Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings

Air Fryer Chicken Wings are the perfect alternative to messy deep frying and expensive take-out. These wings are easy to make, super crispy, and perfectly sauced in Garlic Parmesan Butter.

Air Fryer Chicken wings are such a fun finger food. The crispy skin and juicy dark meat are the perfect delivery system for sauces and spice. One of my favorites flavors outside of traditional buffalo sauce is the garlic parmesan wing. 

I love the way the butter and parmesan cling to the crispy skin and the garlic adds a touch of spice without making my mouth burn. 

I am always put off by the idea of deep frying. It is one part not liking to cook with so much oil, but mainly I just don’t like to make that kind of mess or deal with the leftover oil. I’ve made wings in the oven with some success. I managed to get crispy skin and tender chicken, but it wasn’t quite like frying.

The air fryer, however, delivered that amazing crisp without the mess or heating up the big oven. It was super easy to make and really easy to clean up. It changed the game for wings in our house, because now I have a super budget friendly way of making one of our favorite foods without a huge mess. 

Make this recipe, because....

Air Fryer Chicken Wings at home are fun and budget friendly. 

The chicken wing pieces are great because they have a good meat to skin ratio. This means you get bites with crispy skins and moist dark meat. 

The air fryer delivers a true restaurant level crisp without the deep fryer mess. 

You can use any of your favorite wing sauces or mix and match for a crowd. 

The garlic parmesan sauce is simple and great for any group because it is mild, but still super flavorful.

Ingredients

Air Fryer Chicken Wing Ingredients

Chicken Wings- Wings can come in two ways at the store. They may come as whole wings, in which case you will need to split them apart and remove the tips, or they may come in party packs with just the wingettes and drumettes ready to go.

Flour and Cornstarch- These dry ingredients are the base for the dredge or coating on the outside of the chicken wings. Water is the enemy of crispy chicken! The flour and cornstarch absorb excess water and let the fats in the skin develop a nice crunch.

Garlic Parmesan Wing Sauce

Instructions

Step 1: Separating the Wings

• Start by cleaning the chicken wings. Trim away any excess skin that hangs over the edges and identify the joints between the drumette and the flat as well as the flat and the tip.

The tip is the pointed end piece. This doesn’t have any meat on it and tends to burn in the air fryer.

We are going to throw those pieces away. The piece closest to that is the flat or wingette.. It is called the flat because it is a wide and flat part of the wing with two bones running along the edges. It isn’t the meatiest part of the wing, but it does have a great skin to meat ratio which makes it very tasty.

Then there is the drumette. This is the meatiest part of the chicken wing with juicy dark meat.

• Using a good chef’s knife, split the whole chicken wings into drumettes, wingettes, and tips. Throw away the tips.

Step 2

• Next, mix flour, cornstarch, and spices together in a food storage bag. Add the chicken wing pieces to the bag, close, and shake to coat all of the pieces evenly.

Step 3

• Then, lay the pieces in the air fryer basket. Spray each piece liberally with cooking spray. Be sure to coat all sides evenly.

Step 4

• Preheat the air fryer to 400°. 
• Cook the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes. Turn the drumettes at the 10 minutes mark to make sure all sides are golden brown and crisp.

Step 5

• While the wings are cooking, prepare the garlic parmesan wing sauce.
• In a small pan, on low heat, melt butter and add minced garlic and parsley. Let these ingredients come together and get warm.

Do not add parmesan cheese while the sauce is on the direct heat.

Step 6

• Right before coating the cooked wings, add parmesan to the butter, garlic, and parley. Mix together gently and pour over the wings. Toss the crispy chicken wings in the sauce and serve with lots of napkins.

Step 7

• Transfer cooked wings to a large bowl. Coat with wing sauce of your choice, tossing gently, and serve.

FAQs

Chef Diana's Tips for Success

You can buy cooking sprays that are ready to use or add your own cooking oil to a spray bottle. I usually buy a cooking spray labeled as olive oil. This spray is actually a blend of olive oil and canola oil. I like this combination because it is multipurpose and cuts down on my kitchen clutter. 

It isn’t a neutral oil, but the canola oil mixed with it makes it have a high smoke point and makes it good for the air fryer. The little bit of flavor from the olive oil isn’t a problem because you aren’t using very much and I’m generally using it with foods that are heavily seasoned. 

Be sure to check on your chicken wings halfway through cooking. The drumettes should be turned at least once to get the skin on all sides crispy. 

Don’t turn the wingettes. Leave the skin side up to allow it the most exposure to heat to get them as crispy as possible.

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