Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Harissa Hot Honey

Wings already come with built-in flavor insurance: plenty of skin, tender dark meat, and enough richness to make you wonder why we ever bothered deep frying them in the first place. The air fryer changes the game—it harnesses hot, dry air to render all that fat perfectly, crisping the skin beautifully without adding a single drop of extra oil. 

I start with a Mediterranean-style dry rub and a tiny pinch of a not-so-secret ingredient that’s pure food-science magic—it guarantees shatteringly crisp results every time. When they come out of the basket, bronzed and irresistible, you could stop and serve them right there.

But if you’re like me and crave that tangy-spicy hit of classic buffalo wings, drizzle them with harissa hot honey. The mix of sweet honey, tart vinegar, and smoky North African chili paste gives them glossy shine and sweet-hot swagger.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings Ingredients

These crispy air fryer wings require just a handful of ingredients and one game-changing food science trick. The rest is a mix of Mediterranean pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need. 

• Chicken wings: Whether you prefer flats or drumettes, start with fresh (or defrosted), raw chicken for this recipe. I always start with whole wings and divide them myself, saving the wing tips in the freezer because they make the most delicious chicken stock. 
• Baking powder: The secret ingredient! Adding this baking cabinet staple to the dry rub helps increase the pH of the chicken skin, which means better browning as the chicken cooks, and more crispiness once done. 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: These basic seasonings highlight the wings’ natural savoriness and support the spices in the rub.
• Spices: Smoked paprika adds a subtle smokiness and an appealing orange color to the wings. Onion powder and garlic powder offer a one-two punch of savory flavor. Dried oregano brings a hint of herbal warmth.

For the Harissa Hot Honey

• Honey: The base for the finishing glaze, honey gives the sauce glossy shine and natural sweetness that clings nicely to each wing. Opt for a light honey with a more neutral flavor, like wildflower or our Greek honey, which has a savory note thanks to the mountainside herbs the bees use to make it. 
• Harissa: This smoky and spicy North African chili paste is the ingredient that brings the heat to this sauce. More on this ingredient in a moment 
• Garlic: Though there is typically garlic in harissa, I found the sauce needed a freshly-grated clove to add a hit of peppery garlic intensity. 
• Apple cider vinegar: A splash of acidity acts as a foil to the sweet honey, and sharpens the aromatic flavor of the harissa. I like the flavor of apple cider vinegar but you could use a splash of white vinegar or white wine vinegar, too. 

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Wings

I’d like to think that I’ve made this air fryer wings recipe about as simple as possible, but with super tasty results! To simplify it even more, you can skip the glaze entirely or replace it with your favorite store-bought bottled sauce. In fact, you could change up the seasonings entirely and just follow this recipe as guidelines. Here’s how I tackle it, step-by-step: 

• Get ready. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Trim wing tips from 2 pounds chicken wings and divide them into flats and drumettes, if necessary. Pat the chicken wings very dry. Place them in a large bowl. 
• Season the wings. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano. Sprinkle the mixture over the wings. Toss well until the wings are evenly coated. If you like, at this stage you can place the wings on a rack set into a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate them, uncovered, for a few hours or up to a day ahead of time.
• Air fry the chicken wings. Arrange the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving space between each piece. Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, you may need to cook the wings in batches. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the wings are deep golden and crisp on the outside and the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F.
• Make the Harissa Hot Honey. While the wings cook, in a small saucepan, warm the honey, harissa, and garlic together over medium-low heat, just until runny. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, stirring until combined, and remove from the heat.
• Finish and serve. Transfer the wings to a large bowl and, if using, drizzle the hot honey sauce all over. Toss until well combined. Serve with Creamy Feta Dressing, if you like. 

Ingredient Spotlight

Harissa is a vibrant North African chili paste known for its smoky heat and rich depth of flavor. Made from a blend of dried red chiles, garlic, olive oil, and aromatic spices, it’s a cornerstone condiment throughout the region. The flavor can range from mild and earthy to fiery and bright, depending on the types of chilies in the recipe.

• READ MORE: Make Suzy’s Homemade Harissa Recipe
• TRY IT: Ready-made harissa is also an option. Harissa Paste by Villa Jerada is milder, and Harissa Paste by Kartago is a little spicier.

Make it Your Own 

There are probably a thousand ways to riff on this chicken wing recipe, but here are the ones I’ve already tried and the ones up next. 

• Skip the Harissa Hot Honey: The wings are flavorful enough on their own with just the dry rub. Serve them as-is or add a squeeze of fresh lemon and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. This is how I serve them to my chicken-on-the-bone-obsessed two year old.
• Swap the seasoning: Take a shortcut and season the wings with a pre-mixed seasoning blend instead. Try it with this Italian Seasoning, aromatic ras el hanout, za’atar, or our shawarma spice for a different flavor profile.  
• Add more heat: Love super spicy wings? Gas up the dry rub with as much cayenne pepper as your heart desires, or add your favorite hot sauce just before serving.
• Try a different dipping sauce: Instead of the feta dressing, serve the wings with zhoug or creamy tahini green goddess.
• Make Lemon Pepper Air Fryer Wings: Skip the Harissa Hot Honey and toss the cooked wings in a big bowl with fresh lemon zest, cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. If this sounds great to you, try our Lemon-Pepper Salmon!
• Make Greek-Style Air Fryer Wings: To make air fryer wings with the flavor of Suzy’s Greek wings, toss the cooked wings with a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of dried oregano, and a crumble of feta cheese. Serve with a side of tzatziki.