Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings
These Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings are made in half the time of the oven, and result in super crispy wings! We toss them in a garlic butter and Parmesan cheese sauce for an irresistible appetizer or easy dinner.
Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings: The Ultimate Appetizer Recipe
Some people finish up the holiday season and immediately start planning healthy meals, filling their schedules with smoothies, salads, and salmon.
I, on the other hand, immediately start planning for the Super Bowl and wondering how many dips are too many? 3? 5? Can one ever really have too many dips? We ask the deep philosophical questions around here.
Anyway, while I have quite a few beloved tailgating recipes, like Hawaiian Ham and Swiss Sliders, Hot Crab Dip, and Meat Candy, I don’t have a single chicken wing recipe on this site. An inexcusable oversight, if you ask me.
Today, we’re here to correct that with a chicken wing recipe to rule them all. These beauties are made in the air fryer for a recipe that is:
- FAST. The air fryer cooks chicken wings in less than half the time of the oven.
- CRISPY. You don’t need a deep fryer to get crispy homemade chicken wings. I’m sharing all my secrets for impossibly crispy air fried wings in this post.
- FLAVORFUL. Butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese. It does not get better than this.
Key Ingredients for Crispy Air Fried Wings
- Paper Towels– Ok, this isn’t exactly an ingredient, but it is necessary for the crispiest wings. Use the paper towels to pat the raw chicken wings dry before putting them in the air fryer. Removing the moisture makes for extra crispy skin.
- Baking powder– Yep, tossing the wings in baking powder is the other secret to crispy wings.
- Parmesan cheese– The final sprinkling of cheese gives these wings a final layer of crisp flavor and salty punch. I recommend using Parmigiano Reggiano and grating it yourself for the best flavor.
The final secret? SPACE. Give the wings a little room to breathe in the air fryer. They can be nestled in fairly close together, but shouldn’t be stacked.
How to Make Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
- Pat dry. Remove the wings from their packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Add them to a mixing bowl.
- Season. Season the wings with salt, pepper, and baking powder.
- Fry. Place the wings in an air fryer in a single layer and air fry at 390-400 degrees for 16-18 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Make the sauce. In a saucepan, combine the butter and garlic. Cook on medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the butter is melted and garlic has turned light brown.
- Crisp and serve. Remove the chicken wings from the air fryer and place them in a clean mixing bowl. Toss with the butter mixture, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return the wings to the air fryer and fry an additional 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
What’s the best air fryer for wings?
This question is totally subjective, but I can give you our opinion. We started our air fryer journey with this Ninja 4 quart air fryer, which is a basket style option.
We fell in LOVE with the air fryer, and have used it to make everything from air fryer donuts to air fryer grilled cheese to air fryer hard boiled eggs. The only thing we didn’t love was the size of the basket. It made it hard to cook larger quantities of food at once, and we often had to cook things in multiple batches.
We recently purchased this Cuisinart Toaster Oven/Air Fryer combo, which is an oven style model that has a pull out tray. The tray has a much larger surface cooking area than the basket style model, which makes it perfect for cooking family-size quantities of air fryer chicken thighs, air fryer hamburgers, and yes, air fryer garlic Parmesan wings.
While the larger surface area means you can do a bigger batch, any air fryer (basket or tray style) should produce ultra crispy wings in half the time of the oven.
Do I need to preheat the air fryer?
I have not found it necessary to preheat either of our air fryers, but be sure to read your manual and follow the instructions there for the best results.
Can I bake these in the oven?
Yes you can! If you don’t have an air fryer, place the seasoned wings on a foil lined baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. Toss with the sauce, then return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes to crisp up.
What to Serve with Garlic Parmesan Wings
I’m from the Midwest, so of course my answer is “a giant vat of ranch dressing.”
But if you’re looking for actual side dishes for wings, I recommend pairing them with Creamy Mac and Cheese, Gluten Free Cornbread, That Good Salad, or Creamy Mashed Potatoes.
If you’re serving garlic parmesan wings for a party, round out the menu with more delicious appetizers like Cold Veggie Pizza, Knorr Spinach Dip, Dried Beef Cheeseball, and Crock Pot BBQ Meatballs.
Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings
The air fryer makes super crispy wings in less than half the time of the oven! This garlic Parmesan version is so flavorful and always a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. chicken wings (mixture of drums and wings)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley, optional
Instructions
- Pat the wings dry with a paper towel, then place them in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the baking powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix together until the chicken wings are covered.
- Spray the air fryer with propellant free non-stick spray or brush with olive oil. Add the wings in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to fry in multiple batches.
- Air fry at 390 or 400 degrees (whatever setting is highest for your air fryer) for 8-9 minutes per side, or a total of 16-18 minutes.
- While the chicken wings are cooking, make the sauce. In a saucepan, combine the butter and garlic. Cook on medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the butter is melted and garlic has turned light brown.
- Take the chicken wings out of the air fryer and transfer them to a mixing bowl. Pour the butter mixture over the chicken wings and mix together.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the chicken wings and add them back to the air fryer. Cook for another 2 minutes to crisp the cheese, then remove the wings, sprinkle with parsley (if desired) and serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3Amount Per Serving: Calories: 650