These crispy air-fryer chicken wings deliver the crispiest skin I’ve ever tasted while the meat stays moist and juicy. I serve them two ways: with a creamy blue cheese dipping sauce and with a sweet-spicy garlic chilli glaze (my take on the popular Durky sauce) to coat the wings straight from the air-fryer.
Serve with crisp carrot and celery sticks — they’re perfect for dipping into the blue cheese sauce.
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My new toy
I received a state-of-the-art air-fryer oven for Mother’s Day and it’s already transformed how I cook. I was sceptical at first, thinking it might sit unused, but it’s become indispensable.
In two weeks I’ve made fries, sweet potato fries, meat pasties and even defrosted frozen bread rolls — all with excellent results. The wings below are my favourite discovery so far: crackly skin that crunches when you bite into it, with tender, juicy meat inside. Best of all, they take about 15 minutes.
If you don’t have an air-fryer oven, you can make these in a conventional air-fryer with a basket — you may need to cook in batches.
I like to serve half the wings plain for dipping in blue cheese and the other half glazed with Durky sauce.
Two fabulous chicken wing sauces
The wing method is straightforward: pat the wings dry, season with salt and paprika, then air-fry until golden and crisp. From there you can either dip them in blue cheese or toss them in the Durky glaze.
Both sauces complement the wings — the blue cheese is cool and creamy for dipping, while the Durky sauce is a sticky, sweet-tangy chilli and garlic glaze that’s perfect for coating the wings.
Blue cheese dipping sauce
I offer two quick no-cook variations. Version 1 uses blue cheese (Stilton), sour cream, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Version 2 mixes blue cheese with cream cheese, Greek yoghurt and garlic powder. Both take about five minutes to prepare and require only a small bowl and a spoon.
Spur copycat Durky sauce (bonus)
Durky sauce is a South African steakhouse classic: a sweet, tangy, garlicky chilli sauce that works brilliantly on chicken or steak. My version simmers shallots, garlic, vinegar, tomato paste and seasonings, then thickens with a touch of cornflour for a glossy finish.
It’s ideal slathered over wings straight from the air-fryer, and also delicious served alongside as a dipping sauce. The sauce does improve if it sits for an hour to let the flavours marry.
What you will need
Equipment
Air-fryer (or conventional air-fryer basket), a small mixing bowl for the blue cheese sauce and a saucepan for the Durky sauce.
Ingredients
See the printable recipe card at the end for the full ingredient list and quantities.
This recipe yields enough wings for 2–3 people as a main or 4–6 as a starter/snack.
Chicken wings — trim the wing tips (save for stock if you wish) and cut at the joint so each wing becomes two pieces. Pat dry before seasoning. I used 900 g (about 2 lb), which yielded around 30 pieces.
Paprika and salt — simple seasoning to enhance the skin and flesh.
Blue cheese dipping sauce – version 1
Blue cheese (Stilton) combined with sour cream, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce makes a tangy, creamy dip.
Blue cheese dipping sauce – version 2
Cream cheese, blue cheese, Greek yoghurt and garlic granules produce a thicker, tangy dip with a mild garlic note.
Durky sauce
Key components: water, vinegar, shallots, garlic, chilli paste, tomato puree, brown sugar, paprika, salt and a little cornflour to thicken. The vinegar gives the sauce its bright, tangy backbone while sugar balances the acidity.
What to do
Chicken wings
Preheat your air-fryer to 185°C / 365°F for 2 minutes.
Trim wing tips if desired, separate at the joint, pat dry and toss with salt and paprika so each piece is evenly coated.
Arrange the wings in a single layer on baking parchment on the air-fryer trays or directly in the basket. Avoid overcrowding — cook in batches if needed.
If using a conventional air-fryer, lay the wings in a single layer in the basket and turn or shake halfway through cooking.
Note: don’t use loose baking parchment during preheating. The paper needs the weight of food to keep it from blowing into the heating element.
Parchment helps catch drips and makes cleanup easier but is optional.
Cook for about 15 minutes total, rotating trays or turning wings after 10 minutes to ensure even browning. Check your model’s instructions — times vary by air-fryer.
For basket-style fryers, shake or turn halfway through.
Remove cooked wings and keep warm while you cook remaining batches. They should be golden brown and crisp.
Blue cheese sauce
Both blue cheese versions follow the same steps: crumble or grate the cheese, combine with the other ingredients in a small bowl and mix until well blended. Leave a few small chunks for texture or blend smooth if you prefer.
Crumble the blue cheese finely to distribute flavour evenly.
Stir until combined. If you want an ultra-smooth dip, pulse everything in a blender.
Durky sauce
Simmering time is about 30 minutes, plus ideally an hour resting time. Finely dice the shallot and mince the garlic, then combine all ingredients except the cornflour in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the shallots are softened and incorporated into the sauce.
After simmering, mix cornflour with a little water to make a smooth slurry and whisk it into the sauce. Warm gently until it thickens to a glossy glaze.
Use some of the sauce immediately to coat the wings, and serve the rest alongside for dipping. The sauce can be served warm or at room temperature.
When serving, toss some wings in Durky to glaze them and offer the remaining sauce on the side so guests can choose.
Freezing and storage
The cooked chicken wings and blue cheese sauces are best eaten fresh and are not suitable for freezing.
Durky sauce freezes well for up to four months. Defrost in the refrigerator and reheat gently in a saucepan.
Save for later
Pin or save the recipe so you can return to it when you want to make wings again.
Related recipes
If you enjoyed these wings, you may like other chicken recipes in the collection.
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Air fryer chicken drumsticks with sweet and spicy glaze
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Crispy chicken wings with barbeque sauce
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Sticky chicken wings (oven-baked)
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Sticky honey lemon chicken wings
📋The recipe
Crispy air-fryer chicken wings with blue cheese sauce
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Mixing bowl
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Chicken wings
- 2 pounds / 900 g chicken wings
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Blue cheese sauce (version 1)
- 2 oz / 60 g blue cheese (Stilton)
- ⅓ cup / 80 ml sour cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Blue cheese sauce (version 2)
- 2 oz / 60 g blue cheese (Stilton)
- ⅓ cup / 80 g cream cheese
- ⅓ cup / 80 ml Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- salt and pepper to taste
Durky sauce
- 1½ cups / 360 ml water
- ½ cup / 120 ml white vinegar
- 1 small shallot, very finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon chilli paste (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon Tabasco (optional)
- 1½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1–2 tablespoons cornflour (to thicken)
Instructions
Chicken wings
- Preheat air-fryer to 185°C / 365°F for 2 minutes.
- Trim wing tips if desired and cut each wing into two pieces. Pat dry and toss with salt and paprika.
- Arrange wings in a single layer on parchment-lined trays or in the air-fryer basket. Cook for 15 minutes, swapping trays or turning wings after 10 minutes for even browning.
- Remove and keep warm while you cook remaining batches.
Blue cheese sauce (version 1)
- Crumble or grate the blue cheese. Combine with sour cream, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl and mix until well combined. Serve chilled.
Blue cheese sauce (version 2)
- Crumble the blue cheese and mix with cream cheese, Greek yoghurt and garlic granules. Season to taste and serve.
Durky sauce
- Finely dice the shallot and mince the garlic. Combine all ingredients except the cornflour in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the shallots are softened.
- Mix cornflour with 2–3 tablespoons of water to form a smooth paste, whisk into the sauce and cook gently until thickened.
- Use immediately or let stand for an hour to develop flavour. Pour some over the wings to glaze and serve the remainder alongside as a dip. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Durky sauce freezes for up to four months; defrost in the refrigerator and reheat gently. The blue cheese dips and the cooked wings are best served fresh.
Yield estimates: blue cheese sauce v1 ≈ ½ cup, v2 ≈ ¾ cup, Durky sauce ≈ 1½ cups.
Serve blue cheese as a dip and use half the Durky to coat wings, reserving the rest for dipping.
Nutrition shown is calculated for the wings plus blue cheese sauce (version 1) for guidance only.
If you try the recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments. For questions you can contact me at [email protected]. Subscribe to receive a free recipe e-book with popular cakes and desserts.
Continue browsing other recipes in the recipe index for more inspiration.