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    Home » Recipes » Air fryer recipes

    How To Cook Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Keto Chicken)

    Published: Mar 30, 2022· Modified: May 10, 2022· By Libby Jenkinson May contain affiliate links.

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    FREE MEAL PLAN COOKBOOKS PRO MEMBERS
    Air Fryer Chicken Wings Tossed in Keto Buffalo Sauce on a plate with a side of keto ranch and celery.
    Air Fryer Chicken Wings Tossed in Keto Dry Rub on a plate with a side of keto ranch and celery.
    Air Fryer Chicken Wings Tossed in Keto BBQ sauce on a plate with a side of keto ranch and celery.
    Chicken wings tossed in dry rub seasoning arranged in the basket of the air fryer ready to be cooked.
    Air Fryer Chicken Wings Tossed in Keto buffalo sauce on a plate with a side of keto ranch and celery.
    A collage showing 3 types of air fryer chicken wings.

    If you haven't cooked air fryer chicken wings yet, you are seriously missing out. Using the air fryer, you can get perfectly tender and crispy chicken wings every single time in as little as 18 minutes!

    Keep reading to see how you can easily make 3 types of chicken wings in the air fryer!

    Collage of low carb, sugar free, keto friendly air fryer chicken wings
    How to cook crispy air fryer chicken wings (with 3 sauces).

    Almost any occasion can call for chicken wings. Mid-week dinner? Chicken wings. Sporting event? Chicken wings. Small gathering? Chicken wings. You name an occasion and there can be a place for these air fryer chicken wings!

    Jump to:
    • Which air fryer is best?
    • Free Air fryer cheat sheets (printable)
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • 1: The best dry rub wings
    • 2: Keto buffalo chicken wings
    • 3: Keto bbq chicken wings
    • More keto air fryer recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    This air fryer chicken wings recipe is so versatile you can make them plain, with a dry rub, or toss them in a sauce. I'm including instructions for an easy buffalo sauce and if you enjoy BBQ my Keto BBQ sauce recipe on this site is the way to go.

    Prefer a creamy sauce? Blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing works perfectly too. However you dress up these fryer chicken wings, they're absolutely delicious! Best wings ever.

    Which air fryer is best?

    You will need an air fryer to make these wings. These wings were made using the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer. You may prefer an oven-style air fryer or a double air fryer. These are great for easy meal prep.

    I love this air fryer because it preheats quickly and has a large enough basket so that I can cook enough to feed the whole family. The hot air circulates very evenly resulting in a perfectly cooked chicken wing.

    I also love that I keep an eye on my food through the window without opening the basket. No more accidentally burning my food!

    Free Air fryer cheat sheets (printable)

    mockups of free air fryer cooking charts
    How to use an air fryer.

    If you love using your air fryer, I have 101 keto air fryer recipes for you to choose from (chicken, pork, ground beef, salmon, vegetables, and even desserts). Discover how to use your air fryer plus FREE printable air fryer cooking cheat sheets.

    Ingredients

    To make air fryer chicken wings all you need is some defrosted raw chicken wings and some olive oil to lightly coat the wings. The olive oil helps make the wings crispy.

    Even though you are air frying the wings you still need a bit of oil, but you will use significantly less oil when air frying. If you are wanting to add a dry rub or keto sauce to your wings you'll find a few recommendations in the recipe card below.

    Ingredients needed for DIY chicken wings
    Fresh chicken wings and a dry rub mix.
    • chicken wings
    • olive oil
    • seasoning or sauce of choice.

    See the air fryer chicken wings recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    To make air fryer wings with frozen wings, you'll want to make sure they are fully defrosted before cooking.

    Then, start by patting the defrosted wings dry with a paper towel and then lightly coating the wings with extra virgin olive oil. You can use olive oil spray or just brush regular olive oil on all the wings.

    Demonstrating how to get crispy wings in an air fryer by patting chicken dry.
    For really crispy chicken wings, pat chicken wings dry before cooking in the air fryer.

    If you want to use any seasoning such as smoked paprika, garlic powder, or lemon pepper seasoning, sprinkle any seasoning you desire over the wings. I also highly recommend tossing these air fryer wings in the delicious dry rub seasoning found in the recipe card.

    If you want to coat your wings with buffalo or keto BBQ sauce I recommend doing that after the air fryer chicken wings have cooked. This will keep the sauce from burning while in the air fryer.

    Coating homemade wings in a dry rub
    How to cook air fryer chicken wings with a spicy dry rub.

    Cook wings

    To cook wings, preheat your air fryer to 385F/195C and set the timer to 18 minutes. Once you have a preheated air fryer, open the basket and lightly coat the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray to keep the wings from sticking to the basket.

    Arrange the wings in the basket keeping them spaced apart so they aren't touching. Depending on the size of your air fryer you should be able to fit 8-10 wings in the basket at a time.

    how to cook air fryer wings
    Delicious crispy air fryer chicken wings in the air fryer.

    Close the air fryer basket and air fry for 18 minutes. Halfway through cooking flip the wings to ensure they are evenly cooked. Once the wings are done toss them in your desired sauce and serve.

    Easy, right? This is one of my favorite air fryer recipes! It's a hit every single time.

    Hint: Want crispy wings? The crispiest wings? Patting the wings dry first before adding the oil helps you get the best chicken wings that are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. So don't skip this part.

    Wings cooking in an air fryer
    The perfect keto snack, air fryer chicken wings.

    1: The best dry rub wings

    If you are looking for a tasty dry rub to use on your wings then look no further. To make an amazing and flavourful rub you only need these 6 ingredients.

    • Garlic Salt - substitute for garlic powder (only use ½ the amount) if you need a low-sodium rub.
    • Pepper
    • Chili powder
    • Dried Oregano
    • Smoked paprika
    • Onion Powder

    Simply mix all these ingredients together in a bowl and toss your wing in the rub before placing them into the air fryer basket for amazing flavourful chicken wings! Serve your sauce on the side and dip your wings.

    Variations

    If you love these air fryer chicken wings, why not try these other herbs and spices for the best chicken wings in town. Toss, rub, or sprinkle over your chicken before placing in the air fryer basket.

    • Garlic powder, garlic salt, and onion powder - for the classic fried chicken wings
    • Lemon pepper seasoning - for tasty wings at a BBQ
    • Curry powder and yogurt - for delicious wings with a curry flavor.
    Homemade dry rub seasoning perfect for air fryer wings.
    Air fryer chicken wings with a dry rub.

    2: Keto buffalo chicken wings

    Do you prefer a saucy wing over a dry rub? Then we have you covered. Making a delicious homemade buffalo sauce is so quick and easy, if you haven't done it before you will be shocked.

    To make buffalo sauce add ½ cup hot sauce and 4 tbsp. butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Pop that bowl in the microwave for 30-45 seconds until the butter is softened and mostly melted.

    Mix the butter into the hot sauce and you have a delicious buffalo sauce. It really is that easy. I like to use Frank's Red Hot sauce when making buffalo sauce. When the homemade wings are done cooking toss them with Frank's hot sauce and enjoy!

    Close up of keto chicken wings cooked in the air fryer
    Keto buffalo wings in the air fryer.

    3: Keto bbq chicken wings

    To make keto BBQ chicken wings just toss your cooked wings in some of my keto BBQ sauce. A little bit of the sauce can go a long way.

    If you don't already have a bottle of this BBQ sauce in your refrigerator, you can quickly whip a jar using my Keto BBQ Sauce recipe while your wings cook. Be sure to let the sauce cool before storing the leftover BBQ sauce.

    keto air fryer chicken wings with bbq sauce
    Sticky keto BBQ sauce air fryer chicken wings.

    Storage

    Cooked wings can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

    To reheat your wings microwave them for 1-2 minutes or reheat them in the air fryer at 375F / 190C for 5-7 minutes.

    Top tip

    Most of the crisping of chicken wings cooked in an air fryer happens during the last minute of cooking. However, if you need to cook your wings a bit longer you can just pop them right back in the air fryer and bake a bit longer.

    Chicken should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C). Be sure to use an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure your wings are fully cooked. Bigger or thicker wings might need another minute or two to cook.

    Plate of air fryer chicken wings covered in buffalo sauce. There is a container of ranch and celery sticks for dipping.
    Serve chicken wings with crunchy celery and creamy dipping sauce.

    More keto air fryer recipes

    If you have just bought an air fryer and want some easy keto air fryer recipes for beginners, you'll love how to make air fryer bacon and air fryer pork chops.

    And the best summer air fryer recipes have to be air fryer chicken kebabs and air fryer lamb kebabs.

    mockups of free air fryer cooking charts

    So, who's making air fryer chicken wings tonight? Enjoy your perfectly crispy air fryer chicken!

    📖 Recipe

    Air Fryer Chicken Wings Tossed in Keto buffalo sauce on a plate with a side of keto ranch and celery.

    Please rate this recipe.

    5 from 8 votes

    How To Cook Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Keto Chicken)

    Cook tender and crispy chicken wings in the air fryer easily. Make with a dry rub, buffalo sauce, or keto BBQ sauce.
    Servings: 8 wings
    NET carbs: 0.4g
    Author: Libby Jenkinson
    Prep Time 3 minutes
    Cook Time 18 minutes
    Total Time 21 minutes
    Category: Appetiser. Dinner. Lunch
    Diet: Diabetic. Gluten Free. Low Lactose. Low Salt
    Egg free. Gluten Free. Grain free. Keto. LCHF. Low Carb. No Sugars. Wheat Free
    Review Recipe Print Pin Email

    Calculate ingredients

    Adjust servings: 8 wings
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    Ingredients

    • 2 lbs (1 kg) chicken wings defrosted, about 8 wings
    • extra virgin olive oil

    Wing Dry Rub

    • 1½ teaspoon garlic salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 tablespoon chilli powder
    • 1 teaspoon oregano dried
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder

    Keto Buffalo Sauce

    • ½ cup Frank's hot sauce
    • 4 tablespoon butter unsalted

    Keto BBQ Sauce

    • ¼ cup (4 tablespoon) keto BBQ sauce

    Equipment

    • Air Fryer

    Instructions

    • Pat defrosted chicken wings dry with a paper towel to remove any excess liquid. Then light spray/brush the wings with olive oil and season as desired.
      If using the dry rub mix the dry rub ingredients together in a bowl and then toss the wings in the seasoning so that they are evenly covered.
    • Preheat the air fryer to 385°F/195°C and set the timer to 18 minutes. When the air fryer is hot open the basket and lightly grease the basket with olive oil to keep the wings from sticking. Arrange the wings in the basket ensuring the wings aren't touching. Close the basket and let cook. Flip the wings halfway through to evenly cook the wings on both sides.
    • Serve cooked wings as is with a side of buffalo or keto BBQ sauce, or cover the wings with the sauce and enjoy!

    Keto Buffalo Sauce

    • Add the hot sauce and butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Place in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to melt the butter. Stir the hot sauce and butter together to make buffalo sauce.
    © Copyright Ditch The Carbs

    Notes

    The nutritional information shows the nutrition values for 1 cooked chicken wing with a dry rub mix.

    5-INGREDIENTS COOKBOOK

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    Nutrition Facts
    How To Cook Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Keto Chicken)
    Serving Size
     
    1 dry rub chicken wing
    Amount per Serving
    NET carbs
     
    0.4
    g
    Total Carbohydrates
     
    1
    g
    0
    %
    Fiber
     
    0.6
    g
    3
    %
    Sugar
     
    0.1
    g
    0
    %
    Protein
     
    11.4
    g
    23
    %
    Fat
     
    10
    g
    15
    %
    Sodium
     
    507.4
    mg
    22
    %
    Potassium
     
    127.1
    mg
    4
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    520.2
    IU
    10
    %
    Vitamin B1
     
    0.1
    mg
    7
    %
    Vitamin B6
     
    0.2
    mg
    10
    %
    Vitamin B12
     
    0.2
    µg
    3
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    0.6
    mg
    1
    %
    Vitamin D
     
    0.1
    µg
    1
    %
    Vitamin E
     
    0.7
    mg
    5
    %
    Vitamin K
     
    2.9
    µg
    3
    %
    Calcium
     
    16.6
    mg
    2
    %
    Folate
     
    3.6
    µg
    1
    %
    Iron
     
    0.9
    mg
    5
    %
    Magnesium
     
    14
    mg
    4
    %
    Selenium
     
    9.8
    µg
    14
    %
    Zinc
     
    0.9
    mg
    6
    %
    % Daily Value*
    -
    Calories
    141.1
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    COOKBOOKS - MEAL PLANS - PANTRY

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    Approximate nutrition information is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. For the most accurate nutritional data, use the actual ingredients and brands you used in your preferred nutrition calculator.

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    Libby Jenkinson in her garden

    I'm Libby Jenkinson MPS. A registered pharmacist, Health Coach, Cert.Adv Nutrition, mother of 3 and founder of Ditch The Carbs and Low-Carb Practitioners.

    Learn more about me →

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    COOKBOOKS - MEAL PLANS - PANTRY

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Martha

      April 28, 2022 at 4:43 pm

      5 stars
      I have to tell you, the keto chicken wings with BBQ sauce is hands down the best chicken wings I have ever tasted (and I have eaten a few in my time). Thank you for all your delicious keto recipes.

      Reply
      • Libby Jenkinson

        May 02, 2022 at 9:47 am

        5 stars
        Aw thank you, Martha, I am so pleased you love my recipes. I love creating them for everyone.

        Reply
    2. Catherine

      April 28, 2022 at 3:01 pm

      5 stars
      I love cooking chicken wings in my air fryer, do you have any other keto air fryer recipes please?

      Reply
      • Libby Jenkinson

        May 02, 2022 at 9:49 am

        5 stars
        Oh yes, I have just recently created an entire air fryer recipe section PLUS you can also download and print my air fryer cheat sheets and cooking charts.

        Reply

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