I was craving good lemon pepper flavor. Not mild lemon pepper flavor, either. I wanted a punch of flavor. I wanted my lips to pucker. And I wanted my tongue to burn. When I made a batch of Kosmos QLemon Pepper air fryer wings I was not shy with the seasoning. Seasoned up front. Seasoned on the back end. And devoured in no time!
Flavorful Crispy Skin
I love air fryer wings for two reasons. First, the skin gets nice and crispy. Second, they’re easy. Ok, three reasons. They don’t dry out either. You have to be careful seasoning your wings before you put them into the air fryer, though. That high heat can burn any seasoning that has sugar in it. Or garlic. Things like that. So be careful with it. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry with these Kosmos Q Lemon Pepper air fryer wings. The seasoning can handle it. So load up!
Working in batches if needed, air fry the wings for 12 minutes.
Flip the wings and air fry another 12 minutes.
Turn the air fryer temperature to 400 F and fry another 6 minutes or until the wings are golden brown.
Remove the wings and toss in more seasoning.
Notes
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
This is Part Two of: Have you seen those machines you can buy to make your house smell good? Why do you need one of those smell-making machines when all you need to make your home smell outrageously fantastic is to make some of these dry wings? You get the homestead smellin’ good and you can enjoy some delicious wings! The first part was with Dan-O’s Original Seasoning. Now, it’s time for some Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning dry wings. How much more of a win-win could you need? Or want?
Herby And Spicy Deliciousness
Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning was invented for poultry. It’s full of the good stuff that you might normally find on a roast turkey or chicken. Well, don’t forget the wings! These Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning dry wings are what roasted wings should be. Crispy skin. Wonderful herby flavors. Moist, tender meat. Oh and just a little kick. Not overwhelming, but a little spiciness to wake you up!
I Love Dry Wings
I’m a huge fan of dry wings. They’re hard for me to resist. I love them seasoned heavily. I love that great crunchy skin. Usually, I season my wings before cooking and then again after for extra flavor. For these wings, however, I go with one good, healthy seasoning beforehand. That’s it. No post-cook seasoning required or needed. These are great wings without more, no need to bury them in it!
Season the wings with the mix. Let rest 30 minutes.
For the air fryer
Preheat your air fryer to 350 F.
Working in batches if needed, air fry the wings for 12 minutes.
Flip the wings and air fry another 12 minutes.
Turn the air fryer temperature to 400 F and fry another 6 minutes or until the wings are golden brown.
For the oven
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Or line with foil.
Add the wings and cook 20 minutes.
Flip and cook another 20 minutes.
Check for doneness. For crispier wings, flip and cook another 10-20 minutes.
Notes
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
What a fool. I was just sitting here the other day thinking maybe I’d cut back on the wings. Take a little break. After I make these air fryer Hooters Buffalo wings, that sounds like a good time to chill a bit. Well, ‘no’. Just ‘no’ to that idea. Not when there are wings like these. And from the air fryer? I would’ve told you that you were lying to me. No way. “They have to be deep-fried” is what I’d say. Or exclaim. Nope, they aren’t. These are great Buffalo wings. These are the kind of wings that make me happy and ready to eat more tomorrow!
Darn Near Deep-Fried
I use my air fryer for wings a lot because it’s easy and makes for some good wings. But not quite like I’d get deep-fried, which is my wing of choice (well, that and wings cooked on a charcoal grill using the Vortex). These air fryer Hooters Buffalo wings come mighty close to being just as good as deep-fried. Mighty close. Darned close. Close enough? That’s up to you to decide. I loved them. Tossed in a simple standard Buffalo sauce, I could not get enough of them.
Combine the flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt in a large bowl.
Add the wings and coat well.
Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
Spray your air fryer basket with non-stick spray.
Preheat your air fryer to 400 F.
Add the wings to the air fryer. Do not overlap.
Spray the wings lightly with more non-stick spray. If there are any 'floury' spots, give them an extra spray so that they crisp up good.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Gently turn the wings and lightly spray again with non-stick spray. If there are still some 'floury' spots, give them an extra spray so that they crisp up good.
8? 12? 18? How many of these soy-ginger glazed air fryer wings could I eat? Well, I’m not telling. But the answer is definitely ‘a lot’. The sauce on these wings is sweet, salty, savory… and slightly citrusy. No heat here. But plenty of amazing sweetness that is beyond finger-licking good. I actually made this sauce for roasted Brussels sprouts, but after tasting it I realized that its true calling was on wings. And boy, was I ever right!
Yesterday Seems So Far Away
You have to make the glaze for these soy-ginger glazed air fryer wings the day before you plan on devouring them. Don’t realize 10 minutes before it’s time to eat that you need to make it. That’s too late. Do it the day before and refrigerate it overnight. You’ll then have the perfect glaze. Thick. Like molasses. Delicious. And oh so worth it.
The Air Fryer? Again?
No, no, you don’t really have to make these wings in the air fryer. Make the glaze the day ahead. Then make the wings however you want. I went air fryer because that’s my go-to less-mess technique. Grilled, deep-fried, baked… doesn’t really matter. Just make some wings your way. Then glaze them!
Need Heat?
If you’re a gotta-have-it-spicy person, add a few pinches of red pepper flakes to the glaze while it’s simmering happily away. Let it flavor the sauce. Don’t go crazy with it, though. A little is ok. A lot? You’ll overwhelm the delicious sauce.
Combine the brown sugar, sugar and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a simmer and continue simmering, stirring often, until the sauce reduces by one half. The sauce will thicken somewhat and will continue thickening as it cools later.
Remove from heat and stir in the fresh ginger.
Let cool then place into a resealable container in the fridge overnight.
Bring to room temperature before serving. I set the container out while I prepare the Brussels sprouts.
For the wings
Note: Before starting, remove the glaze from the fridge so it can come to room temperature while you cook the wings.
Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer’s recommendation.
Sprinkle over the wings with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Note: You'll have to work in batches to cook all of the wings unless you have a super-large air-fryer. Do not overlap the wings in the basket or they will not cook evenly.
Add the wings to the basket (be careful it’s hot!). If you have trouble fitting them without overlapping, stand the drumettes along the sides of the basket.
Cook at 360 F for 12 minutes for large wings, 10 minutes for smaller ones.
Carefully flip the wings (rotate the drumettes if they are standing) and cook another 12 minutes again (10 minutes for smaller wings) at 375 F.
Flip the wings one last time. Increase the temperature to 390 F and cook another 6 minutes (4 minutes for smaller wings).
I’m not particular when it comes to cooking my chicken wings. Baked, deep-fried, grilled, it makes no difference to me. As long as I’m eating wings I’m one happy guy! During the week, though, if I want wings for lunch I gotta go with a technique that gets wings done with minimum fuss so I can get back to work. That usually means air frying them. I prefer to start with fresh wings, but sometimes they just can’t be found, so I grab some out of the freezer. This is my go-to method. This is how to cook frozen wings in an air fryer.
It’s really easy
This is not a complicated process. There’s nothing fancy about cooking frozen wings in an air fryer. No defrosting. Just cook them up a bit, season them, finish the cooking and sauce them. I sometimes also add more seasoning at the end.
Wing selection
Frozen wings come ‘pumped’. That means they are injected with a broth-like solution that plumps them up and keeps them juicy after cooking. Most frozen turkeys come the same way so don’t let the words ‘contains chicken broth’ scare you off.
I prefer sections when I buy frozen wings. Drumettes and flats, separated. Whole wings are fine, but they’re a bit harder to put into a small air fryer without them overlapping. You don’t want your wings to overlap, you want nice even cooking.
Seasoning
I like to season my wings with a light hand at first. I don’t want the seasoning to burn in the air fryer. So I add a little after the wings have cooked just a bit. When they are done I can add more, along with sauce if I’m using it.
I usually use salt and pepper for my seasoning, but I like store-bought ones too. If I want to make a mix at home, my fire-eater seasoning is my favorite.
Do not add the seasoning when the wings are still fully frozen. It’ll just roll right off the wings.
Saucing
You can use any sauce you want, of course. For homemade Buffalo-style sauces, I’m a big fan of my copycat’s of Hooter’smedium and hot wing sauces.
Dipping
Blue cheese dressing or my copycat of Wingstop’sranch dressing make for great dipping sauces for your air-fried wings.
Cleaning up
I wipe my air fryer basket out after each ‘fry’. Every few cooks I’ll put the basket into the dishwasher for a good cleaning. But, I never put it directly into the dishwasher without wiping it out first. I don’t want all of that chicken grease in my dishwasher or my pipes. Check your air fryer’s cleaning recommendations for further information about cleaning your particular model.
Add wings to the fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes. Do not overlap the wings. Try to not let them touch each other or the sides of the basket so that they cook evenly.
Use tongs to remove the wings to a bowl. Sprinkle with your wing seasoning and toss to coat.
Return to the air fryer and continue cooking another 10 minutes or until the wings are golden brown.
Remove from the air fryer. Toss with more seasoning and/or sauce and serve.
Notes
Do not thaw the wings ahead of time. You will cook them directly from the freezer.
What started out as an experiment turned out to be some of the best wings I’ve made. These twice-fried air fryer wings have tremendous flavor. More than just if I’d just seasoned some wings and tossed them into the fryer. No sauce at first. An initial cool and an overnight stay in the fridge turns out almost like dry-brining the wings. The meat has much more flavor. The texture is still great. The skin is still crunchy. Saucing them after the second fry is optional in my opinion. They’re great without a sauce.
More Flavor. More Better.
I recommend that you go heavy with the seasoning for the first fry of these twice-fried air fryer wings. That flavor will ‘soak’ in overnight in the fridge. You don’t need to season them again after that. You can add some after the last fry if you want. And you can add sauce at that time too, if you wish.
Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer's recommendation.
Toss the wing flats and drumettes with the seasoning.
Add the wings to the basket (be careful it’s hot!). If you have trouble fitting them without overlapping, stand the drumettes along the sides of the basket.
Cook at 360 F for 12 minutes.
Carefully flip the wings (rotate the drumettes if they are standing) and cook another 12 minutes again at 360 F.
Flip the wings one last time. Cook another 6 minutes at 400 F.
Remove wings and let them cool completely. Place into a resealable container and place into the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat your air fryer per manufacturer's recommendation to 400 F. While the air fryer is heating remove the wings from the fridge.
Add wings to air fryer basket and cook 10-15 minutes or until hot.
The air fryer is my go-to tool for making fantastic dry wings. They’re so simple, so easy, but oh so delicious. Today, I made a little batch of Sweet Peeper air fryer dry wings for my lunch. And I was happy. Heck, I was more than happy. Oh that crunchy skin. That aroma while they were cooking. And bite-after-bite of seasoned chicken. A wonderful combination of brown sugar, paprika, honey and other herbs, these wings are a great change from your usual Buffalo-inspired wings.
Crazy Easy
Making great air fryer dry wings really is easy. Season the wings a bit. Cook them to perfection. Season them some more. And if you’re like me, eat them immediately and burn your mouth. Well, it has happened. I can’t help myself. These Sweet Peeper air fryer dry wings smelled so good while they were cooking that I couldn’t wait for them to cool down a bit before taking those first few bites.
Crispier Than A Fall Evening
My approach to air fryer wings always gets me that great crunchy crispy skin. If you can handle the wait, let them cool a bit after cooking (and after that last seasoning) to crisp up a bit more.
Working in batches if needed, air fry the wings for 12 minutes.
Flip the wings and air fry another 12 minutes.
Turn the air fryer temperature to 400 F and fry another 6 minutes or until the wings are golden brown.
Remove the wings and toss in more seasoning.
Notes
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
Have you seen those machines you can buy to make your house smell good? I always look at them and scratch my head. Why do you need one of those when all you need to make your home smell outrageously fantastic is to make some Dan-O’s Original Seasoning dry wings? And as an added bonus, after you get the homestead smellin’ good, you can enjoy some delicious wings! How much more of a win-win could you need? Or want?
Herby Deliciousness
Dan-O’s Original Seasoning was invented for poultry. Rosemary. Garlic. Good stuff that you might normally find on a roast turkey or chicken. Well, don’t forget the wings! These Dan-O’s Original Seasoning dry wings are what roasted wings should be. Crispy skin. Wonderful herby flavors. Moist, tender meat.
A Twist On My Usual Dry Wings
I’m a huge fan of dry wings. It’s hard for me to resist super-seasoned wings with that great crunchy skin. Usually, I season my wings before cooking and then again after for extra flavor. For these wings, however, I go with one good, healthy seasoning beforehand. That’s it. No post-cook seasoning required or needed. These are great wings without it.
Season the wings with the mix. Let rest 30 minutes.
For the air fryer
Preheat your air fryer to 350 F.
Working in batches if needed, air fry the wings for 12 minutes.
Flip the wings and air fry another 12 minutes.
Turn the air fryer temperature to 400 F and fry another 6 minutes or until the wings are golden brown.
For the oven
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Or line with foil.
Add the wings and cook 20 minutes.
Flip and cook another 20 minutes.
Check for doneness. For crispier wings, flip and cook another 10-20 minutes.
Notes
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
Well, here I go again. Another wing variation that I just cannot get enough of. Give me an excuse to use a lot of Parmesan and I’m going to go all-in. And that’s what I did with these crispy air fryer Parmesan wings. Perfectly crunchy bite-thru skin. Like crazy perfect. Great by itself, but add an easy garlic-flavored Parmesan topping and I’m going full bulldog on it. I loved these wings. They are perfect!
Oh So Cheesy!
The original recipe for these crispy air fryer Parmesan wings called for adding chives. I love chives. Chives would’ve been great on these wings. But sadly, no chives were to be found near me. So I went with just a little parsley, mostly for color. I was ok without the chives since I was in town for the Parmesan!
Nice and Crispy
You can use the approach in this recipe for making crispy skin on any air fryer wing recipe. Whether you are using a store-bought seasoning or just salt and pepper, add a bit of baking soda before cooking the wings.
Yowsa. Now we’re talking about some seriously devour-worthy wings. These air fryer maple wings are beyond finger-lickingly good. As soon as I took my first bite I instantly regretted not making more wings and sauce. The wings are your standard air fryer wings. A little seasoning and cooked until the skin is crispy. The sauce, though, is the star of the show. The right sweetness. The right umami thing. And just a kiss of heat. These are great wings!
Step Up Your Teriyaki Game
You can use whatever teriyaki sauce you like to make these air fryer maple wings. But for me, my go-to teriyaki sauce is from the fine folks over at Bourbon Barrel Food. They have two versions actually. The Kentuckyaki sauce is a wonderfully bourbon-infused sauce that has such a great, deep flavor. It’s great anywhere I need a teriyaki sauce. And of course their spicy version is … spicier! It also makes for a great sauce for these wings!
