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Most of us love fried food but aren’t big fans of deep frying. But now that I am playing with my new air fryer, there have been some very nice little fried moments. These buffalo chicken wings were one of them, so easy to make, so, so amazingly crispy, crunchy on the outside, and tender on the inside. (Hello, upcoming Super Bowl!). Less oil, more crispy treats, and better game day eats! Don’t forget the Blue Cheese Dip. Blue cheese dip and buffalo sauce are some of the greatest gifts to humankind.
Also, think about serving up some Sweet Potato Fries with New Bay Seasoning, and Guacamole with tortilla chips for a great game day spread.
Table of Contents
The Ultimate Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings: With a crunchy cracking exterior, and tender juicy chicken, these buffalo chicken wings are hard to beat.
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Deep frying is hard to justify on a regular basis, and it’s also messy. Then you have to figure out if you’re going to try and strain and salvage the oil or if it just needs to be tossed. This is often the case if you are frying something with a flavor that you don’t want to carry over to the next deep-fry extravaganza, like fish. Cooking wings in the oven is also awesome, but it’s hard to get the crispy, crunchy exterior you get with an air fryer.
How to Make Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Air fry the wings: In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with the oil, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken wings into the basket of the air fryer. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees if your air fryer has temperature settings or the dual cook setting if it doesn’t. Turn the wings halfway through the cooking, if you remember. Remove them when they are browned and crisp.
- Make the Buffalo sauce: While the wings are cooking, combine the butter and hot sauce.
- Toss the wings with the sauce.
- Serve: Serve with the Blue Cheese Dip and carrot and celery sticks.
FAQs
Chicken wings take about 25 minutes at 400 degrees in an air fryer.
I like to air fry chicken wings at 400 degrees F.
Your heat might not be high enough, or you might just need to cook them longer.
For the best crunchy texture, it’s best to cook the chicken wings first until they are crispy on the outside, then toss the with the Buffalo sauce.
Tips
- You do not have to preheat your air fryer for chicken wings, which is a game changer!
- While the chicken wings are frying, make the Blue Cheese Dip and the super simple buffalo sauce.
- Turn the wings halfway through the cooking, if you remember, which will allow them to become more evenly crispy.
- You can skip making the blue cheese dip and just buy one. But buy a good one — I love Marie’s Extra Chunky Blue Cheese Dip, available in the refrigerated produce section of the market. You made your own Buffalo chicken wings; give them the sauce they deserve.
Buffalo Sauce for Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Did you know that classic Buffalo sauce is just melted butter and hot sauce? Usually, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce has just the right amount of vinegar, and a moderate amount of heat, so you can glug that red love on those wings and not worry about blowing your taste buds out. Want it spicier? Add more Frank’s and maybe a bit of cayenne pepper or a bit of another hotter hot sauce.
What to Serve With Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
The carrots and celery are a way to make us all feel better about the wings. One wing, one carrot, one wing, one piece of celery. But don’t forget to dip not just the wings but also the vegetables in that blue cheese dip. Tomorrow you can have a salad (P.S. leftover blue cheese dip thinned out with a bit of milk makes great blue cheese salad dressing, which kind of defeats the cleansing salad thought, but there you have it).
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Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chicken Wings
- 2 pounds chicken wings (flat part and “drummies” separated; tips saved for stock)
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
For the Buffalo Sauce
- ⅔ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
To Serve
- Blue Cheese Dip
- Carrots and celery sticks
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with the oil, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken wings into the basket of the air fryer. Cook for about 25 minutes at 400 F if your air fryer has temperature settings, or the dual cook setting if it doesn’t. Turn the wings halfway through the cooking. Remove them when they are browned and crisp.
- Meanwhile, make the Buffalo sauce. Combine the Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and the melted butter in a large bowl.
- Transfer the wings to the bowl and toss with the buffalo sauce. Transfer them to a serving platter and serve with the Blue Cheese Dip and carrot and celery sticks.
Notes
- You do not have to preheat your air fryer for chicken wings, which is a game changer!
- While the chicken wings are frying, make the Blue Cheese Dip and the super simple Buffalo sauce.
- You can skip making the blue cheese dip and just buy one. But buy a good one — I love Marie’s Extra Chunky Blue Cheese Dip, available in the refrigerated produce section of the market. You made your own buffalo chicken wings; give them the sauce they deserve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sigh…Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is NOT BUFFALO WING SAUCE! Sure, if you want, you can add it to the sauce for heat. But it is NOT the flavor of Buffalo Wing sauce.
Yield on 32 oz of chicken is 16 oz. Divided by six people that’s what 2 and 1/2 oz per person?. 35 minutes?
I own and kind of enjoy an air fryer. But they’re really just the flash in the pan, pun intended.
Save your 70 to $150 buy some groceries