Extra Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
The crispiest chicken wings you'll ever make without a drop of oil for frying. The secret is baking powder — it raises the skin's pH, which accelerates browning and dries the surface into a shattering crust at 200°C in the air fryer. I tested every ratio and landed on one tablespoon per kilogram of wings. Pat the wings bone-dry first, toss them in seasoned baking powder, and give them 25 minutes with one flip. They come out rivaling any deep-fried wing, with a fraction of the fat and none of the mess. Toss in buffalo, honey garlic, or BBQ sauce right before serving.
Ingredients
- 1 kgchicken wings
- 1 tbspbaking powder
- 1 tspgarlic powder
- 1 tsponion powder
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1 tspsalt
- ½ tspblack pepper
- ¼ tspcayenne pepper
Method
- Pat the chicken wings completely dry with paper towels — this is the most critical step. Any surface moisture will steam instead of crisp. Press firmly on each wing, front and back. If you have time, let them sit uncovered in the fridge for an hour after drying.
- In a large bowl, combine the baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Mix the dry seasonings together thoroughly so the baking powder distributes evenly.
- Add the dry wings to the bowl and toss until every piece is evenly coated. You should see a thin, even film of seasoning on every surface — no bare patches, no thick clumps.
- Arrange wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Leave space between each wing — air needs to circulate around all sides. Work in batches if necessary. Crowding is the number one reason air fryer wings fail.
- Air fry at 200°C (400°F) for 12 minutes. Open the basket, flip every wing using tongs, then cook for another 13 minutes until the skin is deep golden and audibly crispy when you tap it.
- For buffalo sauce: melt 30g butter and mix with 60ml hot sauce. For honey garlic: warm 3 tbsp honey with 2 tbsp soy sauce and 2 minced garlic cloves. For BBQ: use 80ml of your favorite BBQ sauce. Toss the hot wings in your chosen sauce and serve immediately — every minute they sit, the crust softens.
FAQ
Almost always one of three problems: the wings weren't dried thoroughly before seasoning (surface moisture creates steam, which prevents crisping), the basket was overcrowded (air needs to circulate freely around each wing — if they're touching, the sides touching won't crisp), or the temperature was too low. Pat each wing dry with firm pressure, leave gaps between pieces in the basket, and cook at 200°C (400°F). Also make sure you're using baking powder in the coating — it's the key to crispy skin without deep frying.
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Comments (1)
I use bone-in pieces for extra crispy air fryer chicken wings whenever possible. The bones release gelatin during cooking, creating a richer, more full-bodied sauce. Boneless is faster but the depth of flavor isn't comparable.