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These delicious Air Fryer Chicken Wings are crispy, low carb, and smothered in spicy, buttery buffalo sauce. Easy low-carb substitutions make this party recipe keto-friendly, too!
Buffalo Chicken Wings
Buffalo wings are a classic appetizer or game day meal — They’re perfect for parties and snacking! While wings are often fried, tossing them into the air fryer instead saves you a ton of calories, mess, and time. You can have hot, crispy wings on the table in about 30 minutes!
These easy chicken wings are tossed in a homemade 3-ingredient buffalo sauce you’ll want to use on EVERYTHING. You can even use a sugar-free sweetener like monk fruit or Stevia for a low-carb meal that your keto friends can enjoy, too!
Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card below.
- Chicken Wings – These are also called “party wings,” and the wing is separated into little drummies and flats.
- Baking Powder, Salt, Pepper – Baking powder will absorb moisture from the chicken skin, leaving you with perfectly crispy wings even after they’re coated in sauce.
- Hot Sauce, Butter, Sweetener – These will form the delicious buffalo sauce. Brown sugar or maple syrup provide the best flavor. Sugar-free options like monk fruit or sugar-free maple syrup will also work.
How to make chicken wings in the air fryer
This recipe is super easy — You’ll have dinner ready in under 30 minutes! Here’s a step-by-step guide for how to make air fryer chicken wings.
Season
First, dry off the wings extremely well with paper towels — The dryer you get the skin, the crispier your wings will be! In a medium sized bowl, toss your wings with the baking powder, salt, and pepper.
Cook
Preheat the air fryer to 390 for 3 minutes (Yes, I know they say you don’t have to… But I still say you get a more even cook if you do!). Give the basket a quick spray or brush of oil, then place the chicken wings in and cook for 18-20 minutes. Halfway through, shake the basket to turn the wings.
Sauce
While the chicken is cooking, combine the hot sauce, butter, and sweetener in a sauce pan on medium high heat. Stir and cook until the sweetener has dissolved and the sauce has started to bubble. Remove from heat.
Once the largest wing reaches 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer, remove the wings from the air fryer. Toss wings with the buffalo sauce.
Optional: Broil
If a crispy, crunchy texture is the key to amazing wings for you, I recommend broiling the wings for 1-2 minutes after saucing them. The buffalo sauce gets soaked into that crispy skin and bubbles up for the absolute best texture.
What to Serve with Buffalo Wings
These delicious buffalo chicken wings are best served with a great dipping sauce like Jalapeno Ranch. Dust the wings with some fresh herbs and add a side of fries (or carrot fries for more veggies, maybe keto fries if you’re low-carb) for a great pub-style meal at home. Consider Twice Baked Potatoes or Homemade Chips for party appetizers and this Boozy Blueberry Lemonade to wash it all down.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Wings should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container up to 4 days. Easily freeze chicken wings by first allowing them to cool completely, then transferring them to a freezer bag.
If you will want to remove only 1 serving at a time, you may want to first freeze the wings (not touching) on a baking sheet. After two hours, then transfer to a freezer bag. This will prevent the wings from freezing into a large clump, all stuck together.
If you love crispy wings, the air fryer and oven are your best reheating methods. Toss into the air fryer (350 degrees, about 3-5 minutes) or the oven (350 degrees, 10-15 minutes) to reheat. You could also microwave the wings (30 second blasts, preferably at 50% power so you don’t dry out the meat), but that does result in soggy skin.
FAQs for Air Fryer Wings
Some stores will carry buffalo sauce, so you’re welcome to replace the hot sauce, butter, and sweetener with your favorite version. Homemade buffalo sauce is great when you’re in a pinch or when you have dietary restrictions and need to make it sugar-free.
Yes, chicken wings can be baked at 425 degrees F for 50-55 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time. You may want to follow up the bake with 1-2 minutes under the broiler for extra crispy skin.
Tossing the chicken wings in baking powder makes them crispier because the powder will absorb the moisture from the skin, allowing it to develop a great crunch. The air fryer will get your wings crispiest. For the ultimate crispy wings, broil them for 1-2 minutes before serving.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- ⅓ cup hot sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup, monk fruit or sugar free options work if keto
- ½ tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pat chicken wings dry and trim off any loose bits. Toss chicken wings with baking powder, salt, and pepper.
- Preheat air fryer to 390 for 3 minutes. Add in chicken wings. Some overlap is fine, but work in batches if your air fryer is too small to handle all of them at once.
- Cook chicken wings for 18-20 minutes, shaking at least once halfway through. Once a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F in the largest wing, they are done.
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, stir together hot sauce, butter, and sweetener. Cook until sweetener has dissolved (about 3-5 minutes), then toss with the chicken wings. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition values calculated using a sugar-free maple syrup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
