These air fryer buffalo wings are insanely delicious. The chicken wings are coated with dry rub and hot Louisiana sauce. The buffalo-style sauce is slightly spicy and sweet, which makes these wings a hit for kids and adults.
If you are looking for ways to cook crispy chicken wings with tender meat, try this air fryer buffalo wings recipe. These chicken wings are cooked in an air fryer from the beginning to the end. No need to deal with a messy grill, these air fryer chicken wings with buffalo sauce are so easy to make and will come out perfect every time.
This recipe was inspired by my Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe.
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Why You'll Love This Air Fryer Buffalo Wings Recipe
- Inexpensive to make. This air fryer chicken wings recipe doesn't require a long list of ingredients. It's definitely cheaper to make than what you'll pay at the restaurant.
- Flavor bomb. Using Louisiana hot sauce as one of the sauce ingredients adds more depth of flavor to the wings. The hot sauce adds just enough heat, they're not overly spicy. On top of that, the dry rub made the wings taste even better!
- A healthier alternative to deep fried. These air fryer buffalo wings are lower in fat and calories than deep-fried wings.
Ingredients
Here's a list of ingredients that you'll need for the dry seasoning of the wings and for the buffalo-style sauce.
- Wingettes and Drummettes. Both are simply chicken wings cut apart at the joint.
- Paprika. I used paprika to add color and a mildly sweet flavor to the wings.
- Garlic Salt. I used salt to enhance the wings' sweetness and savory flavors. It also lends an intense umami flavor and aroma.
- Cayenne pepper. I just used a small amount of cayenne pepper to add a bit more heat to the chicken seasoning.
- Louisiana Hot Sauce. It comes in a variety of brands. In this recipe, I used The Original "Louisiana" brand hot sauce. This is an inexpensive hot sauce made with just vinegar, aged pepper, and salt. As mentioned on the product website, the sauce is “not too hot, not too mild”.
- Vinegar. In this recipe, I opted for white vinegar. Rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or Japanese Mirin will work fine as well.
- Honey. I used honey to add sweetness to the sauce and to balance out the vinegary flavor of the hot sauce.
- Butter. It's one of the most common ingredients used to make the buffalo-style sauce.
How to Make Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
The preparation and cooking process of these air fryer chicken wings is pretty easy to follow. Here's what you need to do.
Step 1. Preparation
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 360°F.
- Pat the Chicken Wings Dry with Paper Towels.
- Season the Chicken Wings. In a large mixing bowl, combine the paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, and black pepper.
- Make the Buffalo-Style Sauce. In a large mixing bowl, melt butter in a microwave until hot. Add honey and Louisiana hot sauce, and stir to combine.
Step 2. Air Fry the Chicken Wings
- Grease the air fryer basket with oil.
- Add drummettes to the air fryer basket. Cook for about 10 minutes then flip, and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Transfer the drummettes to a large bowl.
- Add wingettes to the air fryer basket. Cook for about 8 minutes then flip and continue cooking for 8 minutes.
Step 3. Crisp the Chicken Wings
- Put the drummettes back into the air fryer basket and cook until crispy for about 5 minutes at 400°F.
- Remove the chicken wings from the air fryer basket and stir in the buffalo sauce then serve.
Tips for Cooking Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Cooking time. May vary depending on the type of air fryer and the thickness of the chicken wings. Please adjust the cooking time accordingly. Per USDA, the safe cooking temperature for all poultry products stays the same at 165 ºF.
- Cook drummettes and wingettes separately. This is a great way to ensure each part of the wings cooks at the same rate. If you put them all together in one basket, you may end up with some undercooked and/or overcooked pieces.
- Cook in batches. For maximum crispiness, do not overcrowd the basket.
- Salt. Since you'll be using store-bought Louisiana hot sauce, go easy on the salt. Give the sauce and cooked chicken a taste, then add more salt to the sauce if needed.
- Spicy. If you want a spicier sauce, add some ground cayenne pepper to it.
- Pat the chicken really dry! To ensure maximum crispiness, you need to draw the extra moisture from the wings by patting them dry with paper towels.
- Use different tongs. To reduce contamination, always use a new pair of tongs after handling raw meats.
- Thawed chicken. If you are going to use frozen chicken wings, thaw them first before cooking.
Storage
Discard any leftover buffalo wings that have been left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F. You can learn more here.
- Let the wings cool down to room temperature before refrigerating.
- Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container.
- Store the leftovers for 3-4 days in the fridge or for 3 months in the freezer.
How to Reheat the Leftover Buffalo Wings in an Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 365°F.
- Place the wings in an air fryer basket and cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip the wings and continue cooking until the wings are crisp and they reach 165° F as measured with a food thermometer.
Can you put sauced wings in an air fryer?
Yes, you can if you want to lock in the flavor. Just be aware that putting sauced wings back in the air fryer for a few minutes before serving makes the wings appear darker.
Do you use baking powder to make chicken crispy?
Yes, you can use baking powder to make the chicken wings crispier. Use 2 teaspoons of baking powder per 2 pounds of chicken wings. You can find the instructions here.
Check Out More Tasty Chicken Wings Recipes
- Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Wings with Sweet and Sticky Sauce
- Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings
- Dry Rub Chicken Wings
I hope you'll enjoy this recipe and share it with friends! If you try it and don’t mind, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating. Be sure to subscribe to receive weekly recipes and follow me on Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
These air fryer buffalo wings are insanely delicious. The chicken wings are coated with hot Louisiana sauce. The buffalo-style sauce is slightly spicy and sweet, which makes these wings a hit for kids and adults.
Equipment
- an air fryer
- Kitchen tongs (to handle raw meat and to serve cooked meat)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings (Wingettes and Drummettes), pat the wings dry with paper towels
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt, (or add more according to your liking)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- black pepper, (to taste)
Buffalo Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup Louisiana style sauce , (or use Frank's or Buffalo Wings sauce)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar, (or use rice wine vinegar)
Instructions
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 360°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the paprika, garlic salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add chicken wings and toss to coat.
- Lightly grease the basket with oil. Add drummettes and cook for 10 minutes. Flip and cook for another 10 minutes or longer until no longer pink. Transfer the drummettes to a large bowl.
- Add wingettes to the basket. Cook for 8 minutes then flip and continue cooking for 8 minutes or longer until no longer pink.
- Put the drummettes back into the basket. Cook the drummettes and wingettes for 4-5 minutes at 400°F or until crispy, shake the basket once.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the hot sauce, vinegar, and honey. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Remove the wings from the air fryer and transfer them to a bowl. Pour in buffalo sauce and mix well.
Notes
- Cooking time. May vary depending on the type of air fryer and the thickness of the chicken wings. Please adjust the cooking time accordingly. Per USDA, the safe cooking temperature for all poultry products stays the same at 165 ºF.
- Cook drummettes and wingettes separately. This is a great way to ensure each part of the wings cooks at the same rate. If you put them all together in one basket, you may end up with some undercooked and/or overcooked pieces.
- Cook in batches. For maximum crispiness, do not overcrowd the basket.
- Pat the chicken really dry! To ensure maximum crispiness, you need to draw the extra moisture from the wings by patting them dry with paper towels.
- Use different tongs. To reduce contamination, always use a new pair of tongs after handling raw meats.
- Thawed chicken. If you are going to use frozen chicken wings, thaw them first before cooking.
- Garlic salt. If you don't have any garlic salt on hand, you can replace it with and
Nutrition
Calories: 390kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 23gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 1286mgPotassium: 206mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 705IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
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