No disrespect to your local pitmaster, but this Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings is to die for. Bonus: It’s super easy to make! 🤩 Fry it, to believe it!
Prep Time 2 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 22 minutesminutes
Makes 2
Ingredients
1poundchicken wings10-12 pieces
3tablespoonbarbecue sauceready-made
Homemade Barbecue Sauce (Optional)
½cupketchup
¼ cuphoney
2tablespoonswhite vinegar
1½teaspoonbrown sugar
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspooncayenne pepper
¼teaspoonsmoked paprika
⅛teaspoononion powder
⅛teaspoongarlic powder
Instructions
Thaw your frozen chicken wings overnight or use fresh ones.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (204°C).
While preheating, pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels. Then, lightly season them with salt. You can also add pepper if you want.
Once the air fryer is preheated, place the chicken wings inside and cook them for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden and crispy. For even cooking, be sure to space the wings out and flip them halfway. If air frying from frozen, add 3-5 minutes.
Prepare honey barbecue sauce from scratch or use a ready-made one. To make fresh BBQ sauce: combine ketchup, honey, white vinegar, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
After air frying the chicken wings, coat them with honey barbecue sauce. Toss until the wings are fully covered.
Serve with celery and carrots on the side, ranch dipping sauce, fries or onion rings. Enjoy your Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings!
Video
Notes
For optimal results, it is recommended to use fresh chicken wings.
The best way to thaw your chicken wings is to leave them in the refrigerator overnight. Another effective method for thawing wings is to place them in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. It typically takes 2-4 hours for the wings to fully defrost.
We do not recommend defrosting them in the microwave as it may dry out the meat and potentially make it unsafe to eat.
If you air fry wings directly from frozen, it will have a dry texture and require a longer cooking time (additional 3-5 minutes).
If your air fryer doesn't have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 400°F (204°C) and then let it cook for 5 minutes.
Preheating and thawing your chicken wings properly will yield juicier results. Based on our tests, the longer you cook your chicken wings, the drier they will become.
It’s not ideal to wash your chicken wings as it may contaminate your kitchen.
Chicken wings are considered as white meat and should be cooked to a temperature of 165°F (74°C) or higher.
Since the honey barbecue sauce is already flavorful, you can skip seasoning the chicken wings before air frying.
For a little extra crispness, toss with 1-2 tsp of high-heat cooking oil, such as canola or vegetable oil.
It's ideal to add the honey barbecue sauce after air frying. It can get burnt at high heat, and may even produce smoke.
I used a 6-quart Instant Pot Vortex Plus to test the air fryer barbecue chicken wings recipe. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the number of servings being prepared. For best results, start with the lower end of the suggested cooking time.