Air Fryer Wings Dry Rub

Air fryer wings with dry rub is a great healthy alternative to deep frying but just as crispy. These naked chicken wings served with Dipping Sauce for Chicken Wings in Ninja Foodi or Cosori are simple and flavorful without cooking them in oil.

This was my first attempt that turned out 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.

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.

Ninja Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Yes, you can use any brand you have. We love Ninja Foodi recipes because it 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. If you loved our baked frozen chicken wings you can now get the same results without heating up your whole house!

No heavy feeling you get when you eat fried foods anymore. Are you obsessed with air fryer appetizers too??  You’ll be obsessed with all the Ninja Foodi air fryer recipes we have on our site. Below is what you’ll need to make our famous rub, beyond that you just need defrosted wingettes and drumettes.

And you are going to want some chicken wings that are fresh or use timing in Whole Chicken Wings in Air Fryer if your drumettes and wingettes are still attached and larger in size.

Chicken Wing Dry Rub

Your dry rub is made up of several different seasonings. Pepper is kinda’ a given along with salt in just about any dry rub. Paprika may be something you only put on top of deviled eggs but it’s great for so much more!

Salt is obvious, I mean you need this when it comes to seasonings this is a given right? You could use a Mrs. Dash salt substitute if necessary.

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 with a bit of a molasses flavor to it which we love. You could use a sugar free substitute from Splenda if need be. Cinnamon is optional but we add it many times to enhance the taste of the other ingredients believe it or not.

How to Make it Spicy

The heat can be adjusted and starts with 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. 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.

This rub is the best of both worlds I tell you. Before we got this nifty kitchen appliance we used baking powder and shared crispy baked 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!

How Long to Cook Chicken Wings in Air Fryer

This is going to take a total of about 16 minutes (give or take depending on their size) to get cooked thru and crispy outside. You need to first preheat air fryer for 5 minutes so that it is the same temperature the entire cook time, do not skip. Air fry your pieces flipping wings halfway through. Each time you rotate, spray top again and add 1 more minute to crisp skin up even more.

If you are making these for a large crowd I suggest that you make them in batches as they are best enjoyed right away. As soon as one is done, throw in another set to crisp up. Serve on a platter that is not covered as that will create condensation and make the outside soggy.

Frozen Wings in Air Fryer

This is possible right out of the freezer friends. It is harder to add the dry rub but you can use directions in our Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer directions which only takes a few additional minutes! To add the seasonings, do so halfway thru so the skin is moist and it will stick better.

How to Make Chicken Wings Crispy in Air Fryer

First off when prepping your pieces you need to make sure you get as much of the moisture off of the skin. This is vital for the crispiest outcome. Once prepped with the seasonings on the outside you want to put them in a single layer so they aren’t overlapping. The hot air needs to be able to rotate properly and hit every inch for the ideal texture.

Ideally you want to flip the wings halfway through the cooking time too, and spray with olive oil on the top to enhance the crispiness on each side. 

Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Sauce

If you enjoy sauce on your wings feel free to add some about 3 minutes before they are done if you want it to caramelize a little bit with the remaining heat. Alternatively you can brush some bbq sauce on once they are cooked and ready to eat but this dry rub is plenty and extremely flavorful so it’s really not needed.

When you’re making Ninja Foodi chicken wings for a fun football party food you always want a lot! BUT for the best results you need to cook in batches as you see here below. When done serve immediately for the best crunch.

Dips

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!

1. Homemade fry sauce is the bomb! It is a mix of mayonnaise, seasoned salt and a bit of vinegar zing that goes great on everything
2. Ranch dressing is a given, especially with kids
3. Blue cheese dressing is typically an alternative to this
4. Teriyaki or soy sauce gives you an Asian flare to your dish
5. Buffalo wing sauce from Franks or you can make your own buffalo sauce 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.

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