Easy Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Baking Powder Trick!)
Crispy air fryer chicken wings made with just 3 ingredients in under twenty minutes. These are the easiest air fryer wings you'll ever make, and they pair perfectly with any sauce!
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken wings split into drums & wings, about 13 for me; see notes to use more or less
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder NOT baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Skip to step 2 if using refrigerated wings rather than frozen. If using frozen meat, start by placing your frozen chicken wings in warm water to defrost for 20 minutes, if time allows. If you don't have time to defrost them, plop the lump into the air fryer at 400°F (205°C) for 2 minutes, then take them out and continue.
- Once ready to cook, separate your wings into drum sticks and wings, and pat them as dry as possible.
- Place your dried, air fryer wings into a ziploc freezer bag along with your salt and baking powder, and toss until well-coated. This will help the wings crisp up even if they come directly from the freezer. Immediately throw away the paper towels.
- Once coated in baking powder, chicken wings can be placed in a single layer to the basket of your air fryer. Cook them at 400°F (205°C) for 18 minutes, flipping them halfway through (I recommend cooking them 9 minutes, then flipping and setting it for 9 more minutes).
- If you want to sauce the wings in the air fryer, don't just pour on the sauce. Take them out 4-5 minutes before they're set to be done, put them into a clean bowl, and quickly toss them in the sauce. Then immediately return them to the air fryer to cook for the last 4-5 minutes. This will give the wings enough time to soak up the sauce without it making them soggy or scorching the sauce. Once your air fryer turns off, your wings are done— if using a more delicate sauce, drizzle it on now and serve.
Notes
Skin or No Skin?: many people with histamine issues shy away from chicken skin, as it's said to sometimes irritate histamine issues. While personally I tend to use skin-on chicken to make air fryer wings, if you do choose to use skinless wings, you also may need 1-2 minutes' less cooking time.
Which Baking Powder?: if you're hyper-sensitive to gluten, be sure to buy grain-free baking powder, like the type sold by Otto's.
Batching: to use more or less chicken, for every half pound of wings add (or subtract) ½ tablespoon baking powder and just under ¼ teaspoon sea salt.
Freezing Instructions: if you want to freeze your leftovers, make this recipe initially would fresh wings, as double-frozen meat loses a lot of texture. Consider putting them in single-serve glass containers that are easy to reheat in the toaster oven or the microwave, to save on dishwasher space and reduce plastic usage. Reheat in the air fryer at 300°F (150°C) for about 10 minutes, sauce-on if using.