- Today, we're making the most delicious
air fryer chicken wings that have made me a convert
when it comes to using air fryers.
I'll talk more about that in a second
but let me just say that these chicken wings
have ridiculously juicy insides, crispy skin perfection
and the most addictive lemon pepper seasoning and sauce
that will have everyone reaching for a second plate
during game night or Super Bowl.
This recipe is extremely simple
and cleanup is a breeze thanks to the air fryer.
So let me show you how to make it.
You'll need one pound of chicken wings for this recipe
and because Super Bowl is this weekend,
my butcher had a huge pile of chicken wings
already broken down into drumettes and wingettes
but if you buy whole chicken wings,
make sure to watch my oven baked chicken wings video
for a tutorial on how to properly break down a chicken wing
with your knife.
One pound of chicken wings is about 10 individual pieces
and that's about how many can fit in my air fryer
in a single layer which is key
because you don't want them overlapping
for maximum crispiness.
Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel
making sure any excess moisture is removed
and then add them to a bowl.
Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil
or avocado oil on the wings
and then add one tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning.
Lemon pepper seasoning is a blend
and it also usually includes onion and garlic powder
and while it does include salt,
I like to add a little bit more,
about half a teaspoon of kosher salt for extra flavor
and then mix that all together with tongs or your hands
to make sure all of the individual chicken wings
get well coated in the lemon pepper seasoning.
All right, so let's talk air fryers.
This video isn't sponsored
and there's lots of great options on the market nowadays
but I purchased the Ninja Air Fryer Max at Christmas
and have been loving it.
It has a larger basket and cooking capacity
than the regular Ninja
which is great if you're making air fryer potatoes
or veggies and it has a Max Crisp function
that's great for frozen food items
that cooks up to 30% faster.
The drawback of course is that it's also a bigger appliance
so you have to make sure you have room to store it.
To cook air fryer chicken wings,
it's as easy as clicking the Air Fry preset button
which cooks at 390 degrees Fahrenheit
and then set the timer for 20 minutes.
When you place the chicken wings in the basket,
make sure to get them in a single flat layer.
You don't want them on top of each other
as that would prevent the super crispy outside
which is the best part of chicken wings.
To be honest, the only drawback with this recipe
is that I can't cook more than about a pound
of chicken wings at a time in my air fryer
because I can easily polish off
this whole pound of chicken wings all by myself
and in fact, I did right after this video.
The size of your air fryer may be different
and you can buy optional stacking racks as well
but just remember to leave a little space
for airflow around the wings
and then set the timer for 20 minutes.
While the chicken wings are cooking,
you can quickly make the lemon pepper sauce.
Melt a quarter cup of butter
and you can do this on the stove
or in a glass in the microwave.
If you use the microwave,
just make sure to cover the glass or container
or else you'll end up with splattering butter
all over the inside of your microwave which is never fun.
While there's lemon pepper seasoning
both on the chicken wings and in the sauce,
I also like to add fresh lemon for a zingier flavor.
I usually add about one teaspoon of lemon zest
but if you like a stronger lemon flavor,
feel free to add more and then juice half of one lemon
which is about one and a half tablespoons of juice
and add that to the melted butter.
Again, you can add more lemon juice if you'd like
or you can squeeze that extra lemon half
into a glass of water and just enjoy it on the side.
For a smidge of sweetness and gloss,
add half a tablespoon of honey
and then one teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning.
Give that a stir to combine the ingredients together
then set it off to the side for now.
After about 10 minutes,
flip your chicken wings over using tongs.
You'll notice a beautiful golden color
starting to form on the top side
but you want them to be golden and evenly cooked all around.
An alternative to flipping the wings individually
is to remove the basket and give it a good shake.
If you go with the shake method,
I'd suggest doing this every five minutes
just to make sure that the chicken wings
are perfectly golden, sizzling and crispy when they're done
just like this.
I mean, how amazing do those chicken wings look?
Plate this batch of chicken wings
and if you'd like to make a second batch
which I honestly recommend you do,
you can pop another pound of chicken wings
back in the air fryer.
Don't underestimate how addictively delicious
these wings are because you might think to yourself,
oh, I'll only have one or two or three
but I am telling you right now, that's an impossibility
unless you have way more willpower than me.
As I mentioned at the beginning,
they're juicy on the inside, super crispy on the outside
and I found that this lemon pepper flavor
is universally a favorite
but let me also give you an alternative approach
to the dipping sauce
and that's simply coating the chicken wings in the sauce
while they're warm and fresh out of the air fryer.
Just add the chicken wings to a bowl,
drizzle a little bit of the sauce on top
and toss them around to coat.
To be honest, you'll have plenty of sauce
so you can both toss them in a bit of sauce
and then still serve some dipping sauce alongside
if you so wish.
And if you're dairy sensitive,
you can swap the butter for ghee or omit the sauce entirely.
The wings on their own are still amazingly delicious
and loaded with flavor.
If you're an air fryer beginner,
this is a foolproof recipe to make
and I'm sure it will get you pumped
about your air fryer purchase as it did with me.
I hope you enjoyed this video today
and if you did, make sure to give it a thumbs up,
share it with your family and friends
and let me know in the comments below
what kind of air fryer recipes
you'd like to see me make next.