Make delicious Air Fryer Buffalo Wings in less than 30 minutes with simple ingredients! Air fry chicken wings until crispy and then toss in a buffalo sauce.
Quick
Air fryer fast
You’ll Learn: Tips for switching up the seasonings and sauces
Worth It: You get crispy wings fast and with no mess
Bonus: No added oil necessary
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy – It is so much faster to make a batch of buffalo wings in the air fryer. They also get super crispy in just a short amount of time without any oil!
- Less clean up – No need for frying in messy oil. Just toss the wings in some seasoning and cook in the air fryer. You can even make the sauce in your microwave to avoid dirtying a sauce pan.
- Change up the sauce – I like to toss my wings in a classic buffalo sauce, but you can use any kind of sauce you like. Add some honey to make it sweeter or some sriracha for a little tang!
- Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside – these air fryer buffalo chicken wings have crispy skin but still have tender soft meat inside. Patting the skin dry ensures that you get crispy skin every single time. They cook quickly which keeps the meat inside tender and juicy. If you want extra crispy air fryer wings, skip the buffalo wing sauce!
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve these for guests during footballs games! I always serve them with lots of fresh celery sticks, carrots and dipping sauces. My go to sauces are my homemade ranch dressing and homemade blue cheese dressing. They cool off the spice from the buffalo sauce.
These wings are the perfect addition to any game day appetizer spread. I love to serve them alongside these mini pretzel dogs that are perfect for kids and some prosciutto wrapped asparagus.
Turn these into a full air fryer meal and make some crispy air fryer french fries to serve with them.
For some different flavors, try these Carolina Gold BBQ Wings or Orange Chicken Wings.
Ingredients
- Chicken wings – I like to use a mix of both drums and flats, but you can use all drums or all flats. You can use full wings without separating into drums and flats, but you will need to cook them a bit longer.
- Salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and smoked paprika – this simple seasoning blend adds tons of flavor to the wings without overpowering the buffalo sauce. Change up this seasoning blend as you see fit. You can add extra spice by adding some cayenne pepper powder or add some brown sugar for a touch of sweetness.
- Unsalted butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter for the buffalo sauce because the hot sauce and worcestershire sauce add saltiness.
- Hot sauce – Frank’s Red Hot is my go-to hot sauce for any homemade buffalo sauce. If you don’t want to use Frank’s hot sauce you can use any hot sauce you like! You can even use something like a habanero hot sauce or sriracha.
- Worcestershire sauce – this adds a nice tang to the buffalo sauce. If you don’t have it you can skip it or replace it with a bit of soy sauce. If you don’t want to use either of those add just a pinch of salt to the sauce instead.
Love buffalo chicken? Try this crockpot buffalo chicken dip that is perfect for a party, grilled buffalo chicken tenders for a summer party or buffalo chicken bites for a bonless buffalo wing.
Recipe Variations
The easiest way to change up this recipe is to change up the sauce. I love a classic buffalo sauce, but there are so many sauces that compliment the crispy air fried wings.
Make a honey sriracha sauce by combining 2 tbsp honey with 3 tbsp sriracha. Toss the wings in this sauce and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Barbecue chicken wings are another favorite of mine. I like to add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to a 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce, warm them together on the stovetop and toss the wings in this mixture just before serving.
Toss the wings in a simple lemon pepper seasoning and then toss in a lemon butter sauce after cooking. If you love lemon pepper wings, try this grilled lemon pepper chicken wings recipe.
How to make
Step 1: Season Wings
To begin, pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel and place in a mixing bowl. Mix salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and smoked paprika and toss the wings in this seasoning blend (Image 1).
Step 2: Air Fry the Wings
Then, preheat air fryer to 375F. Arrange the wings on the air fryer basket (Image 2). Air fry at 375F for 15 minutes. Flip the wings and increase the heat to 400F and cook for 5 minutes (Image 3).
While the wings cook heat butter, hot sauce and worcestershire sauce together in a small saucepan or in the microwave (Image 4).
Step 3: toss In Buffalo Sauce
Pour the sauce over the wings (Image 5). Toss the cooked wings in the sauce in a mixing bowl and serve immediately (Image 6).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I double the recipe?
Yes! For a big group you might want to double this recipe. Cook the wings in two batches and then toss all together in the sauce in a large bowl.
Can I make them in the oven?
Yes. Arrange the seasoned wings on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 425F for 20 minutes. The exact cooking time will depend on how big the wings are. Check for an internal temperature of 165F
Can I use whole chicken wings?
Yes! Cook them from whole or cut down into drumettes and wingettes. If you cook from whole, add a little extra time.
Can I use frozen chicken wings?
Yes, but I do not recommend cooking from frozen. Allow the wings to thaw completely and pat dry to remove any excess moisture before tossing in the spices and following the rest of the recipe.
Should I use baking powder?
No! You don’t need to. Some recipes suggest using baking powder for an extra crispy wing. The air fryer circulates the air around the air fryer rack and gets the wings nice and crispy without the need for baking powder.
Storage and Reheating
Store these air fryer buffalo wings in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in an air fryer at 325F for 5-7 minutes.
Check out these other delicious air fryer recipes!
If you make these air fryer buffalo wings, please give them a rating and review in the comments or let me know on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs chicken wings separated into drums and flats
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ cup hot sauce – I recommend Franks Red Hot
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel and place in a mixing bowl. Mix salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and smoked paprika and toss the wings in this seasoning blend.
- Preheat air fryer to 375F. Arrange the wings on the air fryer tray. Air fry at 375F for 15 minutes. Flip the wings and increase the heat to 400F and cook for 5 minutes.
- While the wings cook heat butter, hot sauce and worcestershire sauce together in a small saucepan or in the microwave.
- Toss the cooked wings in the sauce in a mixing bowl and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Use a mix of drums and flats or all drums and all flats.
- If you are using Frank’s Buffalo Sauce instead of hot sauce, you don’t need to add butter to it.
- Make sure to pat dry your chicken wings before seasonings and toss them thoroughly in the spice blend for the best results.
- Don’t overcrowd your air fryer tray. If you cannot fit all of the wings on the tray with space between them, cook them in two batches.
- Add the sauce right before serving to keep your wings crispy.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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