The best air fryer wings recipe covered with a dry rub for chicken that is amazing! If you’re looking for healthy fried chicken, these naked chicken wings in your Ninja Foodi are the answer. Simple and flavorful without using any oil to cook them.
My first attempt was this air fryer wings recipe with dry rub that is fabulous and not drippy messy like some others. Find this and more easy air fryer recipes here. I’m serious when I say these will knock your socks off using our sweet and savory rub. (affiliate links present)
Ninja Foodi Wings
Yes, you can use any brand you have. We have a Foodi which is a pressure cooker and air fryer but a Cosori is our second favorite. You can make them in both using the drawer or air crisp button on the other with the lid that is attached on top.
With a bit more heat with red pepper flakes or sweeter with more brown sugar you can adjust the seasonings to your liking. NO need for a Dipping Sauce for Chicken Wings in this case as the outside has a ton of flavor as is right out of the pot.
If you love air fryer recipes too, here are some resources to start with:
- THIS is my Favorite Air Fryer!
- You can find more Air fryer recipes here, we have Ninja Foodi recipes as well; bookmark them both!
- Grab the best air fryer cookbook here.
- Here’s a printable air fryer cook times chart here for your fridge.
- It has temp. and times for making the best frozen foods for air fryer too.
Then join our Facebook page where you can share and find more ideas you’ll love. We have a Foodi social media group as well.
Air fryer chicken wings dry rub
Air frying vs frying is a much healthier way to get food crispy but without any oil needed! Just rub your spices on your wings. Throw them in the basket and in no time at all you have delicious crispy chicken wings without any oil splatters.
No heavy feeling you get when you eat fried foods anymore. Are you obsessed with air fryer appetizers too?? Here are a few details on the machine I usually use.
- This is the Ninja Cooking system we have, as well as this electric air fryer
- You’ll find more Ninja Foodi air fryer recipes here too.
Yes you can just sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss with bbq sauce when done but these naked wings are so much better.
Air fryer wings
This is what you’ll need to make our famous rub, beyond that you just need defrosted chicken wings. If you’re new to this method of cooking it’s like eating deep fried chicken but is as healthy as baked chicken with a thick coating of seasonings.
Chicken Wings Dry Rub Ingredients
- Cayenne pepper – Will give these a bit of a kick. I will say that I describe my heat desire as mild so if you want med. or spicy add more.
- Pepper – Is kinda’ a given along with salt in just about any dry rub.
- Paprika – This may be something you only put on top of deviled eggs but it’s great for so much more!
- Chili powder – Adds a little heat as well along with great flavor as well though. As with the cayenne adjust as desired according to whether you want it spicy or not.
- Salt – I mean you need this when it comes to seasonings….
- Garlic powder – Is something I add to just about everything. In minced, garlic salt and powder form I just can’t get enough garlic!
- Brown sugar makes it sweet
- Cinnamon is optional
The best of both worlds I tell you. Before we got this nifty kitchen appliance we used baking powder and shared how to bake crispy chicken wings in the oven. Now we can skip heating the whole house up and make these air fry chicken wings in about 30 minutes flat!
What does dry rubbed mean?
It just means that it isn’t a sauce. Using dry spices without any liquid is a great way to really pack on a lot of flavor without being goopy and messy. We use this flavoring method a lot when making most of our smoker recipes.
- Believe me, dry rubbed chicken wings are the bomb!!
- Of course you can omit or decrease the spice level if you wish but this comes out mild/medium.
To make things easier I just blend them all together, throw them into a gallon ziploc bag and shake! Adding about half at a time is best so that the outsides get a nice thick and even coat.
How many wings can you cook in an air fryer?
Well, that depends on what machine you have. If I am using my Foodi I can add 6-7 at a time without overlapping them. That is important if you really want the chicken skin to be quite crispy. Another tip is to spray the inside of your air fryer basket with non stick spray before adding your chicken pieces. That will help with cleanup.
Wings in Ninja Foodi
You will use the lid that is attached for the Foodi. I also have the Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven (special thanks goes out to them for the gift). We had a toaster oven forever and got rid of our toaster years ago. Having both in one kitchen appliance was a huge benefit because I don’t have a lot of counter space.
- This one has a rack as well as an air fryer pan with holes on the bottom that holds about the same number of wings.
- I would say that about 6 at a time is pretty common. Just coat and then cook in batches.
Most air fryers work very similarly. They just look different and may have a variety of options but the directions to cook remain the same.
If you enjoy sauce on your wings feel free to add some after they are cooked but this dry rub is plenty and extremely flavorful so it’s really not needed.
Many of you might have a traditional air fryer that looks like this. The basket is more like a bucket. No matter which style you use the main rule of thumb for cooking chicken wings is you want to put them in a single layer or the seasonings will stick and come off.
More importantly they won’t get that really crispy chicken skin you want. Another tip is you want to flip the wings halfway through the cooking time.
How do you make wings in the air fryer?
Rinse and pat wings dry with paper towels. Preheat air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Mix dry rub together and pour into gallon baggie or you can just sprinkle with salt and pepper. Alternatively, you can use our lemon pepper chicken marinade.
- Spray air fryer basket with non stick spray and place wings inside in a single layer, do not overlap.
- Cook for 16 minutes, flipping wings halfway through. Spray top again and add 1 more minute to crisp skin up even more.
- Lightly spray dry chicken pieces with olive oil spray.
- Add rub to a baggie. Put 6-7 chicken wings inside bag and shake to coat. Remove and enjoy immediately (put in another batch if desired immediately)
It doesn’t matter what brand you have. Phillips works the same as Cosori really. The biggest difference is the size of the air fryer basket. That is why I like my newer one (not shown here).
It has a square basket where I can fit almost double. Something to think about when you’re deciding which model you want.
Ninja Foodi chicken wings
When you’re making Ninja Foodi chicken wings for a fun football party food you always want a lot! Yet if there are just 2 of you at home you can get away with a tiny machine, I get it. Get what works best for you.
If you’re looking for the best air fryer chicken wings recipe here ya’ go!
- Total cook time for one batch is about 20 minutes including the preheating time.
- Of course time will vary slightly depending on how large your pieces are.
- Range for us has been 16-18 minutes total per batch.
What can I put on wings?
You can decide when they’re done if you think they need sauce or dip, we think they’re amazing as is. If you’re having a party though it might be fun to create a dip bar!
- Homemade fry sauce is the bomb!
- Ranch dressing is a given
- Blue cheese dressing
- Soy sauce
- Buffalo wing sauce
- homemade recipe here
Grab some cute dip bowls and platters you can put all your food on. Have a spoon inside each one and paper plates at the end. Allow guests to load up and try them all. A great party idea for sure that will be a conversation starter. For us they are perfection as is and a great healthy way to get super crispy wings.
How do you cook frozen wings in an air fryer?
My preferred method is to pressure cook them first to get them nice and tender using my pressure cooker frozen chicken wings recipe. Then throw them into my air fryer or Ninja Foodi. Alternatively you can just use hot air with our Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer directions where you;
- You can preheat your machine to 360 degrees for 5 minutes
- Put them into your basket in one layer
- Cook for 6 minutes, flip and then 6 minutes again
Negative to this route is they will be plain, dry rub will not stick beforehand. BUT if this is all you have then just use a sauce to coat them at the end and enjoy!
They will also be crispier if they are not frozen. Keep that in mind, but it is always handy to have information for both methods handy in case you forgot to thaw out what’s needed for dinner that evening.
If you’re looking for other great chicken and wing recipes here are a few other favorites
- Our lemon pepper wings air fryer style are great.
- Here’s how to grill chicken wings
Air Fryer Wings Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 16 chicken wings, give or take a few
- Dry Rub for Chicken Wings
- 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp pepper, or more if you like really peppery
- 2 tbsp salt
- 3/4 c brown sugar
- 1 tbsp garlic salt
- olive oil spray
- 1 tsp cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except chicken wings in a bowl, combine well. (cinnamon is optional) Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Wash and dry your chicken wings using a paper towel to pat dry. Then spray lightly with olive oil.
- Use a large freezer bag and pour about 1/2 a cup of your rub into the bag with about 6 wings or so. Shake shake until they are coated.
- Spray inside of air fryer basket once it's done preheating with non stick spray and put coated wings inside. Try to not overlap them.
- Set to 400 degrees F. for 16 minutes.
- To make them as crispy as possible flip your wings half way thru the cooking cycle.
- Remove when done, zest with lime juice if desired and enjoy…can dip in ranch dressing or other sauces.
- If making another batch, coat them with dry rub and repeat process for another 16 minute round.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe has turned my hubby into a Ninja Foodi wing maker. I started making this recipe about 6 months ago and he became interested and has made your recipe the last 4 or 5 times and we both love it. Only thing I change is I do not add salt. Thanks for the recipe.
OH yay!!
Omg! These came out so darn good!! I didn’t even need ranch or sauce with it! Will definitely keep this as my favorite go to! Thank you!
They’re our favorite too, glad you loved them
Quick and easy recipe! Tastes very yummy!
I made your rub and it was the best I have ever had, bar none! I switched the brown sugar with Swerve brown sugar which is sugar free and only put in 1 tbsp of salt. I also used a smaller wing so I used 1/4 cup of rub. Just fantastic, can’t wait to share your recipe. Thank you so much.
Oh good!!
Is the cooking time of 16 minutes enough if the wings are frozen?
Ok, so I’m confused. You said you cooked your wings in your instant pot first, I went to that post and you add bbq sauce to them. To make the dry rub recipe, do you first cook the wings in your instant pot without the bbq sauce, then add the dry rub, then put them in your air fryer?? I am wanting to do this with chicken tenders, but not sure how. Thank you.
Two separate recipes. I have made them in my IP before. If you are using this air fryer technique then follow instructions in recipe card below only. If you want to use my dry rub then you’d have to add that once they’re cooked or at least halfway cooked so it would stick.
Will this work for frozen wings?
There is a recipe for frozen air fryer wings in the post or search in search bar for frozen air fryer wings
So first time trying the air fryer and I tried this recipe. I did not read properly and dumped the whole recipe in the ziploc bag and coated 6 wing sections at a time. First I didnt expect all the sugar to drip off and burn but I handled it. I made 30 individual wings. The dry rub is so insanely hot. I ruined our meal. I wont be using this recipe again.
Sounds like user error to me. Not the fault of the recipe.
Can I bake in oven. Will they come out crispy
Great dry rub for wings! These are one the menu every week! The family just loves them and they are so easy to make!
Yay for great dinners together
Great flavor but wayyyy…too much salt!! I will omit the salt next time! The crunchy edges were yummy. Thanks for sharing
Best wings ever. I used 3 tbsp of Splenda brown sugar instead and 3/4 tbsp of adobo instead of garlic salt. Soooooooo amazing!!!!
I meant 3 full tablespoons of Splenda brown sugar instead of 3/4 cups of brown sugar
You should probably change that on the recipe card. Because I just used 3/4 cup of brown sugar.
This is not my comment, this is someone referring to what they used instead of brown sugar. They substituted for Splenda. 3/4 c brown sugar in the recipe card is absolutely correct
These wings were FABULOUS!!! My family was positively raving about them. My son the wings were better than any he had eaten at any restaurant. My husband raved about them again this morning. He never does that. The wings were perfectly spicy and sweet. Juicy with a caramelized skin. The only problem? I didn’t make enough. I’ll make six lbs. worth next time. No dipping sauce needed.
Yeah, thanks for letting us know!!
I used about 3 TBSP of Splenda brown sugar