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Air Fryer Chicken Wings work as both an appetizer or entrée! These chicken wings are coated with just the right amount of flour to make them nice and crispy, then tossed in the most delicious homemade sweet chili sauce.
Air fryer chicken wings are kind of the best introduction to using your air fryer. They’re honestly the only way you should be cooking chicken wings (well, aside from grilling) because cooking chicken wings in the air fryer yields the most crispy chicken wings, ever! Way better than the oven, and did I mention so much faster too?
The flavor possibilities for air fryer chicken wings are endless. In this recipe, the flavor I chose is an Asian flavor profile of sweet chili, but there are so many more so be sure to check out the variations section below.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Chicken Wings
For the chicken wings, here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken wings – Separate the drums and the flats.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is what you’ll need to add to the crispiness of the skin. It helps draw out the moisture from the chicken wings.
The sweet chili sauce calls for:
- Sweet chili sauce – sweet chili sauce is a slightly sweet, slightly spicy sauce that is the perfect base for our wing sauce. It’s available at almost every grocery store in the international aisle.
- Lime – Squeeze the lime yourself, don’t buy a bottled lime juice. It adds freshness and mild acidity to the sauce.
- Garlic – For this sauce to have the freshest flavor, use fresh garlic, not pre-minced.
- Ginger – Same goes for the ginger! Use the real deal, not a paste or dried flakes.
- Red pepper flakes – you can also heat up this sauce with some sriracha.
How to Air Fry Chicken Wings Step by Step
- Coat the chicken wings. Pat dry the chicken wings with a paper towel then toss chicken wings in flour.
- Air fry the chicken wings. Air fry at 400 °F for 8 minutes. Then turn the wings over and air fry for another 8 minutes.
- Make the sauce. In the meantime, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce.
- Toss in sweet chili sauce. When the wings are done, toss the wings in the sauce until they’re evenly coated then pop back into the air fryer for an additional two minutes.
Flavor Variations
For this recipe, I did a sweet chili sauce to give it an Asian profile. There are several ways you can change this up for what you’re feeling!
- Asian flavor variation: aside from the sweet chili flavor in this recipe, you can toss these chicken wings in teriyaki sauce or a sweet and sour sauce. Even this spicy chili sauce from this tofu stir fry would be super flavorful!
- Tex-Mex flair: use Fajita Seasoning or Blackening Seasoning
- Classic flavors: sprinkle ranch seasoning or dill pickle seasoning for a unique flavor! Make it saucy and toss the wings in BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, or your favorite hot sauce.
Tips for Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Don’t overcrowd. You want the air to circulate in the air fryer (hence the name air fryer) so you don’t want to overcrowd your basket. Do them in batches and make sure there are no wings on top of each other. It won’t get crispy! You’ll want them in a single layer.
- Plan ahead. Some baskets in air fryers are small so you’ll want to plan ahead as it could take several minutes to make several batches!
- Keep warm in the oven. While you’re waiting for the other wings to finish cooking, you can always keep the finished wings in the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit then turn off the heat. Place a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and put your wings on top of the rack. Place the baking sheet in the oven to keep the wings warm!
Storage Instructions
Any leftover wings should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, pop them back into the air fryer for 5-8 minutes to warm through, but keep an eye on how dark they get as you don’t want them to get burned.
Serving Suggestions
Wings go perfectly with a cold beverage such as your favorite beer or a classic Gin and Tonic to wash it all down! Make it a trifecta and serve this taco ring for an impressive feast!
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken wings:
- 1 pound (454 g) chicken wing portions, drumettes and flats separated
- ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
For the sweet chili sauce:
- 1 cup (255 g) sweet chili sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or sriracha
Instructions
For the wings:
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel and place them in a large bowl.
- Add the flour and toss to combine, making sure each chicken wings is evenly coated in flour.
- Spray your air fryer with olive oil spray and add the chicken wings, making sure to place them in an even layer.
- Air fry at 400 °F (204 °C) for 8 minutes. Then turn the wings over and air fry for another 8 minutes.
For the sauce:
- While the wings cook, whisk together the sauce ingredients in a large bowl (sweet chili sauce, lime juice, grated garlic, grated ginger, and red pepper flakes).
- Toss the cooked wings with the sauce until they’re evenly coated.
- Place the wings back in the air fryer (in a single layer) and fry for an additional 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with green onion or cilantro.
- Store any leftover wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
