How to Cook Chicken Wings

Find out how to cook chicken wings with 7 different methods. Pros and cons are given for each so that you can choose what is the right method for you.

Prepping Your Chicken Wings

First, if your chicken wings are whole, you may want to take a look at how to cut chicken wings into the portions you’re used to. It’s not an absolute must, but they are a lot easier to eat this way.

Next, you will want to consider using either a chicken wing marinade or our best dry rub for chicken wings. I also have a chicken wing brine that gets great flavor and extra-crispy skin.

A marinade is great if you love lots of flavor and saucy wings. It is best to marinade them for at least 2 hours though, so you’ll have to plan ahead. The dry rub wings also bring lots of flavor and they can be cooked immediately. Plus, the baking powder in that dry rub yields really crispy skin.

How To Bake Chicken Wings

This Crispy Baked Chicken Wings recipe is my favorite and most popular recipe for cooking chicken wings. It uses the baking powder method to get super crispy wings without the need for frying. Plus, you can play around with the seasonings, like with my Zesty Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings, or use sauce like in Baked BBQ Chicken Wings. You’ll start at 250°F for 30 minutes, then crank up the heat to 425°F for another 40-50 minutes.

Pros: You can make a lot at once, which makes it great for feeding a crowd, and everyone loves the crispy skin. The recipe will make one baking sheet full of wings, but you could double it and fill the oven. There’s also a lot of flexibility with the seasonings and sauces you use on the wings.

Cons: It does take some time and you need to adjust the temperature partway through the cook time. The wings will be in the oven around 1 hour and 20 minutes.

How To Fry Chicken Wings

If you want those restaurant style wings, you want to learn how to deep fry wings at home. You’ll need to heat up vegetable or canola oil and use a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature so that it stays around 350°. It only takes about 8-10 minutes for the wings to cook once they’re in there, and then they can be tossed in sauce.

Pros: This is the quickest method and the results are sooo good. Extra crispy skin, here we come!

Cons: You’ll need to be careful with the hot oil. You can end up with a strong deep-fry smell in your house that can last a couple days. And, the biggest con in my mind is that you can only fry 8-10 wings at a time, so you have to work in batches, and stand there with the oil for a long time. It is definitely not a hands-off job!

How To Grill Chicken Wings

Grilling chicken wings is another wonderful option and you can optionally brine them ahead of time for extra juicy chicken. You’ll want to get your grill heated to medium and cook the wings over the direct heat. Close the lid for the first few minutes of cooking, and then open it to keep an eye on them and flip and move them around to cook evenly. They take around 18-25 minutes to cook through.

Pros: You can cook a large amount at once. It keeps the heat out of the kitchen. And if you love that smoky char, it can’t be beat.

Cons: You do need to keep an eye on them and will need to occasionally flip them or rearrange them so they all get cooked evenly. You don’t really get crispy skin.

How To Air Fry Chicken Wings

I love air fried chicken wings, especially when I don’t want to make a lot or turn on the oven. You’ll cook them at 360°F for 24 minutes, flipping halfway through. Then increase the heat to 400°F for another few minutes to really get them crispy. You can toss in sauce at the end like in this Air Fryer Buffalo Wings recipe.

Pros: It’s really easy to do and only needs a little bit of oil. This method is fairly quick and the air fryer doesn’t heat up the kitchen like the oven does.

Cons: The chicken needs to be in a single layer, and so, depending on the size of your air fryer, you might not be able to fit very many. You therefore need to work in batches if you’re making a lot.

How To Cook Chicken Wings In The Instant Pot

Instant Pot Chicken Wings are a great hands off method. You’ll want to set them on a trivet so they aren’t in the water, and then set it to cook for 6 minutes on high pressure. How long it will take to come to pressure depends on the size and model of your pressure cooker. Since this is a wet cooking method, I do like to finish them in the oven for about 5 minutes under the broiler.

Pros: You don’t need to keep an eye on them and it only takes about half an hour. You can cook quite a few in there at a time.

Cons: They don’t get crispy at all and the skin is kind of chewy. So then you really need to finish them under the broiler. That means that you’re doing a whole other step, and dirtying a pan and everything too.

How To Cook Chicken Wings In The Slow Cooker

Another hands-off cooking method is Slow Cooker Chicken Wings. This is great if you have a little more time and it allows for some flexibility. With the slow cooker, you can put the wings and the sauce in from the beginning. They cook on high for 2 hours or 3-4 hours on low. Once again, you should finish these off in the oven by broiling for a few minutes at the end.

Pros: The slow cooker can fit a good amount of wings and if you like them saucy, this is great because they can cook in the sauce and really develop that flavor. Plus, it’s hands off.

Cons: You will need to plan ahead a few hours to give it time to cook with this method. And you will need the oven on briefly to finish them.

How To Sous Vide Chicken Wings

Sous Vide chicken wings take about 2 hours to cook and end up really tender. You’ll preheat your water bath to 140°F-156°F depending on your preferences. Then the wings cook in a sealed sous vide bag for 2 hours. Once they are cooked, they can be tossed in sauce and put under the broiler for a few minutes to finish up.

Pros: It’s hands-off and the meat ends up wonderfully tender.

Cons: If you don’t already have a sous vide cooker, you may not want another gadget in your kitchen. You do have to finish these off under the broiler.