We at PIATTO love chicken wings! However, while the deep fried wings always deliver, they are really high in fat—sometimes clocking in at whopping 12 g of fat per wing! Plus? Deep fryers are cheap, but also stinky and messy and annoying to clean. So, when we had the opportunity recently to test out the Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer, we decided to cut to the chase and determine if it could rise to our challenge of being the best air fryer for chicken wings.
You can watch the results of our unbiased test in the video below… or keep reading to find out how the Cosori (aff link) was able to impress our seasoned wing enthusiasts! Or check out our in-depth Cosori Air Fryer Review.
Watch the Video Recipe!
Crispy Chicken Wing Showdown: Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer VS Oven. Watch the video:
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Best Air Fryer for Chicken Wings: Our Criteria
Cooks 1-2 lbs of Chicken Wings
In our view, the best air fryer for chicken wings must accommodate 1-2 lbs of wings at a time. The Cosori Turbo Blaze has a 6 quart (6 liter) basket that does just that. We tested it at 1 lb of wings, but are confident it could easily have handled 1.5 lbs in the same 20 minutes cook time. Why? Chicken wings shrink quickly while cooking so they would have had plenty of space for air to circulate.
The booklet that comes with the Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer suggests it can handle 2 lbs at a time, but we think it might take longer for the wings to get crispy in that case. Only a further testing will give us the definitive answer on that one. Luckily we have plenty of tasters biting at the bit to help us with future experiments.
Because Cosori Turbo Blaze cooks this amount of wings in half of the time that it would take an oven to do the job (20 minutes VS 40-50 minutes), we can easily feed 4-6 famished people in the time it would take for one tray of oven baked chicken wings to get reasonably crispy. In our view, even the most efficient oven struggles to deliver on crispiness when multiple trays are in the oven.
To summarize:
- Up to 2 lbs of wings (6 quart/6 liter drawer)
- Ready in 20 minutes
- Feeds 4-6 wing lovers
Where to Find this Air Fryer? ► Find the Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3S3pvRb
Crispy Skin + Juicy Meat
But… are the air fryer wings crispy?? Obviously the best air fryer for chicken wings must be able to deliver a crispy skin. And, yes, our test proved that the Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer is able to produce chicken wings that have delightfully crispy skins.
We were quite skeptical going into this experiment that an air fryer could deliver satisfying chicken wings, and were happy to be proven wrong. There are a few caveats here though. These wings were very crispy, but not as crispy as those we’ve had from a deep fryer. Nonetheless, they were very close in terms of crispiness. We gave the air fryer wings a ‘9’ assuming the ’10’ could only be achieved by a deep fryer. However…
Crispy Wings? Yes! But don’t follow the Air Fryer Recipe Book
Our only complaint about the Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer so far is that the recipe book is not particularly reliable. There was in fact a recipe for chicken wings in the booklet. It recommended a 400°F (200°C) temperature for 16 minutes—and no oil. Sure, the booklet in other parts of the book mention the importance of adding oil to achieve crispiness, however this is a must for chicken wings, which everyone expects to be crispy!
Strangely, other recipes in the book for meat did specify adding oil, so it seems Cosori just didn’t put these recipes to the test. Ditto for the timing—the booklet is off. The best air fryer chicken wings result will likely require a 20 minute cook time if you want those wings crispy!
We think ours is the best air fryer chicken wings recipe 🙂 Check it out:
Anyway, our successful attempt at crispy chicken wings involved our own breading recipe and an even spray of oil over the lightly breaded chicken wings before putting them to the heat. We used a spray oil designed for air fryers, but you could also use your own oil of choice in a spray bottle.
How to Make the Best Air Fryer Chicken Wings using the Cosori Turbo Blaze
- Preheat
- 400°F (200°C) temperature on ‘air fry’
- 20 minutes cook time (with one ‘shake’ and quick oil spray halfway through)
- Spray oil! You must add it for crispy wings.
Note that the internal temperature of the wings far exceeds the FDA requirements. We left the wings in for the full 20 minutes not to ensure they were cooked inside, but to ensure a crispy skin. However, rest assured, the meat remained extremely juicy.
Keep reading as we’ll share below why Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer has a design that makes it ideal for making crispy chicken wings.
Where to Find this Air Fryer? ► Find the Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3S3pvRb
Easy Cleanup
When we bake chicken wings in the oven, we either use a roasting rack or place the wings directly in the oven grid positioning a tray below to catch any juices (mess). So, in our test (see the video above), we were able to compare cleanup of oven baked wings vs wings cooked with the Cosori Turbo Blaze.
Even here, the Cosori Turbo Blaze exceeded expectations. Both parts of the air fryer that get dirty—the drawer and the nonstick crisper plate—are dishwasher safe. However, all we needed to do was hand wash these parts in the sink. Here’s a look at what was left to clean up:
Great Taste, Less Fat
Not only were the chicken wings made with the Cosori Turbo Blaze crispy outside, but they were very succulent and juicy inside—everything you want in a wing! However, in all fairness, taste and crispiness is only partially a product of the air fryer. You also need to prep the wings correctly and use a solid breading recipe—one that will trap the juices inside while keeping the skin dry.
Chicken Wing Tips:
- Dry the wings well—pat them dry with a paper towel and let them rest uncovered to air dry before cooking them
- Use the right breading: Our best chicken wing recipe combines flour, cornstarch and baking powder
- Shake off the excess breading: Light coatings work best here
As for fat? Yes, we sprayed on some oil—but in total we used no more than 2 tbsp of oil for all of the wings. So, the final fat content per wing is still much less than those made with a deep fryer.
Where to Find this Air Fryer? ► Find the Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer on Amazon: https://amzn.to/427oP1v
But, Why is the Turbo Blaze the Best Air Fryer for Chicken Wings?
The Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer has many unique features which make it the ideal air fryer for making crispy chicken wings.
Spacious Drawer + Crisper Plate
Wings, like any food you want crispy, need to be spaced out to allow the hot air to circulate. The spacious 6 quart/liter drawer is a great size. Plus, the Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer has a nonstick crisper plate which raises the wings up off of the bottom of the drawer—allowing hot air to cook from the bottom as well.
This is a critical feature that an air fryer for chicken wings must have. Why? Chicken wings, like any cooking meat, will release juices. Just like we use a roasting tray to allow juices to fall away from a roasting turkey, we want the water that comes out of the chicken wings to fall away from the skins because moisture is the enemy of crispiness. We’ll say it again:
Moisture is the Enemy of Crispiness!
And in fact, you can see that there was a fair amount of juice that remained at the bottom of our drawer at the end of our chicken wing cooking.
360° Hot Air + 5 Fan Speeds
Due to the great design of the drawer, whatever you are cooking in this air fryer will cook from all angles (including the bottom). This Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer (a relatively new model) also boasts 5 fan speeds which adjust automatically based on which of the 9 cooking pre-sets you choose. The fan speeds work with the moisture of whatever food you are cooking and the cooking method you are trying to achieve (Air Fry, Grill, Roast, etc).
Tools We Recommend for Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Amazon affiliate links:
► Cosori Turbo Blaze Air Fryer on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3S3pvRb
► ThermoPro Digital Kitchen Thermometer: https://amzn.to/3OCc4qH
We use this meat thermometer for all our meat and fish needs. It is digital, easy to clean, and has two probes which can go into the oven itself in order to track the temperature of your food and sound the alarm when that food reaches temperature. Awesome.
► Frank’s RedHot Original Hot Sauce: https://amzn.to/3UoVD4D
Yes, we like to finish our wings with a tried and true Buffalo sauce—and Frank’s is our favorite!
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