The Only Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe You Need!

There are few foods as addicting as good chicken wings, especially when they’re smothered in Buffalo sauce!

Air fryer Buffalo wings are spicy and buttery and pair perfectly with a cool ranch or blue cheese dip.

Once you make them in the air fryer, you’ll be shocked at how delicious and addicting they are! 

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you need to make finger-licking air-fried Buffalo chicken wings.

• Chicken wings 
• Buffalo sauce

If you have these ingredients in your pantry, you can also make Buffalo sauce from scratch.

• Hot sauce 
• Unsalted butter 
• Worcestershire sauce 
• Garlic powder 
• Salt

Recipe Video

How to Cook Buffalo Chicken Wings in an Air Fryer?

Making air fryer Buffalo chicken wings is quick and easy, made even easier with the convenience of pre-made sauce. Or if you’re up for some challenge, we’ll show you how to make Buffalo sauce from scratch.

Step 1: Thaw your frozen chicken wings.

The next best case scenario is to thaw your frozen chicken wings.

Here are two ways to do it properly:

Long Method (~24 Hours) – Thaw your chicken wings in the refrigerator overnight.

Shorter Method (~4 Hours) – Fill your sink with cold water, and submerge your sealed frozen chicken wings. Change the water every 30 minutes until the chicken no longer feels frozen, for about 2-4 hours. 

Using warm water or thawing in the microwave oven will prematurely cook your chicken, which will also result in a dry texture.

Step 2: Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF (204ºC).

If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 400ºF (204ºC) and then let it cook for 5 minutes.

Please don’t skip this step.

Prolonged cooking time is another reason why air fryer chicken wings can become dry. To prevent this, it’s important to cook the wings for the shortest amount of time possible.

Step 3: Lightly season the chicken wings.

If your chicken wings are connected (rather than the pre-cut version often labeled “party wings”), carefully cut apart the drum portion of the wing and the wingette at the joint.

Then, find the joint between the wing tip and the wing,  remove the wing tip and discard.

Add the chicken wings to a medium-sized bowl and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt, about ¼ tsp per pound of wings, depending on your preferences. Toss well to ensure the salt coats all the wings. 

You can also add a bit of freshly ground pepper, if you want.

Step 4: Air fry the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes.

When the air fryer is fully preheated, add the wings in a single layer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly crispy and golden, flipping them at least once during cooking.

You can always check if your wings are done by inserting a meat thermometer into the largest wing. The internal temperature should be 165°F (74°C) or higher.

Step 5: Prepare Buffalo sauce.

To make the Buffalo sauce, combine the hot sauce, butter, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder in a medium saucepan over low heat.

Whisk occasionally until the butter is melted and the sauce is smooth.

Season to taste with salt and set aside, adding the lid to keep warm while you prepare the chicken.

Step 6: Coat the chicken wings with Buffalo sauce.

When the wings are fully cooked and browned, carefully transfer them directly to a clean bowl. Add the Buffalo sauce, ¼ cup at a time, and toss with the wings until the desired sauced-wing texture is reached. 

Alternatively, you can serve the wings plain with the Buffalo sauce on the side to preserve their crisp texture.

Step 7: Serve & enjoy!

That’s how you make air fryer Buffalo chicken wings in under 30 minutes!

Serve immediately with dips and accouterments of choice! The classic pairing is Buffalo wings and bleu cheese dressing, but ranch or even sour cream mixed with chives work, too! 

Vegetables are fun to serve with wings, even beyond just carrots and celery! Try serving your wings with broccoli (raw or lightly steamed), cucumber spears or raw zucchini chips!

The combination of Buffalo sauce and bleu cheese goes well on just about everything! 

Freezing & Storage

Freezing: The best way to store chicken wings (in the fridge or freezer) is without the sauce, so if you’re not planning on eating all the wings, set some aside before tossing in Buffalo sauce.

Fridge: Once the wings have cooled completely, add to a freezer-style zip-top bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then follow the instructions below.

Reheating: To reheat wings without sauce, add to an air fryer preheated to 350°F (177°C) and air fry for 4-5 minutes or until heated through. Do not overcook to avoid drying out the wings.

To reheat wings that already have sauce, microwave at 50% power for 2-3 minutes or until fully heated through.

Alternatively, microwave for 1 minute on high power and then transfer to an air fryer at 350°F for 2-3 minutes or until crisped again.