The Secret to Air-Fried Chicken Wings- Best Ever

Have you been looking for a recipe for air-fried chicken wings that are full of flavor, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside?
Here you go, I’ve got you covered.

(This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy for details.)

Air-Fried Chicken Wings-Spicy & Crispy

I’m probably one of the last people to finally get an Air-Fryer! Who Knew!

Well, I’ve got one now and I’m loving it.

Since I started cooking with my air fryer, chicken wings are probably the food I have cooked the most, and I’ve experimented with many different recipes.

Most of the recipes I tried were delicious and crispy, but I was missing the flavor from my oven-baked chicken wings recipe. 

How to Make Ranch Chicken Wings with a Kick
Just scroll to the bottom of that post for the recipe.

I’m not making this up, our whole family plus friends love them, and they disappear quickly whenever I make them.

So why haven’t I made them in my air-fryer?
Well because there was no way I thought it would work.

Honestly, the concern I was having was legit.
The problem is the marinade for the wings includes lots of butter, and we all know butter and high heat don’t always end well.

Anyway, I decided to give a try, knowing I could stop the cooking at any time and hopefully avoid disaster.

I told my husband there was a good chance that the air fryer was going to start smoking or even set off the fire alarm.

Thankfully, none of that happened it worked GREAT!

SHOP Holiday Dash Deals On AMAZON HERE

My Air-Fryer Recommendation

Before you start cooking, I want to tell you which air-fryer I bought and why.
After doing my usual research and reading reviews, I decided on the
COSORI Air Fryer Max XL. It’s the 5.8 Quart size.

I know there are only two of us most of the time, but all the reviews convinced me to buy a bigger model so I could fit more food in and not have to cook in batches.

The COSORI is super easy to use and really easy to clean. Yes, it is big and I didn’t want one on my counter either. I found a place for it on a shelve where I keep other big cooking appliances.

However, I have to say, I now use it several times a week, so it is on my counter a lot!

Okay, let’s get to making these wings.

Here’s What You Need to Make Chicken Wings:

• 3 lbs thawed chicken wings (I buy wings that are precut into drumettes & wingettes)
  Also, try to buy wings that are more on the large size and look plump.
  I get mine at Costco.
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 cup Franks Hot Sauce
• 1- 2 packages of dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
• Optional: add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper

That’s it!

Steps to Make Delicious
Air-Fried Chicken Wings

 Step 1: Start by mixing the melted butter with hot sauce in a large bowl.
Go ahead and throw a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper if you’d like.

Step 2: Next, put the chicken wings in a 2 Qt. Baggie (or just use the bowl) and let the chicken wings sit in the marinade for at least ½ hour.

Tip: You really can’t put the wings back in the fridge to marinate because the butter will get hard. 
So, I let the wings sit in the marinade outside the fridge.
I mean don’t leave it there for hours but a ½ hour or so works well.

Step 3: Preheat the air fryer to 380º.
I put ¼ cup of water in the bottom of the outer basket because I read that it can help prevent smoking when cooking high-fat foods.
More on that below.

Step 4: Place wings in basket in a single layer and don’t over crowd them so they cook evenly.

Step 5. Fry at 380º for 25 minutes, turning them at about 12 minutes.
The COSORI has a “shake button” that will remind you when to turn the wings.
If the wings look done and are crispy the way you like them, great.

As I said my husband likes wings super crispy so, at the end of the 25 minutes, I set the temperature at 400º and cook them for an additional 3 minutes.

So delicious. The flavor from the hot sauce, butter and ranch dressing is amazing.

Why Worry About the Grease?

Here’s the thing. When I make these in the oven, I know there is a lot of fat coming off the wings after marinating in butter.

So I knew all the fat dripping from the wings and the butter were going into the bottom basket. Like I said, I didn’t know what to expect.

Anyway, it worked great and since the first time, I have read about 3 ways to successfully air-fry high-fat foods. (Foods like bacon, burgers, and brats.)

So, here are your options:
1. Put a little water in the bottom of the outer basket.
2. Add a slice of bread to the outer basket to absorb the fat.
3. If the bottom basket has too many drippings or fat, carefully take the baskets out, separate them and dispose of the drippings.
Put the baskets back together and continue cooking.

More Tips on Air-frying Chicken Wings

If you made your wings in batches, simply keep the first batch on a plate and when you’re done with the 2nd batch put the 1st batch back in the air fryer for 1 minute. 

An easy option for the person who just likes plain crispy wings is to just dredge each wing in flour and add salt and pepper.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or maybe Ranch or Blue Cheese.

Continue to Content

My Favorite Air-Fried Chicken Wings

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 8 minutes

Air-fried and bursting with flavor, these chicken wings are cooked to perfection.
What makes them so special? They are marinated in butter, hot sauce then seasoned with Ranch Dressing. After one wing you will be hooked!

Print

Ingredients

• 3 lbs thawed chicken wings (I buy the precut wings)
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 cup Franks Hot Sauce
• 1- 2 packages of dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
• Optional: add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Mix melted butter with Franks Hot Sauce
2. Put the chicken wings in a 2 qt. baggie
3. Add the butter and hot sauce mixture to the baggie.
4. Marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the air fryer to 380º.
6. See notes about planning for fat dripping
7. Place wings in the basket in a single layer and don't overcrowd to cook evenly.
   Wings can be cooked in batches.
8. Fry wings for 25 minutes, turning them at about 12 minutes.
9. For crispier wings, cook at 400º for 2-3 minutes more.
   
   Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Try Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing.

.

Notes

To prevent smoking from the butter, you have 3 options:

1. Add 1/4 cup water to the outer basket, or
2. Place a slice of bread in the outer basket, or
3. At the half-way point discard the drippings from the outer basket, and continue cooking.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  COSORI Air Fryer, Large XL 5.8 Quart 1700-Watt Air Fryer Oven & Oilless Cooker with Cookbook(100 Recipes)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 1040Total Fat: 88gSaturated Fat: 39gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 42gCholesterol: 268mgSodium: 2184mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 39g

Don't pay any attention to the calories, fat, or sodium in the nutrition information. You throw most of it away after cooking.