Name: Air Fryer Game Day Wings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb of wings (full wings, separated wings, or wingettes); 1 Tbsp baking powder; Salt and pepper to taste; Still toss 1 lb of wings with 1 Tbsp baking powder, then add on desired amount of your favorite dry rub before frying. We used the BBQ Brother's All-Purpose BBQ Rub; 1/4 C butter; 4 cloves of garlic, minced; 1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp red chili flakes; 2-3 Tbsp chopped, fresh parsley; Still toss 1 lb of wings with 1 Tbsp baking powder, salt and pepper and fry. After frying, toss with desired amount of your favorite BBQ sauce or wing sauce.

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These crispy, oil-free chicken wings are flavored in 3 different ways, making them an easy and delicious appetizer for GAME DAY!! Let your air fryer do the work while you cheer on your favorite team!

About 5 years ago I never would have shared this recipe because I hated chicken wings. My husband has been slowly training me so that now whenever I watch football I crave wings like I'm one of Pavlov's dogs. I'm not sure how or when it started happening, but at some point in the last half-decade, he has conditioned me into a wing lover.

The BBQ Brothers like to get all fancy with their wings by using the Vortex method on the smoker. These wings are incredible but I needed a faster, easier way for me to make wings that didn't include an open flame. Or hot, bubbly, skin-singeing oil. I'm a food blogger, not an experienced chef, I can't be trusted with these things.

The air fryer is the perfect way to whip up a batch of game day wings because it's oil-free (so slightly healthier and less risk of personal injury!) and the wings turn out crispy and delicious with very minimal effort! Continue reading below to see how to easily make 3 different flavors of game day wings!

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AIR FRYER GAME DAY WINGS

For this recipe, I made 3 lbs of wings with each pound being a different flavor. You can totally customize this to a larger or smaller amount depending on your hunger, crowd, or air fryer size!

What kind of air fryer did you use?

I inherited a Big Boss Oil-Less Air Fryer, pictured below, which is a little different than the pull out drawer style. However, the cook times and temperatures should be universal! I like to only do one layer of wings at a time (1 lb fits comfortably in the basket), because I find when I layer them using the included racks the bottom ones don't get as crispy (due to juices dripping down on them during frying). However, if you're short on time, you could use a second layer if your air fryer allows. I also like to use the basket at the lower setting (rather than up high against the heat source), because I find if they're too close to the heat they end up more likely to burn. Just make sure whatever type of fryer you're using that the wings aren't touching each other, to create the crispiest outcome!

to what internal temperature should the wings be cooked?

Minimum internal temp for wings is 165 F. If you follow this recipe there should be no issue with temperature, but if you'd like to double-check to be sure, use a good quality meat thermometer such as this ThermoWorks ThermoPop Thermometer, and be sure to check the center of the meat, not by the bone.

I prefer whole wings instead of wingettes. Can i use those for this recipe instead?

Sure can! I refer to wings as a general term in this recipe. You can use the whole wing, you can buy whole wings and separate them into drums and flats, or buy pre-cut wingettes.

What flavor of wings are pictured in this recipe?

I made a pound of dry rub wings (using The BBQ Brother's All-Purpose BBQ Rub), a pound of garlic parmesan (recipe is below) and a pound that was simply tossed in our favorite BBQ sauce.

Looks amazinggg, now how do I make them?

To prep the wings, you first want to fully dry them using a paper towel and place them into a bowl large enough for tossing. Drying the wings is crucial to removing excess moisture and creating a crispier skin!

I fry a pound at a time, so I add 1 lb of wings into a bowl then toss with 1 tablespoon of baking powder and salt and pepper to taste. The baking powder is what creates the super crispy skin so don't skip on that! Use tongs to toss the wings to fully coat, breaking up any clumps of baking powder as you go.

At this point, you can simply fry them and then toss in your favorite sauce once done (or try out my garlic parmesan sauce listed below!).
Alternatively, if you're someone who likes dry wings, before adding the wings to the fryer, toss them in desired amount of your favorite dry rub. (I used about 3 tablespoon of the BBQ Brother's All-Purpose BBQ Rub for 1 pound of wings).

Using your tongs, add the wings to the air fryer basket, leaving adequate space between them. If the wings are touching or overlapping they won't become as crispy! Set your air fryer temperature to 375 degrees and 25 minutes. Allow the wings to fry, but stop halfway to flip them over.

After 25 minutes of frying, reset your temperature to 420 degrees and fry for another 5 minutes, just to add a little extra crunch! Just look how crispy these come out!!

Allow to cool slightly, then use tongs to remove the wings and add them to a clean tossing bowl. Add in the desired amount of your favorite BBQ or wing sauce then toss or use tongs to coat.

If you want to make the garlic parmesan flavored wings, in the last 5 minutes of your fry time, heat a small frying pan over low-medium heat and add in ¼ C of butter and 4 minced garlic cloves. Cook together, stirring frequently, until the butter is fully melted and garlic begins to brown slightly. Remove from heat and pour it into your clean tossing bowl. Add in ½ C of shredded parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, ½ teaspoon red chili flakes, 2-3 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix completely then add wings and toss to coat. Top with a little extra parmesan and parsley, if desired.

Serve the wings immediately with a side of blue cheese or ranch, plus some celery and carrot sticks, of course!

Enjoy! 🙂

Ummm....i just made way too many wings, how can I reheat them later?

Did you just make 3 lbs of wings for yourself? SAME. Don't worry, the wings can easily be reheated! Refrigerate the wings until ready to eat, then you can use any of the below techniques to reheat them:

Fire up your air fryer again! Set temperature to 360 F and fry for 4 minutes. Then raise temperature to 420 F and fry for an additional 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F, place wings on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Microwave in 30-second intervals until your desired temperature. (These won't be as crispy but this is the fastest way!)

Looking for more easy game day appetizers? Check out these Cheddar Bacon Jalapeño Pinwheels, these Taco Won Ton Cups, these Bacon Cheeseburger Bombs with Big Mac Sauce, or try out these fancier smoked Vortex Chicken Wings! And if you're rooting for OSU on any given game day, don't forget to whip up THE Best Ohio State Buckeyes! 😉

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What do you think? Did this recipe make the cut for you or did it crumble? What would you do differently? Leave a comment below! 🙂