These air fryer chicken wings are crispy, saucy, and so easy to make. If you love buffalo wings but don’t want to deal with deep frying, this is the recipe for you.
The air fryer does an amazing job at getting the skin super crispy without all the oil. A little baking powder in the seasoning mix is the secret – it makes the skin extra crunchy.
Once they come out of the air fryer, you toss them in a simple buffalo butter sauce that coats every wing perfectly.
The whole thing takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. No messy oil, no complicated steps, just really good wings.
Serve them with ranch or blue cheese on the side and you have the perfect snack, appetizer, or even a main dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Incredibly Crispy Skin – The baking powder trick gives these wings a shatteringly crispy skin that rivals deep-fried results without all the oil.
No Deep Frying Needed – You get that golden and crunchy texture you love without heating up a pot of oil or dealing with greasy cleanup.
The Sauce Is Perfection – Mixing buffalo sauce with melted butter creates a rich and tangy coating that clings to every crispy inch of the wing.
Ingredients
- 2 lb Chicken Wings, separated into drums and flats
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Buffalo Sauce
- 3 tbsp Melted Butter
- Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing for serving
How To Make
Step 1
Pat chicken wings completely dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss wings with baking powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
Step 2
Arrange wings in a single layer in air fryer basket, making sure they don’t overlap. Cook in batches if needed.
Step 3
Air fry at 380°F for 24-28 minutes, flipping wings every 8-10 minutes, until skin is golden brown and crispy.
Step 4
While wings cook, mix buffalo sauce with melted butter in a large bowl.
Step 5
Toss cooked wings in buffalo butter sauce until fully coated. Serve hot with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Tips
Make Sure the Wings Are Really Dry
This is the single most important step for crispy wings. Use paper towels and press firmly on every side of each wing. If there’s moisture left on the skin, the baking powder can’t do its job and you’ll end up with rubbery, soft skin instead of crispy.
If you have time, put the wings uncovered on a wire rack in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight before cooking. This dries out the skin even more and gives you noticeably crispier results in the air fryer.
Use Aluminum-Free Baking Powder
Make sure you’re using baking powder, not baking soda. Baking soda will leave a really unpleasant metallic, soapy taste on your wings. Baking powder is what draws moisture out of the skin and helps it crisp up.
If you can, grab aluminum-free baking powder. Regular baking powder can sometimes leave a slight bitter or tinny aftertaste on the wings, and the aluminum-free version avoids that completely.
Don’t Crowd the Basket
The air fryer works by circulating hot air around the food. If the wings are overlapping or packed tightly together, the air can’t reach the skin on all sides and you’ll get soft, steamed patches instead of crispy ones.
Leave a small gap between each wing. For 2 pounds of wings, you’ll almost certainly need to cook in two batches depending on your air fryer size.
It’s worth the extra time. One crowded batch will give you worse results than two properly spaced batches every time.
Related Recipes
- Air Fryer Boneless Wings
- Air Fryer Crispy Garlic Parmesan Wings
- Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Honey Lemon Pepper Wings
- Air Fryer Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you use baking powder on the wings?
Baking powder is the secret to getting that super crispy skin in the air fryer. It raises the pH of the skin’s surface, which helps it brown faster and dry out more effectively as it cooks.
Just make sure you use baking powder and not baking soda – baking soda is much stronger and will leave a weird metallic taste on your wings.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- 2 lb Chicken Wings, separated into drums and flats
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Buffalo Sauce
- 3 tbsp Melted Butter
- Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing for serving
- Pat chicken wings completely dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss wings with baking powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- Arrange wings in a single layer in air fryer basket, making sure they don't overlap. Cook in batches if needed.
- Air fry at 380°F for 24-28 minutes, flipping wings every 8-10 minutes, until skin is golden brown and crispy.
- While wings cook, mix buffalo sauce with melted butter in a large bowl.
- Toss cooked wings in buffalo butter sauce until fully coated. Serve hot with ranch or blue cheese dressing.