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Home » Type » Appetizers » Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe with Buffalo Sauce – Easy Cleanup!

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe with Buffalo Sauce – Easy Cleanup!

January 19, 2022 by Faith Leave a Comment

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These easy-to-make Air Fryer Chicken Wings are crispy outside, juicy inside, and super flavorful tossed in a quick two-ingredient Buffalo wing sauce! They’re perfect for game day gatherings or pizza night at home.

air fryer buffalo wings

If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, two things: 1) THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart because you make what I do worthwhile; and 2) you probably already know that I’m from Buffalo. The birthplace of Buffalo wings!

I’m not usually picky about food, except for a handful of things. Buffalo wings being one of them!

dipping chicken with with buffalo wing sauce in blue cheese dressing

If you’re from Buffalo, deep frying is the only way to make a true Buffalo chicken wing. There’s no room for error; 10 minutes at 350F and you’re good to go. Crispy skin outside, juicy meat inside. And then they’re ready for whatever flavorful sauce you want to toss them in.

When it comes to Buffalo wings, there’s no place for baked wings, broiled wings, or worst of all, boiled wings (ugh!). (Side Note: Grilled wings are good in their own right, but the skin never really gets crispy, so I don’t think of them as Buffalo wings.) This is why I was little skeptical to try air fryer chicken wings.

air fryer chicken wings

But with how easy it is to air fry chicken wings instead of deep frying them, and because you only need one tablespoon of oil to air fry instead of a vat full to deep fry, I decided to give it a go.

And I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised with the result! Chicken wings in the air fryer come out surprisingly crispy. If you eat them within the first 10 minutes that they come out of the air fryer when they’re at their crispiest, you might actually not be able to tell that they weren’t deep fried!

As a Buffalo girl, there will always be a place in my heart for real deep fried Buffalo chicken wings. But when I want to satisfy a wing craving without having to deep fry them, I will definitely air fry them again!

Pro Tip: Back home in Buffalo, blue cheese dressing is the classic default sauce that we serve wings with. It’s perfect for cooling down spicy wings!

buffalo chicken wings recipe

In This Article

  • What You’ll Love About This Recipe
  • The Best Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe
  • Tips for Success
  • Air Fryer Chicken Wings FAQs
  • More Buffalo Chicken Recipes to Make
  • Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

  • It’s easy. You just heat up the air fryer, add the wings, and then flip them halfway through! Compared with having to heat up oil for deep frying, air frying is a cakewalk.
  • Less fat. One of the biggest reasons people love air frying is because compared to deep frying, it has much less fat.
  • Crispy skin outside, juicy meat inside. Air fryer chicken wings are what wings should be!
  • Buffalo wing sauce. We don’t sauce the wings before cooking, which ensures two things: 1) the skin gets crispy, and 2) they’re ready for whatever flavor punch we want to use when they’re cooked! Here were go with a classic Buffalo chicken wing sauce, which is a combination of butter and Frank’s RedHot Sauce.
air fryer buffalo chicken wings with description

The Best Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe

buffalo wings ingredients

Air Fryer Chicken Wings Ingredients

  • Chicken wings
  • Vegetable oil

Buffalo Chicken Wings Sauce Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter
  • Frank’s RedHot Sauce

Step-by-Step Instructions

how to make air fryer chicken wings
  1. Add the chicken wings and oil to a large bowl.
  2.  Toss to coat the wings in oil.
  3. Arrange the wings in a single layer in the 400F preheated air fryer.
  4. Cook 10 minutes on the first side.
  5. Use tongs to flip the wings, and then cook 10 minutes on the second side. (If you like your wings extra crispy, cook them about 2 minutes longer per side.)
  6. The wings should be golden on both sides when they’re done.
  7. Add the cooked wings and the sauce to a large bowl.
  8. Gently toss the wings to coat them in sauce. Serve warm along with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

How to Make 2-Ingredient Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce

how to make buffalo chicken wing sauce
  1. Add the melted butter and hot sauce to a bowl.
  2. Stir until well-combined.

Equipment for This Recipe

  • Large bowl
  • Tongs
  • Air fryer
crispy chicken wings

Variations on This Recipe

  • Dry rub. To use a dry rub on chicken wings, pat the wings dry, sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of your favorite dry rub per 1 pound of meat. Rub the seasoning around so the meat is evenly coated. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.
  • Brine. To brine chicken wings, dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in 2 cups of tepid water along with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Add the chicken wings and make sure they’re immersed in the liquid. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, but up to 24 hours. After brining, pat the wings dry and proceed with the recipe.
  • Marinade. Add a splash of acid (like lemon juice or red wine vinegar), a splash of oil, fresh herbs (like thyme), seasonings (such as garlic), and spices (like salt and black pepper) to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the wings, stir to coat, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Remove the wings from the marinade, patting off any excess, and proceed with the recipe.

Pro Tip: If you do a dry rub or marinade, you can skip tossing the cooked wings in the Buffalo chicken wing sauce.

buffalo chicken wings

Tips for Success

  • Don’t spray the inside of the air fryer with cooking spray. Aerosol spray cans (like Pam and similar nonstick cooking spray products) can cause chipping in air fryer baskets. Instead, you can brush oil (such as avocado oil or light olive oil) on the inside of the air fryer basket. For this recipe, we toss the chicken wings with oil to coat before air frying.
  • Make sure to preheat your air fryer before adding the wings. This will make sure that the air fryer is up to temperature when you start cooking. Otherwise, you run the risk of your chicken not cooking through!
  • If you like your wings extra crispy. Simply let them cook a little bit longer (about 2 minutes extra per side, flipping once).
air fryer chicken wings graphic

Air Fryer Chicken Wings FAQs

How Long do You Put Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer?

Air fryer chicken wings need to be cooked for about 10 minutes per side, or up to 12 minutes per side, flipping once. You can cook them a couple extra minutes per side if you like them extra crispy.

Can I Air Fry Frozen Wings?

Yes! One of the benefits of air frying (in addition to food being less fatty) is that unlike deep frying, you can air fry frozen chicken wings.

To air fry frozen chicken wings, simply follow this recipe as written, but increase the cook time to 15 to 18 minutes per side (instead of 10 to 12 minutes per side).

Note that you will end up with quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the air fryer basket after air frying frozen chicken wings.

air fryer chicken wing with blue cheese dressing

Do You Season Wings Before Frying?

No, you don’t have to season chicken wings before frying – not even with salt and pepper!

During high school and college I worked at a pizzeria in my hometown, Buffalo, New York. We never seasoned chicken wings before frying, and they came out perfect (and flavorful) every single time because we toss them in a delicious sauce once they’re cooked.

But with that being said, if you feel like seasoning your wings before air frying them, go for it!

Do You Put Sauce on Wings Before or After Cooking?

Chicken wings are always sauced after they’re cooked. And this is also true when you’re making air fryer chicken wings.

This is because if you sauce chicken wings before cooking, they will never get crispy. And what the heck are we even doing here if we’re making soggy wings?! Friends, you won’t find soggy chicken wings on this Buffalo girl’s watch!

crispy air fryer chicken wings

What is Buffalo Wing Sauce?

Buffalo wing sauce, also called Buffalo chicken sauce or just Buffalo sauce is a simple combination of Frank’s RedHot and butter. For a classic Buffalo sauce, we don’t add vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic, etc. because it doesn’t need it. (And yes, Frank’s RedHot is what is traditionally used to make authentic wing sauce in Buffalo.)

You can use different ratios of Frank’s RedHot Sauce to butter for varying heat levels. I use equal parts of each for a mild sauce. However, for a spicier sauce use more hot sauce, and for a milder sauce use more butter.

crispy chicken wings with buffalo sauce

More Buffalo Chicken Recipes to Make

  • Dip right in – Buffalo Chicken Dip
  • Make it a meal – Buffalo Chicken Burgers with Spicy Blue Cheese Celery Slaw
  • Turn it into a side dish – Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
  • Eat it as a pizza – Buffalo Chicken French Bread Pizza
buffalo wings with wing sauce

Let’s Connect

I love hearing from you!
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment.
You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media.
To stay up-to-date, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
xoxo, Faith

air fryer chicken wings featured image

Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe

By: Faith Gorsky
These easy-to-make Air Fryer Chicken Wings are crispy outside, juicy inside and flavorful tossed in a quick 2-ingredient Buffalo wing sauce!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 8 mins
Cook Time 22 mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American, Buffalo Food
Servings 3 servings
Calories 517 kcal

Equipment

  • Large bowl
  • Tongs
  • Air fryer

Ingredients
 
 

Chicken Wings:

  • 12 chicken wings about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Frank’s RedHot Sauce

Optional Serving Ideas:

  • Blue cheese dressing
  • Celery sticks and/or carrot sticks

Instructions
 

To Cook the Chicken Wings:

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
  • Toss the chicken wings and oil together in a large bowl to coat the wings.
  • Arrange the wings in a single layer in the preheated air fryer. Cook 10 minutes on the first side, flip, and then cook 10 minutes on the second side. The wings should be golden on both sides when they’re done.

To Make the Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce:

  • Stir together the butter and hot sauce in a bowl.

To Coat the Chicken Wings:

  • Add the cooked wings and the sauce to a large bowl, and gently toss to coat.

To Serve:

  • If you like your wings extra crispy, let them cook a little bit longer (about 2 minutes extra per side, flipping once).
  • Serve the wings warm along with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

Faith’s Tips

  • Net Carbs: 1g per serving (1 serving = 4 wings tossed in Buffalo chicken wing sauce)
  • Nutritional Information: Information for this recipe was calculated without the optional serving ideas.
  • Air Fryer: This recipe was made with an Instant Vortex 6 Quart Air Fryer. It will work in any air fryer, but cooking times may vary.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe
Amount Per Serving (4 chicken wings)
Calories 517 Calories from Fat 369
% Daily Value*
Fat 41g63%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 9g
Monounsaturated Fat 15g
Cholesterol 163mg54%
Sodium 371mg16%
Potassium 302mg9%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 35g70%
Vitamin A 458IU9%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 25mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Air Fryer Chicken Wings, Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe, Buffalo Wing Sauce, Buffalo Wings
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
air fryer chicken wings recipe pin

Filed Under: Air Fryer, Appetizers, Buffalo Foods, Gluten Free, Low Carb and Keto Tagged: air fryer chicken wings, air fryer chicken wings recipe, buffalo chicken sauce, buffalo chicken wings, buffalo sauce, buffalo wing sauce, Buffalo Wings, Chicken Wing Sauce, Chicken Wings, wing sauce

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Hello and welcome to An Edible Mosaic! This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. Here you’ll find a focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home.

 

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meet faith

I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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affiliate disclosure

An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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