Air Fryer Jerk Chicken Wings

close up of jerk chicken wings on a plate with celery, ranch and pineapple slice

A delicious, flavorful, and easy recipe for making mouthwatering jerk chicken wings in the air fryer. This recipe makes a mild jerk marinade with a hot variation included when you want to turn up the heat!

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Jamaican

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Marinating Time 1

Total Time 1 25

Servings

Calories 483kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

Air Fryer *I used a Cosori Air Fryer for this recipe

Ingredients

For the marinade:
1/2 red onion coarsely chopped
2 scallions chopped
1 green pepper seeded and chopped (for a hot version, use 2 scotch bonnet peppers)
2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
3 oz pineapple juice
1/2 cup soy sauce *swap with Tamari for gluten-free
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh ginger peeled and chopped
2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp ground allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp nutmeg
For the wings:
2.5 lbs fresh chicken wings wings and drumettes
cooking spray avocado or olive oil cooking spray recommended
optional: Grace Jamaican dried jerk seasoning for seasoning before serving

Instructions

Add all marinade ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
Place the wings into a large sealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Squeeze out any excess air, seal, and refrigerate overnight.
Take the wings out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Line a plate with paper towels and place the wings onto the plate, shaking off any excess marinade. Pat the wings dry (this step is important so the wings don't go into the air fryer wet).
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Add the wings to the basket, leaving room between each, and spray with a little oil spray to coat. You'll need to cook the wings in 2 batches so they have plenty of room to cook.
Cook at 380 degrees F. for 20 minutes, turning wings every 5 minutes for even cooking. Spray the wings with a little oil spray on the first turn.
You may need to adjust the temp/cooking time to your air fryer specifications. The chicken should reach a safe 165 degrees F. when tested with a meat thermometer.
Sprinkle with a little optional dry jerk seasoning (Grace brand is highly recommended), but they will be delicious and flavorful without any additional seasoning. Serve with your favorite sides.

Notes

*This recipe nutrition info is calculated using all of the ingredients, so keep in mind that most of the marinade is discarded after using. The calories and macros will be different in the final cooked product. I usually just log the nutritional info for the wings when tracking macros.

Be sure to dry the wings off after marinating – It may seem counterintuitive to dry off the marinade that the wings just spent hours soaking in, but the wings must be blotted dry before going into the air fryer. Or else the skin will never get crispy.

Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket – This recipe makes 2 ½ pounds of wings, so you will probably need to cook the wings in batches. If you cook too many at once, the hot air cannot circulate freely, causing steam and slimy wings.

You may need to adjust the cooking time – Begin checking for doneness with a meat thermometer after the first 15 minutes, then cook for as much time as you need for the chicken to reach a safe 165F°-175F°.

If you have a Cosori air fryer (like me!) – You can select the “chicken” setting and set the time to 20 minutes. Mine were perfect at the 20-minute mark. If you like your chicken wings “fried hard,” add 5 minutes to the cooking time.

Nutrition