How Long Do You Air Fry Chicken Wings?

There are a lot of restaurant favorites that tend to be pretty unhealthy and can leave you feeling a bit regretful. Things like pizza, fried foods, or chicken wings. They sure taste great but aren’t the best for your health (or your digestive system). Not to mention, with rising inflation prices hitting the restaurant industry hard, you get way more bang for your buck learning to make your restaurant favorites at home.

The good news is that just because you decide to follow a healthy diet or a healthy budget doesn’t mean you have to give these foods up! Preparing your favorite “junk” foods at home allows you to put a healthy spin on some of your restaurant favorites, and not only are they better tasting, but they leave you feeling better too. In fact, you’ll probably be surprised at how much more you enjoy these foods when prepared at home. In this post, we’ll talk about using high quality pasture raised chicken, healthy oils, and paleo-friendly seasonings and sauces to make delicious air fried chicken wings that will shock your tastebuds. People are often surprised at just how many notoriously “bad” foods can be prepared healthfully and enjoyed guilt-free!

Chicken wings are one of our most beloved restaurant favorites to cook at home. They’re the perfect main dish for a family movie night or a small gathering, and can be paired with so many different side dishes. Our party wings are the perfect amount for our family to get our chicken wing fix, and our favorite way to prepare them is in our air fryer! We love our wings deliciously crispy, and the air fryer does not disappoint. 

So, how do you cook chicken wings in an air fryer?

To get perfect air fryer chicken wings, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Dry your wings before coating with cooking oil or seasoning - this ensures that your seasoning of choice sticks to the chicken wings, and that they get that nice crispy skin in the air fryer. 
• Use an oil with a high smoke point - avocado oil is great to use for this purpose, and much healthier (and paleo-friendly) than the commonly used vegetable or peanut oil. Of course, one of the great things about an air fryer is that you can get perfectly crispy food without using any oil at all! But if you’re inclined to give your chicken wings that extra crunch, avocado oil is a healthy option.
• Don’t overcrowd your wings! - to ensure maximum crispiness, you need to make sure that your wings have enough space to cook evenly and that air can circulate between them. Depending on the capacity of your air fryer and how many people you’re serving, this might mean cooking your wings in batches.
• Add sauces after cooking - while a light coating of oil and a dry rub should be used before air frying, if you plan to coat your wings with a sauce you should cook them first, and then toss the precooked wings with your sauce of choice prior to serving. This ensures that the sauce doesn’t caramelize during cooking and that your end result isn’t a batch of soggy wings. 

What makes air frying the perfect cooking method for chicken wings?

Air frying is by far the only method for cooking chicken wings at home; they can be baked, or even deep fried if you have the necessary equipment. But baking can take a while and leave your chicken wings less than crispy, and deep frying isn’t only unhealthy but can also destroy the flavor of your wings. Air frying combines the best of both worlds - a healthy way to prepare chicken wings and a way to make them super crispy and flavorful. 

For a basic air fryer chicken wing recipe, we like this one from Domestic Superhero. It gives you the basics of air frying chicken wings and a simple dry rub to use, and the original blog post also includes ideas for “dressing up” your air fried chicken wings. 

Best of all, this recipe highlights just how quick you can make chicken wings in your air fryer! You may be wondering about the cooking process, and wondering how long do you air fry chicken wings? Look no further, we’ve got you covered. Air fryer chicken wings are deceptively easy to make, and take much less time than other preparation methods. 

You’ll need the following ingredients:

2 lbs chicken wings 

1 tbsp olive or avocado oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ tsp black pepper

Combine all spices in a small bowl, and after patting the wings dry, toss with oil and rub with the spice mixture. Make sure the wings are completely and uniformly coated. While you’re prepping the wings, preheat your air fryer to 400 F degrees for 2 minutes. Once the air fryer is preheated, add wings in a single layer to the air fryer basket or tray. Remember, your wings need lots of air circulation to get that perfect crispness, so make sure they’re not touching. Then cook for 10 minutes at 400 F degrees. 

After 10 minutes, carefully flip over the chicken wings (again, making sure they’re in a single layer, not touching). Cook for 8 more minutes, test with your meat thermometer to ensure proper food safety, and then remove your wings from the air fryer and serve while warm and crispy! If you’re following a paleo diet, you can even incorporate favorites like paleo-friendly buffalo sauce for coating the wings, and ranch dressing for dipping. You know we love Primal Kitchen, and they make some great options for serving alongside your air fryer chicken wings. 

As far as side dishes, you can serve these wings with anything. This meal is versatile and can be served with your favorite party sides or nourishing paleo side dishes like air fried sweet potato fries, your favorite roasted veggies, or a hearty salad.