Considering my blog's name (Salt Pepper Skillet); it seems pretty appropriate to have a salt and pepper wings recipe.The salt and pepper wings are a purist's wings. Purist in the way that they give the most respect to the wing by showing off the super crispy skin and the chicken flavor without hiding it behind a sauce (which is wonderful too).
When you love simplicity and amazingly crispy chicken skin, then the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing is the recipe you wan to make in your air fryer. It's really just 4 ingredients with no added fat. Not one drop or one spray of oil is added to make these air fried wings. Pretty awesome, right?
Soggy, fatty wings are just the worst. That occurs when the wings are cooked in a low temperature oven or low temp frying oil where the chicken fat doesn't get the chance to render and crisp up. Not only does this leave way more fat on the wings for you to eat (not good!), but it doesn't give you the best part of what a wing is, the crispy skin. Let's avoid this by making wings the best way, which is in the air fryer.
How do you cook chicken wings in the air fryer?
Pre-heat the air fryer to 375 degrees. Season the chicken wings on both sides with salt pepper. Dredge the wings in potato starch, then shake-off any excess. Place the wings in the air fryer basket and air fry at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Increase the temperature to 425 degrees and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, turning the wings at least once while they air fry.
The Breville Smart Oven Air is my Air Fryer
Let's talk about the Breville Smart Oven Air(affiliate link) for a minute. Ever since Breville sent me a Smart Oven Air Countertop Oven to try out, I've been using it just about every single day. One of the reasons I love this countertop oven so much is that it is multi-use; like way multi-use. Not only can you air fry (like for this recipe), but you can roast a 15-pound turkey, dehydrate, bake cookies, oh, and it even makes toast.
The air fryer is one of the most exciting features for me, because I love crispy crunchy foods. As I try to be more health conscious, frying in a lot of oil is just a bad option. The air fryer satisfies my craving for crispy fried food.
A normal air fryer does just that task and only that, air fry. A one use appliance is is great for some things, but I'm not sure about you, but I don't have any extra room in the kitchen for single-use appliances. The Breville Smart Oven Air is is used every day and it could even replace your big oven.
This oven has actually made me a better cook, which sounds a little crazy, but it's true. I have always been a bit reluctant to use an oven, as i would feel like I was cooking something blind. Having a real oven on the counter has changed that. I have roasted and baked so many more things and my confidence to cook in the oven has increased so much.
Why air fry wings?
The main reason to air fry wings is for the texture and taste. Not only are they healthier because you don't need to add any oil for frying, but they come out crispier than any other method of cooking wings and create much less of a mess.
Chinese restaurant inspired chicken wings. If you'd like, you can toss them in a little garlic sesame oil after they cook to give them more of a Chinese flavor.
Brevillesupplied me with product used in this post. All opinions and thoughts are always my own.
Air Fried Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings
4.60 from 10 votes
Print PinSave Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Justin McChesney-Wachs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Wings (About 16 drumettes and wingettes)
- ½ cup Potato Starch
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Pepper
Instructions
Pre-heat the air fryer to 375 degrees.
Liberally season the wings on both sides with kosher salt & freshly ground pepper.
Place the potato starch in a bowl, then coat the chicken wings on all sides, shaking off any excess starch.
Place the wings in the fryer basket, leaving room so they don't touch each other. This will help make them evenly crisp.
Air fry the wings for 20 minutes at at 375 degrees.
Increase air fryer temperature to 425 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes; turning the wings at least once to crisp evenly on both sides.
Season the wings with more salt & freshly ground pepper right when they come out of the air fryer.
Notes
- This recipe uses a Breville Smart Oven Air for air frying. Other air fryers might require slightly different technique or cook times.
- For easier clean-up, I like to place a foil-lined baking sheet below the Breville air fry basket to catch any drips.
- If you don't have an air fryer, the wings can be cooked in a convection oven, but cooking times might be slightly longer.
Equipment and Special Ingredients
Contains affiliate links where I might receive a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
- Air Fryer (I use aBreville Smart Oven Air)
- Tongsfor turning the wings
- Potato Starch (I useBob’s Red Mill Potato Starch)
Other Air Fryer Recipes
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings with a Honey-Sriracha Sauce
Air Fried Honey-Garlic Chicken Wings
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