the wings at once (mine is) use the first set of tongs to add in the second batch of wings, again skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes and then flip using the second pair of tongs. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. Again, make sure to check the internal temperature with a thermometer. Any subsequent rounds will be 10-12minutes until done, because the air fryer is already hot.

Notes

It's best to use fresh chicken wings. If they are frozen, defrost the wings before beginning the recipe by leaving them in the refrigerator overnight or soaking the packaged chicken wings in water until they are ready.
Make sure not to overcrowd the wings or there won’t be enough circulation to get their skin crispy. Only use one layer with bits of space between them, for air to move.
Using two sets of tongs ensures no cross-contamination between the cooked chicken wings and the raw chicken wings. You can use a fork or some other kitchen tool, if you only have one pair, but tongs are the easiest to use.

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