Air fryer turkey wings are perfect for a small Thanksgiving or holiday meal or if you want something different. They also make an excellent dinner any day of the week!
❤️ Why You'll Love It
Making turkey wings in the air fryer is so easy and convenient; no brining, stuffing, or deep frying is needed. These turkey wings use regular spices and are air-fried to perfection. You won't believe just how crispy and insanely delicious they are!
This is a great alternative if cooking a whole turkey has always seemed daunting. Compared to preparing a regular Thanksgiving turkey, it takes less than an hour in total cooking time.
If you've been hesitant about getting an air fryer, this is the perfect time to do so. You can even put it on your holiday wish list or buy it during sales.
You can also easily make frozen chicken wings or chicken breast in the air fryer!
🧾 Ingredients Used
- Turkey wings: You can get them in your grocery store near the chicken section. They are usually sold in packs of 2 or 4 wings. If you get them from the meat section in an Asian or Hispanic store, they might come chopped into smaller pieces.
- Spices: smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano, lemon pepper, and salt.
- Olive oil spray or your cooking spray of choice.
🥘 Which Air Fryer do I use?
You can use any conventional air fryer on the market, though you might have to cook in more batches if your air fryer is small.
My favorite brand is Ninja Air Fryer. You can also use a Ninja Foodi, which I've really come to love as it crisps up so fast! Of course, you can use any air fryer you have in your kitchen.
🔪 How To Make Air Fryer Turkey Wings
- Preheat your air fryer to 350F. While that's warming up, wash your fresh turkey wings and pat them to dry using a paper towel. Next, measure out all of the spices, mix them together in a small bowl, then spray each turkey wing with olive oil using your handy dandy oil spray bottle.
- Rub your spice mix liberally over each turkey wing, making sure you get all those folds and layers.
- Set each turkey wing in your air fryer in a singular layer and bake them for 20 minutes on one side. Then flip each piece and continue cooking for 15-20 more minutes on the other side.
- Use a quick-read meat thermometer to ensure the wings reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Once they're done, let them cool on a paper towel placed inside a large bowl. Enjoy with a side dish or some homemade BBQ sauce!
🥫Storing and Reheating
Store any leftover turkey wings in an airtight container in the fridge. They can keep for up to 4 days after you cook them. I like to freeze the turkey wings in a freezer plastic bag as they keep longer. Be sure to let the wings thaw for a few hours or overnight before you reheat them again.
You can reheat the turkey wing pieces in your air fryer basket at 350F and cook for 5 minutes. Then, increase the heat to 400F and cook for 5 more minutes to crisp up the skin.
These turkey wings can also be reheated in the oven. Just wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack. Set the oven to 275F for about 20 minutes.
💭 Tips and Variations
- Do not stack your wings in the air fryer. Each turkey wing needs enough room to cook evenly to get a nice crispy skin. Cook the wings in batches if you have to.
- You can also experiment without different spices like onion powder, garlic salt, black pepper, and rosemary. Or use this delectable homemade poultry seasoning!
- Try rubbing the turkey wings with this herb butter for even more flavor before air frying.
- To make ahead, rub the turkey wings with the spices and leave them in the fridge overnight. Then, when you're ready, pop them in the air fryer.
🍽️ What Can I Eat It With?
You can eat these air-fried turkey wings by themselves or with delectable sauces such as spicy mayo or garlic chili oil.
During the holiday season, they pair very nicely with holiday side dishes.
Some favorites are:
- Keto Mashed Cauliflower
- Keto Coleslaw
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Keto Cranberry Sauce
- Keto Gravy
- Air Fried Brussels Sprouts
Enjoy these other air fryer recipes!
- Air Fryer Scallops
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Air Fryer Lamb Chops
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Ninja Foodi Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Turkey Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs turkey wings
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
- Olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 350F.
- Wash the turkey and pat it dry.2 lbs turkey wings
- Mix all the spices together in a separate bowl.1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder, 1.5 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
- Spray the turkey with olive oil spray and liberally rub the spice mix all around the turkey and inside the folds.Olive oil spray
- Bake for 20 mins on one side, then flip and bake for 15-20 minutes on the other side.
Notes
- Do not stack your wings in the air fryer. Each turkey wing needs enough room to cook evenly to get a nice crispy skin. Cook the wings in batches if you have to.
- You can also experiment without different spices like onion powder, garlic salt, black pepper, and rosemary. Or use this delectable homemade poultry seasoning!
- Try rubbing the turkey wings with this herb butter for even more flavor before air frying.
- To make ahead, rub the turkey wings with the spices and leave them in the fridge overnight. Then, when you're ready, pop them in the air fryer.
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
My first item using my air fryer. It turned out great. The flavors were great.
I'm so glad to hear that, Gwen. Thanks for the feedback!
My husband has been diagnosed with gout and also a prediabetic as of recent. I am trying to find alternatives to baking (I love baked food) he's a fan of fried foods. I always bake turkey wings and drumsticks as well as boil them to make a nice hearty soup. Today will be my first time cooking them in the air fryer (my first time cooking in a air fryer ever) I've had my air fryers for years and never used them. I'm gonna serve these babies with some sautéed spinach mushrooms, green, yellow, and red peppers! I ALSO USED ALL Mrs. Dash seasonings due to the husband had high BP as well Bon Appétit
Thanks for this recipe
You're so welcome, Jamilah! This will be amazing with mushrooms and peppers on the side. Thanks for stopping by!
I am trying to abstain from pork, when I cook greens sometimes I use smoked ham hock. It was so nice finding an alternative using turkey wings. I was able to get these done and popped in the freezer ready for a big pot of collards or kale. I was a bit heavy handed with the cayenne pepper. No worries it will season the greens. Yum
I'm glad you enjoyed this, Florence. And yes, it will season the greens very nicely!
I never had turkey wings before moving to Maryland. These were on sale at the store, and we finally got a Ninja Foodi last Christmas. They’re currently on their first 20 minutes and they already smell amazing!
I’m preparing these for my lunch this week, and can’t wait to try them.
Let me know how it turns out, Amber!