These crispy cornstarch chicken wings are perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection in the air fryer. A healthier way to enjoy your favorite game day snack and still get that crispy goodness using the secret ingredient – cornstarch!
There’s nothing better than crispy chicken wings on game day but we don’t limit chicken wings to football games in my house, we eat them year-round for any and all occasions. If my fiance had it his way he would eat fried chicken every day of the week.
I developed this air fryer recipe to keep our chicken wing meals a bit healthier. The air fryer eliminates a lot of the grease and oil that you typically get from deep frying, but I had to figure out how to keep the chicken skin crispy. I tried a few different methods to get the crispiest chicken wings and cornstarch had the best outcome by far.
These crispy air fryer wings are coated in a dry rub seasoning consisting of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and chipotle powder for the perfect balance of flavor and a tiny bit of heat. They’re great on their own, tossed in buffalo sauce, or dipped in your favorite dipping sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Crispy Cornstarch Chicken Wings Recipe
- Ultra crispy, perfectly seasoned, juicy chicken wings without having to use the deep fryer.
- Healthier but just as tasty as the wings served in restaurants
- In just a few simple steps, these wings will be ready to hit the table in less than 20 minutes.
- Perfect appetizer to serve for Sunday Football or game day, BBQs, and picnics.
Crispy Air Fryer Wings With Cornstarch Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these cornstarch chicken wings in the air fryer.
Chicken Wings – fresh or frozen plain chicken wings work great for this recipe. Get flats, drumettes, or party wings with both. Whatever you like best! I would avoid buying whole chicken wings with the wing tips, they’re harder to work with.
Cornstarch – this is the star ingredient in making ultra-crispy and delicious chicken wings.
Spices – we use a mixture of smoked paprika, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to create the most delicious dry rub seasoning mix for these chicken wings. Oil – Avocado oil is always my go-to oil for high-heat cooking but olive oil or another neutral-flavored oil will work.
How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings With Cornstarch:
Below is a list of visual instructions. Full instructions with the exact ingredients and measurements will be on the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1 – Mix together cornstarch and spices in a small bowl until combined
Step 2– Place raw chicken wings in a large bowl and toss with oil. Next, pour in the mixture of cornstarch and seasonings and toss again until well coated.
Step 3- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Place chicken wings in a single layer into the air fryer basket. If you have to, cook your wings in batches to avoid overcrowding. Cook in the air fryer for 13-15 minutes, turning once halfway through. Chicken wings should have a golden brown crispy coating with an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees (it’s ok if it’s higher)
Step 4- Remove the wings from the air fryer and serve with your favorite dipping sauce!
How to Cook Frozen Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
If cooking your chicken wings from frozen, place frozen chicken wings in the air fryer basket and air fry at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the air fryer and place them in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Add the oil and seasonings and mix until the wings are well coated. Add the seasoned chicken wings back to the air fryer at 400 degrees for another 10 minutes until cooked through.
Storage and Reheating
- Storage – if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, you can store your chicken wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating – place wings back in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or until heated through
- Make-ahead – These wings are best enjoyed fresh out of the air fryer, however, you can prep the dry mix, toss the chicken wings, and store them in the refrigerator up to one day in advance.
Tips and Variations
- Spicy wings – These wings have a little bit of heat from the chipotle powder but if you want to kick it up a notch add a little bit of cayenne pepper to the dry rub seasoning as well.
- Buffalo wings – make these buffalo wings by tossing the wings in your favorite buffalo sauce when you take them out of the air fryer.
- For extra crispy wings do not skip pat drying your raw wings with a paper towel to remove excess moisture before tossing them with the dry rub seasonings, this will help create extra crispy skin and give you that perfect crunch.
- Cook your wings in batches – Sometimes we can’t fit all our wings into the air fryer at the same time, but that’s ok. Instead of crowding them into your air fryer, cook them in batches to ensure they cook evenly and get extra crispy. Once all the wings have been cooked, put them all back into the air fryer for 3-5 minutes to warm them up. They won’t be in a single layer this time but crowding is ok when warming them up. This way they’ll remain crispy and be warm and ready to eat all at the same time.
The Best Dipping Sauces For These Crispy Air Fryer Cornstarch Chicken Wings
- Buffalo Sauce
- Garlic Parmesan Wing Sauce
- Yogurt Dill Dressing
- Ranch Dressing
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- BBQ Sauce
- Ketchup
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, cornstarch is my go-to ingredient to make chicken wings extra crispy! Cornstarch absorbs more moisture than other starches resulting in a crispier texture.
In my opinion yes, cornstarch makes chicken wings crispier than all-purpose flour. However, some people have had success making deliciously crispy chicken with a combination of both flour and cornstarch. If you are choosing between one or the other, I would definitely recommend cornstarch over flour to get crispy wings.
While it’s true that both baking powder and cornstarch yield crispy chicken wings, I find that cornstarch has the best taste and texture. In a pinch, you could definitely use baking powder, but you might find the texture is a bit gritty.
If you make these crispy air fryer cornstarch chicken wings be sure to leave a comment, give a rating, or share on Instagram! Don’t forget to tag me, I love looking through photos of the recipes you make!
Cornstarch Chicken Wings (Air Fryer)
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Wings
- 1 tbsp Avocado Oil or other nuetral oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 3 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Chipotle Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, smoked paprika, garlic powderm, onion powder, chipotle powder and salt.
- Place raw chicken wings in a large bowl and toss with oil. Pour the cornstarch and spice mixture into the bowl and toss until well coated.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Place chicken wings in a single layer into the air fryer basket. Cook in the air fryer for 13-15 minutes, turning once halfway through until golden brown with an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Remove the wings from the air fryer and serve with your favorite dipping sauce!