Dry Rub Air Fryer Turkey Wings

Air fryer turkey wings is the best way to cook this part of the bird. With a spicy or sweet and savory dry rub these are to die for at dinner. Now that you have a Ninja Foodi or Cosori you know how good dry rub air fryer wings are SO why not give these a whirl the same way too?

Turkey Wings in Air Fryer

You may have wondered how to make these while making our sheet pan turkey last year. The wings aren’t usually what is chosen during the holidays but should NOT be thrown away either. You can get them super crispy with a sweet and savory dry rub on the outside like you see here!

It took a few years before I really did give them a whirl. Before the next holiday started I bought a package at the store and away I went, which led us here. I knew that if they turned out fantastic I could share how to cook turkey wings with all of you. And here we are……

Ninja Foodi Turkey Wings

If you are using this machine you can make Ninja Foodi chicken wings and these too. The temperature and cook time will be the same as any other brand. Just follow the directions in the recipe card below. The only thing you need to remember is that the lid that is attached is used to air crisp and make foods crunchy.

These definitely look different than those off a chicken. They are much larger for sure and kinda’ a funny shape if you find them at the store like this. NO worries, the flavor is just as incredible. Plus they basically are giving these away because not many realize their deliciousness. Your gain y’all….

As with any other meat in air fryer you will want to dry off the skin before adding any sort of seasonings. First though I do like to rinse them off, some like to soak them in a salt/water sort of brine for a bit of time too. It’s really just like air fryer whole chicken wings but a lot bigger as you can see.

Is marinade or dry rub better on wings?

I like this steak dry rub or bottled spicy cajun seasoning the best, but lemon pepper chicken marinade is quite popular too for a soak if you have time to do that. The difference is the texture of the skins. When adding seasonings they will bake on to become crispier than otherwise.

What temperature to cook turkey wings in air fryer Ninja

I actually used the same temp. as our Baked Turkey Wings we made in the oven. 350 F. was perfect. You don’t want the outside skins to burn before the meat in the thickest part gets done and stays tender. What is nice about this is you can lift the lid or open the drawer and check on them often.

If you are going to add dry seasonings you’ll want to use a few paper towels to dry the skin off first. Getting the excess moisture off is how to bake crispy chicken wings or any other types, every single time. A spray of olive oil a few minutes before the cook time is done will make the skin crunchier too.

I typically don’t like skin on any meat but these are the exception to the rule. The linked cajun goodness in the recipe card below is out of this world for sure.

How to Air Fry Whole Turkey Wings

1. Dry skins with some paper towels.
2. Rub cajun seasoning or dry rub of choice on all sides.
3. Preheat air fryer to 350 for 5 minutes.
4. Spray basket with non stick spray and lay wings inside air fryer basket trying not to overlap them. This will help you achieve tender and juicy turkey in every bite.
5. Air fry at 350 F for 15 minutes, then turn down to 250 degrees F and cook for another 15 minutes.
   • (timing will vary slightly depending on how large they are but this works well to cook all the way through and get outside skin crispy)
6. If you want the skins browner, spray turkey wings with with olive oil spray 2 minutes before the cook time ends.

How long do you cook frozen turkey wings in the air fryer?

In this case you would want to keep the same temperature used here. In the beginning time the heat will help the meat defrost, and then the second half will start the cooking process. You will need to increase the cook time 5 minutes longer during each period, at 350 degrees F and then once you turn it down.

Side dishes

• I always like to integrate air fryer corn on the cob or something which takes less than 30 minutes to get done.
• Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes are a great choice.
• If you feel like you need some garlic rolls or air fryer bread with it, you can make that in the same machine before or after these are done too.

We didn’t stop there though. Using a simple mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and Old Bay we went on to make a few air fryer turkey legs too! Once again these were SO cheap and fed us well for lunch the next day. My husband (who is kinda’ picky) was really surprised at how much he liked these.