Learn how to make the tastiest chicken wings in your air fryer. This is a great alternative way to make tasty wings without deep frying them. This recipe is free of the top 9 allergens, which is helpful when sharing meals with people who may have different food allergies.
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Jump to RecipeChicken Wings Without Deep Frying
My first and best impression of chicken wings was from eating at Larry Blakes, a popular restaurant from when I went to UC Berkeley as an undergrad. Big, juicy, spicy wings served with a side of ranch dressing and celery sticks were so good!! But I never tried making chicken wings until now because I don’t like to deep fry foods.
As a food allergy family, we are usually cautious about ordering deep fried foods such as chicken wings at restaurants for two reasons.
- Even though the FDA considers highly refined peanut oil safe for peanut allergy, our family prefers to avoid anything deep-fried in peanut oil. You can read more about when is it safe to eat peanut oil or not.
- The other reason we avoid deep-fried chicken wings is to avoid potential cross-contact with other allergens in the fryer.
Instead of deep-frying you can make the best chicken wings in an air fryer. The wings are juicy and flavorful and still crispy. You have the option to toss them with a sauce and/or dip them in ranch dressing, but they are just perfect as-is.
Baking Powder Makes Chicken Skin Crispy
Did you know that one can make chicken wings with crispy skin by sprinkling the chicken with a little bit of baking powder? Apparently, it’s an idea from America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated and popularized by Serious Eats in the last few years.
The alkaline nature of baking powder raises the pH of the skin which breaks down a bit and causes the chicken skin to brown quickly in an air fryer. Then the resulting liquid combines with the baking powder to create bubbles in the skin which adds crispness.
I usually use Clabber Girl baking powder and in one of my recipe tests, the wings tasted just a little bit bitter. I reduced the amount of baking powder in the final recipe and did not notice any odd aftertaste. Another option is to try an aluminum-free baking powder such as Rumford but I did not have it on hand to recipe test.
Prep the Wings the Day Before
For best results, prepare the wings 12-24 hours in advance. That will allow enough time for the baking powder to work and for your seasonings to flavor the wings.
If you have whole wings, use a sharp knife to separate the drumettes and the flats (middle). Reserve the wing tips for other purposes, such as making chicken stock. It’s possible to prepare and air fry whole chicken wings, but they’re difficult to arrange evenly in an air fryer and very messy to eat.
It’s not recommended to wash raw chicken, but I do recommend at least rubbing the skin with a damp paper towel to remove any yellowish membranes, stray feathers, etc. and then pat dry with fresh paper towels.
The easiest way to coat the wings is in a large plastic bag. Combine the baking powder, spices, salt, and pepper in a gallon-sized zippered bag, add the wings, zip the bag, and then shake to coat the chicken with the seasoning. Then refrigerate for 12-24 hours until ready to air fry.
Easy Air Fryer Tips
I have an Instant Vortex Plus 4QT Air Fryer. I love that after I program it to air fry at 400°F for 18 minutes, it will preheat, beep, and displays “Add food” so that I know that it’s ready to air-fry.
For best results, arrange the chicken wing pieces in one layer directly on the tray inside the basket. And then the air fryer will beep again during the last 6 minutes of cooking and displays “Turn food” to prompt me to turn the food over for even browning. It will automatically shut off when done.
My air fryer can hold about 12 pieces of drumettes or flats in one batch. For this recipe, I buy two trays of chicken wings from Trader Joe’s and cook the recipe in 2 batches. You can adjust the recipe accordingly depending on the size of your air fryer.
If you are making this top 9 allergen-free recipe for someone that has different food allergies than you, be sure to clean your air fryer and basket thoroughly to prevent cross-contact.
How to Serve Air Fryer Chicken Wings
These air fryer chicken wings are so good that I just serve them as-is for lunch or dinner with some veggies and rice. However, if you were serving them as an appetizer or for a party, you may consider serving them with some cut veggies and a ranch dip.
Converting an Air Fryer Recipe
You might want to make this recipe with an oven if you don’t have an air fryer available or if you double the recipe. If you have an oven with a convection mode, then you bake it the same way, 400°F for 18 minutes and turn the wings during the last 6 minutes or so and cook until thoroughly cooked.
How do you convert an air fryer recipe to a conventional oven recipe? You will need to increase the temperature by 25-50°F and increase the cooking time by 15-20%.
That means that if you want to make this air fryer recipe in your oven, you will need to increase the temperature to 425-450°F and increase the cooking time by 4-5 minutes. I would start checking after 20 minutes or so.
I haven’t tested the oven baked method, but for comparison, I broil chicken drumsticks for 4-5 minutes per side and then bake at 350°F for 25 minutes (about 35 minutes total). Cute little drumettes will be done in 20 minutes, 25 minutes at most.
Allergy Aware Chicken Wings
This recipe is free of the top 9 allergens as written. It’s a wonderful way to enjoy delicious chicken wings without the risk of allergen cross-contact via a deep fryer at a restaurant.
If allergic to garlic, onions, chili, or black pepper, use your discretion to substitute with similar flavors. The essential seasoning ingredients are the baking powder and salt. You just need to add a little bulk to the baking powder and salt so that you can evenly coat the chicken wing pieces.
The Best Air Fryer Chicken Wings, Top 9 Free Recipe
Learn how to make the tastiest chicken wings in your air fryer as an appetizer. This is a great alternative way to make tasty wings without deep frying them.
Ingredients
- 12 chicken wings or 24 drumettes and/or flats
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder or onion salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper fresh and finely ground
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt reduce if using onion salt
Instructions
If using whole chicken wings, use a sharp knife to cut the chicken wings at the joint to separate the drumettes, flats, and tips. Reserve the tips for other uses.
Use a damp paper towel to wipe the chicken skin to remove any bits of yellow membrane or feathers. Use dry paper towels to pat dry, set aside.
In a clean gallon-sized zippered plastic bag, combine the 4 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Add the chicken wing pieces, seal the bag, and shake to thoroughly coat the chicken wing pieces. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours until ready to air fry.
- When ready to air fry, program your air fryer for 18 minutes at 400°F. After it preheats, add the chicken wing pieces in a single layer (air fry in 2 batches if needed).
Set a timer for 12 minutes and when it chimes, turn the chicken pieces and continue to air fry for 6 more minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Air fry the remaining wings in the second batch. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
I use 2 trays of chicken wings (3-3.5 pounds total). This recipe makes 24 chicken wing pieces from 12 whole chicken wings and serves 12 people as an appetizer or 4-5 people as an entree.
The nutrition facts are approximate.
Related Recipes
You might enjoy other air fryer recipes such as making Potato Home Fries in an Air Fryer or Air Fryer Tofu Bites, An Easy Nut-Free Recipe.
We love quick and easy chicken recipes too.
- Healthy, Easy Chicken Tenderloin Stir-Fry Recipe is one of my favorite healthy chicken stir-fry recipes.
- I love this Super Easy Chicken Drumstick Recipe that can be made in the oven.
- My recipe for Soy Garlic Chicken Drumsticks, a Korean Style and Sesame-Free Recipe is so flavorful and easy to make in the oven.
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