Air fryer garlic parmesan wings are not just for game day! With this delicious and easy recipe, you’ll want to make these for dinner every night of the week. These crispy air fryer wings start off with a simple garlic dry rub, go for a quick whirl in the air fryer, and come out perfectly golden brown. Then, they get a nice little bath in olive oil, fresh garlic, and lemon zest, and are finished off with a dusting of grated parmesan cheese. They’re comforting, packed full of flavor, and sure to be your next recipe on constant rotation.
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📋 About the Recipe
The days of deep frying chicken wings are long gone! Air fryer garlic parmesan wings are just as crisp and tasty AND they’re way healthier. For variety, try these air fryer lemon pepper wings too! The use of the air fryer helps them get nice and golden brown without all the added fat, grease, and oil, while the small amount of olive oil in the sauce allows them to retain their crunch.
By adding the main flavor components: minced garlic, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese, after the wings have cooked, they stay a bit more pungent, packing a true punch of flavor. And with a light spin in the microwave, the garlic still cooks slightly so that you can rest assured that you’re not biting into raw garlic.
As an added bonus on top of their deliciousness, these air fryer wings are also super quick and easy to make. With less than 10 ingredients and under 30 minutes, you’ll have a healthy dinner on the table. They’re also incredibly kid-friendly, as they can be fully customized to your kids’ liking, just like these air fryer crab cakes.
These wings would definitely be a great addition to any game day celebrations, potlucks, or dinner parties, but they’re so easy to make that you might just want to whip them up as a weeknight meal.
You can even prepare the wings ahead of time! Just season and air fry them according to the recipe. Allow them to cool completely and place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container. You can store the chicken wings in the freezer for up to 4 months. When ready to eat, place the frozen wings back in the air fryer and heat them up at 350 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they’re no longer cold in the middle. (You might need to break one apart to check the internal temperature.) Once the wings are warmed through, follow the rest of the instructions to create the garlic sauce and coat the wings.
Looking for more air fryer dinner recipes? Try these!
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Chicken wings: chicken wings are super versatile. They go well with nearly any seasoning and their skin cooks up nice and crisp. The bone in the middle of the wings also helps to add a bit more flavor to the chicken, while also keeping the meat perfectly moist and juicy.
- Garlic powder, salt, and pepper: each of these help to flavor the wings as part of the garlic dry rub. The salt also helps to tenderize the meat.
- Olive oil, garlic cloves, and lemon zest: these are the components of the garlic “sauce.” I put sauce in quotes here because it might not look super saucey, but the objective is to lightly coat the wings without drenching them. This will allow them to stay crispy, while adding flavor.
- Parmesan cheese: the dusting of parmesan cheese adds a little more saltiness, while imparting its own great flavor profile. You can add as little or as much as you want.
- Fresh parsley: the use of fresh parsley in the sauce is completely optional. This just adds a fresh component. Depending on your own tastes, you may opt to include it or leave it off. If you don’t have fresh parsley, I do NOT recommend using dried, as it has a bit of a different flavor to it.
- Lemon juice: this is also optional, but it also adds another fresh component. If you want a lighter feel to the wings, fresh parsley and lemon juice keep them feeling a bit lighter. If you don’t like strong lemon flavor, simply leave this off.
📓 Instructions
If you bought whole chicken wings, cut them into wingettes and drumettes by cutting at each joint. Discard the wing tips (or save them to make chicken broth later on!). If you’ve never done this before, follow this tutorial on how to break down chicken wings for help.
Set the wings aside. In a separate bowl, combine garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over the wings.
Spray your air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Add the wings to the basket skin-side down and then also lightly spray the top of the wings with nonstick spray. Do not overcrowd the basket. You might need to cook the wings in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
Air fry the wings at 390 degrees F for about 15 minutes*, or until the wings are perfectly golden brown and cooked to 165 degrees F in the middle.
While waiting for the wings to cook, combine the olive oil, lemon zest, and minced garlic in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, just long enough for the garlic and lemon zest to slightly cook, so that their flavors mix into the oil.
If using fresh parsley, add it to the bowl. Give the “sauce” a stir.
When the wings are done cooking, place them in the bowl with the sauce and toss them to coat. Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over top and give them another toss until the wings are evenly coated.
Serve air fryer garlic parmesan wings warm with a light splash of fresh lemon juice, cut carrots or celery sticks, and a side of your favorite dipping sauce, like this greek yogurt ranch dressing.
*As a brief disclaimer: there are so many different kinds of air fryers on the market, which makes it hard to develop universal cook times for air fryer recipes. This was the optimal time and temperature for my air fryer, but it may vary for you depending on the size and brand. Use this cook time as a recommendation and check your wings a little bit before the 15 minute mark. Add a little more time in small increments until the wings are cooked through and cooked to your preferred crispness.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
This air fryer chicken wing recipe on its own is incredibly versatile. You can substitute or alter pretty much any of the ingredients.
If you’re looking for a different sauce, you can “fry” up the wings according to the instructions in the recipe and simply coat them in your favorite sauce.
Besides the garlic parmesan sauce, I also love this pomegranate bbq sauce on SO many things, especially wings! You can also use a buffalo or teriyaki sauce too. Really anything works!
If you prefer to use chicken thighs, chicken legs, or boneless chicken tenders, you can follow the basic guidelines of this recipe. However, you will need to adjust the cook time and the amount of sauce.
For bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: Season the thighs. Cook them at 360 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until their internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
For chicken legs: Season the drumsticks. Cook them at 380 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until their internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
For boneless chicken tenders: Season the chicken tenders. Cook them at 400 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until their internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
For all three variations, you may need to double or triple the ingredients to make enough sauce to coat each type of chicken.
🔍 FAQs
You can pair chicken wings with pretty much anything! Check out these great options:
- Instant Pot Spanish Rice
- Air Fryer Carrot Fries with Pesto Aioli
- Butternut Squash Stuffing
- Apple Cranberry Salad with Feta and Candied Pecans
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Apples and Kale
- Garlic Mashed Cauliflower Potatoes
To determine how many wings to serve, I generally calculate around 6 to 8 wingettes or drumettes per person. This means 3 to 4 whole wings per person if you’re serving this as a main dish. For an appetizer, snack, or as part of a potluck or game day spread, you can probably get away with less per person, about 4 to 6 wingettes or drumettes per person (2 to 3 whole wings).
For these air fryer garlic parmesan wings, I like to dip them in ranch dressing or marinara sauce. However, other popular sauces include bbq sauce, blue cheese dressing, honey mustard, and ketchup.
For this recipe, you do not have to flip the wings. Though, some other recipes might require it. Flipping generally helps the air circulate better, allowing all sides of the meat and vegetables (or whatever else you cook in the air fryer) to get perfectly crisp on all sides. When I tested this recipe, I found that flipping wasn’t necessary, but you can definitely give it a try if you like your wings extra crisp.
💭 One More Tip
With anything that you want to make “crispy,” make sure there is no excess water when cooking. Don’t rinse the chicken wings before cutting or cooking. If they seem a bit too moist when you remove them from their package, dab them with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture. If you try cooking wings (or anything else) with water or moisture present, you end up steaming them. This will result in a rubbery, soggy wing, instead of the golden brown, crispy wing that you’re looking for.
🍴 Related Recipes
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Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 chicken wings around 16 wingettes and drumettes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 to 4 tablespoon olive oil just enough to coat the wings
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (optional)
- 3 to 4 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese "grated" = the smallest holes of your grater
- lemon wedges, carrots or celery sticks, dipping sauce for serving
Instructions
- If you bought whole chicken wings, cut them into wingettes and drumettes by cutting at each joint. Discard the wing tips (or save them to make chicken broth later on!). If you’ve never done this before, follow this tutorial on how to break down chicken wings for help.
- Set the wings aside. In a separate bowl, combine garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over the wings.
- Spray your air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Add the wings to the basket skin-side down and then also lightly spray the top of the wings with nonstick spray. Do not overcrowd the basket. You might need to cook the wings in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Air fry the wings at 390 degrees F for about 15 minutes (see notes), or until the wings are perfectly golden brown and cooked to 165 degrees F in the middle.
- While waiting for the wings to cook, combine the olive oil, lemon zest, and minced garlic in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, just long enough for the garlic and lemon zest to slightly cook, so that their flavors mix into the oil.
- If using fresh parsley, add it to the bowl. Give the “sauce” a stir.
- When the wings are done cooking, place them in the bowl with the sauce and toss them to coat. Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over top and give them another toss until the wings are evenly coated.
- Serve air fryer garlic parmesan wings warm with a light splash of fresh lemon juice, cut carrots or celery sticks, and a side of your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- For crispy wings, make sure there is no extra moisture. Do not rinse the wings before cutting or cooking. If they feel wet when you remove them from their package, dab them dry with a paper towel.
- For more servings, double or triple the recipe. For a main dish, plan on about 6 to 8 wingettes or drumettes per person. This means 3 to 4 whole wings per person.
- See the "Substitutions and Alterations" section for more details on how to make this recipe with chicken thighs, chicken legs, or chicken tenders, as well as different sauces.
- You can prepare the wings ahead of time: Just season and air fry them according to the recipe. Allow them to cool completely and place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container. You can store the chicken wings in the freezer for up to 4 months. When ready to eat, place the frozen wings back in the air fryer and heat them up at 350 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they’re no longer cold in the middle. (You might need to break one apart to check the internal temperature.) Once the wings are warmed through, follow the rest of the instructions to create the garlic sauce and coat the wings.
Nutrition
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Suzie says
Great recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Alana Lieberman says
So happy you enjoyed them 🙂