In recent years the air-fryer has become a staple appliance in many of our homes. It crisps well, it's fast, and it requires the use of far less fats while "frying" meats, potatoes and other food items. That being said there are sometimes unsatisfactory results when preparing popular foods like chicken wings. They can come out soggy, undercooked or just plain bland. Most of these problems stem from preparation.
If you want crispy, uncoated, yet juicy wings, here is the key; the chicken has to be as free from water as possible. This means not air-frying them while frozen. Also, there are some preparations which call for the wings to brine in buttermilk or salt water for a few hours or overnight. If you are deep frying them in oil, this method works. But we are not using much oil, and we are not breading the wings after they have been brined. In fact, all we are doing is patting the wings very dry right out of the package, or if you prefer to rinse them, after they have been rinsed in cold water and drained from a bowl.
Here's what you need for a dozen wing parts (I don't use the wingtips):
Mix these seasonings in a small bowl -
1 Tbsp Lemon Pepper mix, any brand
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
(Optional) Tsp Old Bay - this also contains salt, so be aware
Preparation -
Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees for about 3 minutes. While the air fryer is preheating. add the dry wings to a bowl and spray them with a cooking spray or pour a teaspoon of avocado oil on the wings and stir to ensure even coating. Next sprinkle the seasoning on to taste and mix the wings again to assure even coating of the seasonings.
I know at this point there are some methods which call for using a corn or potato starch coating for extra crispness, This is certainly an option, but it requires the use of extra cooking spray to cover the each side of the wings during the cooking process. That adds more fat, but again it's a choice.
Using tongs, place the wings well spaced in the air fryer basket so that they don't touch, which results in steaming and less than uniform crispiness. Depending on the size of the basket this might require two batches. If you have used a starch you will have to use your cooking spray to coat this side of the chicken now. Close the basket and set the fryer for 10 minutes at 380 degrees.
After the 10 minutes, flip the wings on their other side. Use your cooking spray again to cover the starch on this second side if you used it. Set the timer again for 10 minutes and 380 degrees. At the conclusion of this time, flip the wings once more to the first side. This time set the timer for 5 minutes at 410-420 degrees, or what ever your air fryer permits, and reinsert the basket.
If you prefer Buffalo-style wings, while the you are in this final stage, Frank's Red Hot sauce or your choice of hot sauce can be added to a bowl and the wings tossed in from the air fryer. Some would add melted butter to the sauce before tossing, but the added richness of the butter probably is not needed here. Again we have choices, because it's a very flexible preparation. It can be reduced fat, reduced sodium and keto-friendly, or you can include more fat and carbs in a coating.
I serve my wings with fresh cut celery stalks with ranch or blue cheese dips, or more hot sauce. A garnish of parsley or cilantro completes the serving.