Air Fryer Buffalo wings are perfectly crispy without deep frying, and tossed in a wonderfully spicy Buffalo sauce that makes them irresistible.
Use your air fryer to make the best Buffalo wings for game day.
Air Fryer Buffalo Wings Recipe
Air Fryer Buffalo wings are an iconic appetizer, perfect for football games and casual parties of all types.
They also make a tasty dinner, along with a side of ranch (or blue cheese) and some fresh veggie sticks.
This Air Fryer Buffalo Wings Recipe is so good!
Perfectly crispy without deep frying or splattering up your oven, and coated in a homemade spicy buffalo hot sauce that will have you licking your fingers.
You might also like to try our Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings, or Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings. If you are not a meat eater you might like these Vegan Buffalo Chicken Wings.
Or, you can add your favorite sauces and seasonings to this air fryer buffalo wings recipe!
Ingredients In Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
Chicken Wings – For this air fryer recipe, we’re starting with fresh (or thawed) chicken wings. If you want to cook frozen chicken wings, we have a recipe for that too.
10-12 split wing pieces, or about a pound to a pound and a half of raw wings should fit in the air fryer basket, but you can adjust the amount if you like.
Olive Oil – Because we aren’t deep frying, we’ll need to coat the wings in oil before air frying. Just a tablespoon of oil is needed to make crispy air fryer wings.
Garlic Salt – This is technically optional, but a bit of garlic salt on the chicken is always a good idea!
Buffalo Sauce – We’ll show you how to make a spicy sauce with butter, sugar, and hot sauce. I suggest using Franks Red Hot Sauce for the most authentic Buffalo flavor.
If you have any questions about this recipe for air fryer Buffalo wings, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
How to Make Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
- Prep the Wings. If your chicken wings are not already cut and separated into drums and flats, you’ll want to do that part yourself. Pat the wings dry with paper towels, and place them into a large bowl.
- Add olive oil and garlic salt, and toss to coat.
- Arrange the wings in the air fryer on top of a piece of foil or parchment paper. Be sure that they are in a single layer.
- Air Fry! Cook at 400°F/200°C for 18-20 minutes, or until they are fully cooked and crispy. Flip the wings over halfway through.
- While the wings cook, start the buffalo sauce. Mix the hot sauce, melted butter, and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk to combine.
- Coat the Wings. When the chicken is done cooking, place it directly into the bowl of Buffalo sauce, and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately with fresh celery and your favorite creamy dipping sauce.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for making Buffalo Wings in the air fryer, please see the recipe below.
Buffalo Wings Tips and Tricks
- Line only the bottom of your air fryer basket with parchment paper or tin foil for easy cleanup. Be sure to leave the sides of the air fryer uncovered so that air can circulate around your food.
- To get the crispiest air fryer Buffalo wings, be sure to dry the raw chicken really well with paper towels before you add the oil and seasonings to them.
- Don’t skimp on the oil! While the skin of the chicken will release oil as the wings cook, you need to add a little bit of extra to get that perfect crispy chicken skin texture. You can use olive oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil if you like.
- Be sure to check that the chicken wings are done using an instant read thermometer. The internal temperature of chicken wings must be at least 160°F/74°C.
- You can serve the sauce on the side if you like. The meat will stay nice and juicy even without being tossed in Buffalo sauce, so feel free to serve the wings “naked” with sauce for dipping.
- Adjust the heat level of the sauce by increasing or decreasing the amount of hot sauce you add to the recipe.
What To Serve With Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
Buffalo wings are at their best when they’re served with a creamy dipping sauce! Traditional Buffalo wings are served with blue cheese dressing, but ranch dressing is a very popular option too.
On the side, serve celery and carrot sticks, Air Fryer French Fries, or a simple and healthy salad.
Air Fryer Buffalo Wings are a delicious part of an appetizer spread too! Pair them with crispy Frozen Fried Pickles, Air Fryer Egg Rolls, or easy Air Fryer Cheese Curds.
How to Separate Whole Chicken Wings
Technically, a chicken wing is two Buffalo wings. Before air frying wings, they need to be cut in half so that you have the drum (or drummette) and the flat (or wingette).
Your local grocery store or butcher may sell chicken wings already separated. If so, that’s great as it’s a big time saver!
But if not, it doesn’t take much effort to separate whole chicken wings yourself.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- First, identify the two bone joints in the wings.
- Next, use a pair of kitchen shears to snip through both joints.
- Discard the tips of the wings (they’re mostly cartilage and skin), and cook with the little drums and flat pieces.
Tip: Save the wing tips in the freezer for the next time you make chicken stock or soup!
FAQs
Yes you can, and actually, I think it’s the best way to reheat wings so that they crisp up again. Simply turn your air fryer to 360 degrees F, and air fry the wings for 4-5 minutes to reheat them.
Yes you can! Check out our specific recipe for making air fryer frozen chicken wings for all the details and tips.
Of course! Your favorite barbecue sauce will be delicious on these wings, or try teriyaki sauce, spicy Dragon Sauce, or Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Sauce.
Pro Tips
More Air Fryer Appetizer Recipes
Appetizers are just one thing that the air fryer is really great at!
If you are having trouble figuring out which one to try next, we suggest: Air Fryer Boneless Wings, Frozen Popcorn Shrimp in the Air Fryer, Air Fryer Meatballs and Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks.
If your air fryer is busy you can try these baked teriyaki wings instead!
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Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken wings split into drums and flats
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel and then place them into a large bowl.
- Pour the oil and garlic salt over the chicken. Toss to coat.
- Place parchment or foil in the bottom of your air fryer basket for easy cleanup. Place the chicken pieces in the lined fryer basket in a single layer.
- Air fry the chicken at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the buffalo sauce by adding together the hot sauce, melted butter, and granulated sugar in a medium bowl.
- Whisk the sauce together until smooth.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, place it in the bowl with the buffalo sauce and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately with fresh celery and your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Line only the bottom of your air fryer basket with parchment paper or tin foil for easy cleanup. Be sure to leave the sides of the air fryer uncovered so that air can circulate around your food.
- To get the crispiest air fryer Buffalo wings, be sure to dry the raw chicken really well with paper towels before you add the oil and seasonings to them.
- Don’t skimp on the oil! While the skin of the chicken will release oil as the wings cook, you need to add a little bit of extra to get that perfect crispy chicken skin texture. You can use olive oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil if you like.
- Be sure to check that the chicken wings are done using an instant read thermometer. The internal temperature of chicken wings must be at least 160°F/74°C.
- You can serve the sauce on the side if you like. The meat will stay nice and juicy even without being tossed in Buffalo sauce, so feel free to serve the wings “naked” with sauce for dipping.
- Adjust the heat level of the sauce by increasing or decreasing the amount of hot sauce you add to the recipe.
