Use your Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid or Instant Pot Duo Crisp to make these delicious chicken wings. Making chicken wings in your Instant Pot Air Fryer produces the crispiest chicken wings and I find that they’re better than making them in the oven! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also use a traditional air fryer or bake it in the oven.
Table of Contents
Introduction
I recently purchased an Instant Pot Duo Crisp, which is an Instant Pot that has a pressure cooker lid and an air fryer lid. I love this model of Instant Pot and I’ve been having fun experimenting with lots of recipes. If you haven’t already be sure to check out my manual on how to use the Instant Pot Duo Crisp.
This Instant Pot Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe can be made using the Duo Crisp or the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid, which is an accessory that can be used with most Instant Pot models. Currently, the air fryer lid is only available for the 6 quart Instant Pots.
However, the Mealthy CrispLid is a brand of air fryer lid that fits both 6 quart and 8 quart models of the Instant Pot. Another option is the Ninja Foodi pressure cooker and air fryer. Many people love this model of pressure cooker and air fryer. This recipe can be made using either of these models.
I have a recipe for Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Wings that I love to make but it does involve pressure cooking the wings first and then broiling them in the oven. The nice thing about that recipe is you can make a larger quantity of chicken wings.
This Instant Pot Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe is different because it doesn’t require you to pressure cook the chicken wings first. You just place the chicken wings in the air fryer basket and air fry them until they’re done, turning once.
I actually prefer air frying chicken wings rather than baking them. The wings cook faster and come our more crispy. There is one disadvantage: the capacity of the air fryer basket requires multiple batches. Read on for tips on how to air fry frozen chicken wings in the Instant Pot.
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
SEASONINGS
I like to keep things simple and use just salt, pepper, and paprika when I air fry the chicken wings. This allows me to add a variety of sauces to the wings at the end.
Occasionally I add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder to the salt, pepper and paprika, depending on what type of sauce I’ll be using.
You can substitute the spice mix with Cajun or Creole seasoning, which usually includes salt so you don’t need anything else.
SAUCES
My family loves Instant Pot Buffalo wings. Buffalo wings or hot wings are wings dipped in a spicy, tangy buffalo sauce. I make my own sauce using Frank’s red hot sauce but you can also purchase buffalo sauce.
If you don’t care for spicy food, feel free to use your choice of sauce including teriyaki, barbecue, honey garlic, garlic parmesan, or any store-bought sauce.
AIR FRYER TIPS
I created a list of air fryer tips in my Instant Pot Duo Crisp manual. Here are a few tips from that list:
- Pat the wings dry before air frying.
- Make sure there’s enough space around the food to allow the air to circulate. Avoid overcrowding.
- Place food in a single layer.
- Coat the air fryer basket with vegetable oil before adding food.
- Spray the wings with a spritz of vegetable oil. Be liberal – this keeps them from sticking! But there is such a thing as too much oil – you don’t want the oil to drip into the inner pot.
- Spray the food partway through cooking, if needed. This ensures crispness.
- Don’t use the canned nonstick cooking spray because it has ingredients that can damage the coating of the air fryer basket. Instead, use a refillable oil spray bottle.
- Turning the food partway through air frying cooks it evenly.
FAQS
This recipe can be made using the Instant Pot Duo Crisp air fryer lid, the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid accessory (sold separately), the Mealthy CrispLid or the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer.
If you have a traditional air fryer, you can certainly use this recipe to make air fryer chicken wings. Just follow the instructions for your model to set the temperature and cooking time.
I like to serve these chicken wings with carrot and celery sticks, and either blue cheese or ranch dressing.
Oil the rack really well before you place the chicken wings on the rack. And when you turn the wings over partway through cooking, spray the wings before turning them over. If you find the Instant Pot wings are sticking to the rack, let them cook for a couple more minutes till they caramelize more and this should make them easier to pry loose. Use a spatula or tongs to pry them free if needed.
For plump and meaty chicken wings, I like to cook the Instant Pot chicken wings for 20 to 22 minutes. If I use less meaty wings, 18 minutes of cook time works fine. The best thing to do is check on them when the timer is done and if they’re not cooked enough, cook them for another 2 to 3 minutes.
If the chicken wings are separated, air fry them for about 10 to 15 minutes, drain the liquid, and proceed with the recipe.
The best way I’ve found to quickly thaw the wings when they’re in a block is to pressure cook them for about ten minutes.
– Add 3 cups of water to the Instant Pot’s inner pot (2 cups for a 6 quart model).
– Place a trivet in the water. The trivet should be above the water level.
– Place the frozen chicken wings on the trivet.
– Close the lid and pressure cook for 10 minutes.
– Do a quick release of pressure.
– Open the lid, remove the wings using tongs and drain the liquid.
– Separate the wings from each other.
– Pat the wings dry and proceed with the recipe. You might not need to cook the wings for as long because they will be partially cooked.
To reheat the chicken wings, put them back in the air fryer basket and air fry them for about 5 minutes, flipping them halfway through. When reheating the wings, you don’t need to use the tray. You can put them in the basket and that way you’ll be able to reheat a larger quantity rather than just 7 or 8 wings at a time.
I’ve noticed preheating helps with some foods. For this air fryer chicken wings recipe, it’s not necessary.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Air Fryer Wings – Ingredients
- Chicken wings
- Oil
- Pepper
- Salt
- Paprika
- Melted butter
- Hot sauce (preferably Frank’s)
- Worcestershire sauce
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Make Wings in the Instant Pot Air Fryer (Step by Step Instructions)
- Rub chicken wings with marinade
- Place wings in air fryer basket
- Air fry
- Remove lid partway through cooking
- Flip chicken wings and resume cooking
- Remove lid after cooking is complete
- Coat cooked wings with sauce
Rub chicken with marinade
- Mix salt, pepper, paprika and oil in a small bowl.
- Add the spices to chicken wings and stir to coat.
- Optionally, let the wings sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Place wings in air fryer basket
- Spray the air fryer rack really well with cooking oil. Alternatively, you can liberally coat a paper towel with oil and rub it all over the rack.
- Place about 6 to 8 wings on the rack, being careful not to crowd the chicken wings.
- Close the air fryer lid.
Program the Instant Pot air fryer for 20 minutes and 400 degrees.
- Press the Air Fry Button.
- Press Temp + or – until the temperature says 400F.
- Press the Time + or – until the time says 00:20.
- Press Start.
- The display will say On, and once it has heated up, it will start counting down from 00:20 to 00:00.
Remove lid partway through cooking
- Partway through air frying, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will say Turn Food.
- Lift the air fryer lid and place it on the Duo Crisp protective pad.
Flip chicken wings and resume cooking
- Before turning the chicken wings, spray the tops of the wings, to avoid sticking problems.
- Flip the wings over.
- Close the lid.
- Cooking will automatically continue.
Remove lid after cooking is complete
- When the timer runs down, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will say End.
- Lift the air fryer lid and place it on the Duo Crisp protective pad.
- If the food’s not cooked to your liking, program the Instant Pot to air fry for another few minutes.
Coat cooked wings with sauce
- Whisk together the melted butter, hot sauce and worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl.
- Remove the chicken wings using tongs or a spatula and add them to the sauce.
- Coat the wings thoroughly with the sauce.
- Serve with celery and carrot sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.
Oven Instructions for Buffalo Chicken Wings
To make this recipe in the oven:
- Preheat the oven with a baking sheet.
- Rub the chicken with the spices.
- Bake the chicken wings for 30 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over.
- Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
- Prepare the sauce.
- Toss the wings in the sauce.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Instant Pot Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Wings Ingredients
- 1½ lbs chicken wings thawed and separated into wingettes and drumettes
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
Buffalo Sauce Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter melted
- ¼ cup Franks hot sauce or your choice of hot sauce
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
To Serve
- celery cut into sticks
- carrots cut into sticks
- blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing
Instructions
Air Fryer Instructions
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel. This is an important step especially if the wings were frozen.
- In a medium bowl, stir together salt, pepper, paprika and oil.
- Add the chicken wings to the bowl and thoroughly coat with the spice mixture. (If you have the time, let the wings sit in the refrigerator for an hour or more.)
- Liberally spray the air fryer rack or basket with cooking oil or rub the rack with an oil-soaked paper towel.
- Place the chicken wings on the rack without crowding them. The remaining chicken wings will be air fried in a second batch.
- Close the lid and air fry for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you are using an Instant Pot air fryer, partway through cooking the display says turn Food. If you are using an air fryer without this feature, set a timer to turn the chicken wings 12 minutes into the cooking process.
- Using a pair of tongs, turn the chicken wings over. Close the lid and continue cooking.
- When the cooking time is up, open the lid and check to make sure the wings are cooked to your liking. Air fry for another 2 minutes, if desired.
- Transfer the wings to a medium bowl and air fry the next batch of chicken wings.
- Whisk together melted butter, hot sauce and worcestershire sauce.
- Coat the chicken wings thoroughly with the sauce.
- Serve with celery and carrot sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.
Oven Instructions
- Place an aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel. This is an important step especially if the wings were frozen.
- In a medium bowl, stir together salt, pepper, paprika and oil.
- Add the chicken wings to the bowl and thoroughly coat with the spice mixture. (If you have the time, let the wings sit in the refrigerator for an hour or more.)
- Coat the baking sheet with oil, spread the wings on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Don't overcrowd the baking sheet.
- Using tongs, turn the chicken wings over and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes or until done.
- Whisk together melted butter, hot sauce and worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl.
- Add the chicken wings to the sauce and stir to coat thoroughly.
- Serve with celery and carrot sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chicken wings separated into wingettes and drumettes.
- Feel free to use any sauce of your choice including barbecue, teriyaki, or honey garlic sauce.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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