Air Fryer Buffalo BBQ Chicken Wings (From Frozen)
These Air Fryer Buffalo BBQ Chicken Wings are perfectly crispy, juicy, and drenched in a delicious spicy buffalo BBQ sauce. Made from frozen wings, they are so easy to make and a must-have for your next game day, get-together, or party celebration!
Best Crispy Wings
When someone mentions chicken wings, does your mouth water like mine does? There’s something about crispy wings that I can’t get enough of. But frying them in oil is such a hassle and so messy. These Air Fryer Buffalo BBQ Chicken Wings are so incredibly crispy. It’s surprising how much they taste like they’ve been fried but without all the grease and oil. Plus they’re made from frozen wings so it’s super easy to make. They make a great appetizer for your next game night.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
The wings are extra crispy and juicy.
Easy to make using frozen chicken wings.
Always a popular choice at any gathering, especially the Super Bowl parties!
Instructions
- Preheat– Start by preheating the air fryer for 5 minutes at 360 degrees.
- Oil the pan– Brush the inside of the air fryer with cooking oil. I have used a brush and even a paper towel lightly dipped in oil. Just a little to coat the bottom of the basket to help prevent sticking. It is not recommended to use aerosol cooking spray. Soy lecithin in the cooking spray can lead to chipping of the nonstick coating in the air fryer basket, essentially ruining the air fryer.
- Add wings– Place wings in the bottom of the basket. Be sure to space them out so they aren’t touching. This will help them cook more evenly.
To cook wings:
- Cook– Cook the wings for 10 minutes. This helps to defrost the wings. Separate any wings if they get stuck together while defrosting.
- Lower the temp– Drop the temperature to 400 degrees and cook for 15- 20 minutes. Shake around every 5 minutes so they flip and remain separated. Remove them from the basket once they reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees and are your perfect crispiness.
- Coat the wings: Dip the wings one by one in the sauce until completely coated.
To make the Buffalo BBQ Sauce:
- Mix it up: Combine BBQ sauce, Frank’s RedHot, and butter in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until butter is melted and warmed through. I do this while the wings are cooking so that the flavors have time to meld together.
How to Make Hot Sauce
The best thing about this sauce is that it’s very customizable to your taste. It’s so flavorful any way you make it.
- Mild– Use 1 tbsp hot sauce.
- Medium– Use 2 tbsp hot sauce.
- Hot– Use 3 or more tbsp hot sauce.
- No Heat– Don’t add any hot sauce. Just melt the butter and BBQ sauce to thin it down and make it easier to coat the wings.
What to Serve with Wings
Chicken wings taste fantastic when dipped in ranch or bleu cheese dressing with celery or carrots on the side. They’re a classic appetizer and go well with other appetizers like chips and salsa or corn dip, Veggie Ranch Pizza Pinwheels, and mozzarella sticks.
For the chicken wings, look for chicken wing sections in the frozen aisle of your local grocery store. They will be smaller than regular-sized wings. This will include wingettes and drummettes which make them the perfect size for dipping.
One reason could be from the excess water pooling in the bottom of the basket. Halfway through cooking, drain any excess water or grease that has accumulated in the bottom of the air fryer.
Helpful Tips
Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket to help the wings cook evenly.
Wings will shrink as they cook- this is normal.
Avoid cooking spray to prevent ruining your air fryer basket.
They taste fantastic when dipped in ranch or bleu cheese dressing!
More Appetizer Recipes
Did you try this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐ review below and tag me @whiskfulcooking on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Air Fryer Buffalo BBQ Chicken Wings (From Frozen)
Ingredients
- 10 chicken wingettes and/or drumettes
- 1 tsp oil canola, vegetable, or olive
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp Frank's RedHot (for mild heat)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
WINGS
- Preheat air fryer at 360 degrees.
- Lightly brush oil throughout the air fryer basket. Arrange wings evenly in the bottom of the basket. Do not over-crowd to ensure even cooking. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Open air fryer and shake basket to separate any wings that are touching. Return basket and increase temperature to 400 degrees. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until desired crispiness and internal temperature of wings is at least 165 degrees.
- Remove wings from the basket and toss in buffalo BBQ sauce to coat. Enjoy!
BUFFALO BBQ SAUCE
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce and cook until butter has melted and is warmed through.
Notes
- For Mild Heat- use 1 tbsp hot sauce
- For Medium Heat- use 2 tbsp hot sauce
- For Spicy Heat- use 3+ tbsp hot sauce
These definitely sound like they will be drool worthy wings. I love how simple you’ve made these. Gotta put these down for our next dinner meal.
These look so delish! Can’t wait to try this recipe out! I also love your Instagram page!
This looks really awesome, great photography as well!
These buffalo wings look amazing. I will have to try these in my air fryer. Thanks for sharing the recipe!