Air fryer chicken wings
Wings with shatter-crisp skin and no frying, thanks to one little pantry trick and a very hot air fryer.
- 40 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $3.08 a serving
- 380 calories
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1½ lb chicken wings, flats and drumettes
- 2 stalks celery, cut into sticks (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 380 calories, 34 g protein, 1 g carbs and 25 g fat, and costs about $3.08 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 5 min
the wings very dry with paper towels, pressing hard, until the skin feels tacky.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Dolly’s tip: Wet skin steams. Dry skin is the whole difference between rubbery and crackly.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
the wings in a big bowl with the baking powder, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and pepper until every piece has a thin, dusty coat.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Baking powder, not baking soda. It makes the skin blister and crackle, and you won’t taste it.Lay the wings in the basket in one layer and cook 12 minutes. Cook in two batches if they overlap.
Timer: 12 min
Flip each wing with tongs and cook 8 to 10 minutes more, until deep and and the thickest drumette reads 165°F.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: Wings get even better at 175°F to 185°F, when the meat turns tender and pulls off the bone.Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Let them sit 3 minutes so the skin firms up, then pile them on a plate with the celery sticks.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
