Made entirely in the air fryer and impossibly crispy, these lemon garlic chicken wings are a must-have addition to any appetizer table! Made with a handful of basic ingredients in less than an hour.
Summer’s starting to wind down which means only ONE thing, y’all. It’s time to start planning our game-day snack spread.
Pumpkin, apples, and cozy food dinners will have their place at the fall table eventually, but I’m saving those recipes for a bit later into September this year. Right now is all about the apps.
It would almost be a crime to head into football season without being armed and ready with a mess of these chicken wings.
Once again, the air fryer comes through BIG TIME and I’m so excited to share the magic it works on these chicken wings.
I’m talking insanely crispy, perfectly juicy chicken wings without messing around with deep frying or any of that nonsense. Big wins all around in the app department.
These Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings feature…
- A perfectly crispy exterior texture and super juicy and tender interior
- Incredibly flavorful lemon garlic butter sauce with fresh herbs
- Only 45 minutes to make and 7 ingredients needed
- Less mess thanks to the air fryer!
Making the Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings
(scroll down to the bottom of post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Chicken wings
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Lemons
- Garlic
- Unsalted butter
- Parsley
- Parmesan cheese
Choosing Your Chicken Wings
For ultimate ease, we recommend buying chicken wings that are pre-butchered. What this means is that the wings are split at the joint with the tips removed. No cutting necessary, they’re ready to cook from the package.
If you have experience cutting your own wings, feel free to buy them whole and butcher them yourself!
Can I Use Another Cut of Chicken?
Short answer, I haven’t tried this recipe myself with another cut of chicken, but I imagine it would work with a cut such as bone-in chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks.
Keep in mind, you may need to make some cook time adjustments to account for the larger pieces of meat. If you try a cut other than chicken wings, I’d love to hear how it went!
Tips for Perfect Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings
- Preheat air fryer – preheating the air fryer 3 minutes before adding the chicken wings helps get a jumpstart on cooking.
- Use nonstick cooking spray – spray the air fryer basket AND the chicken wings well with nonstick cooking spray – it’s your air fryer’s best friend!
- Season chicken wings – season the wings liberally with salt and pepper to taste before cooking.
- Flip chicken wings halfway through cooking – this helps ensure that each side gets cooked evenly for even browning.
- Increase air fryer heat – after the wings have cooked 20 minutes at 360F, increase the temperature to 400F and cook the wings an additional 5-7 minutes until very crispy. This last little blast of heat is what gives them their crispy texture!
- Toss wings in butter sauce – transfer the chicken wings to a large bowl immediately after they’re done cooking and toss in the lemon garlic butter sauce.
Flavor Variations
- Try another fresh herb – minced fresh basil, chives, or oregano would be great stand-ins for the parsley.
- Use lime instead of lemon – a little bit of a different flavor profile, but seriously delicious!
- Dip ’em – these wings are amazing on their own, but are also delicious with a little buttermilk ranch, honey mustard, etc.
Storing and Reheating Chicken Wings
Leftover chicken wings (if you have any, which I seriously doubt you will!) may be stored in refrigerator up to 4 days.
For reheating chicken wings, place them in a single layer in air fryer and air fry at 400F 6-10 minutes until crispy and heated through.
It’s literally impossible to not be utterly obsessed with these, y’all.
They’re perfectly crispy, smothered to perfection in sooo much lemon garlic butter sauce, and just everything a good mess of chicken wings should be.
The air fryer once again pulls through much to no one’s surprise. You know what’s in ours for this football season!
More incredible apps you’ve just gotta try!
Air Fryer Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 lbs chicken wings, split at the joint and tips removed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Spray a 4-qt air fryer well with cooking spray and preheat to 360F for 3 minutes. Pat chicken wings dry and season well with salt and pepper to taste.
- Arrange chicken wings in a single layer in air fryer and spray with pan spray. Air fry chicken wings at 360F 10 minutes, then flip wings to opposite side and cook an additional 10 minutes at 360F.
- Increase air fryer temperature to 400F and air fry chicken wings an additional 5-7 minutes until wings are crispy.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes until a light golden brown. Remove from heat and add lemon zest, juice, and parsley.
- Toss butter mixture and Parmesan with hot wings until evenly coated. Serve wings immediately with desired dipping sauces and enjoy!
Sandra says
Great recipe! I was searching for a lemon chicken recipe but could mostly find recipes for lemon pepper chicken – not what I wanted!
I’m so delighted that I kept searching. Your timing and temperature instructions for cooking the wings in the air fryer are the best! The wings come out perfectly.
The only change I made is to rub the chicken in olive oil instead of using the cooking spray. Thank you!
The lemon garlic mixture is so simple and since it can be prepared while the wings are cooking, it’s also time saving.
Sarah says
So wonderful to hear, Sandra! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed these wings. 🙂