Name: Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 82 min
Ingredients: 3 tbsp canola oil; 2 tbsp lemon juice (one small lemon); 1 ½ tsp garlic salt; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp dried basil; ¼ tsp cayenne pepper; 1 lb chicken wings (split into flats and drumettes); ⅓ cup buffalo hot sauce

Make this crispy and saucy appetizer in your air fryer – NO deep frying required! These Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings are spicy, juicy and so flavorful and make the best late night snack.

buffalo chicken wings on a plate with celery and ranch dip

If you have an air fryer and you haven’t made wings yet, get on that ASAP! I made Air Fryer Chicken Wings many times before and thought I’d try out another classic recipe in this amazing appliance. As it turns out, buffalo wings are equally as delicious in the air fryer!

What’s not to love about the taste of buffalo sauce? It adds a kick of spice and loads of flavor while the air fryer cooks the wings to perfection. This recipe is perfect for parties, snacking or as a game day appetizer.

You’ll also like my Buffalo Chicken Dip, Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sliders and Buffalo Chicken Pizza.

Ingredients

To make these buffalo wings, you’ll need these ingredients.

This post contains affiliate links. I received an air fryer to facilitate this post.

Canola oil: Vegetable oil or grapeseed oil are excellent alternatives. Air Frying Foodie has an excellent post about the best oils for air fryers if you’re interested.
Lemon juice: Lime juice can also be used as a substitute. You can either use fresh lemon juice or from concentrate. For this recipe, if you don’t use a concentrate, try one small lemon.
Garlic salt: Switch this out for garlic powder and a pinch of salt if you don’t have garlic salt.
Onion powder
Dried basil: I love using Litehouse Freeze Dried Basil versus the ground powder, but either one will be fine.
Cayenne pepper: This spices a little more kick to the wings.
Chicken wings: Separate the wings into flats and drumettes or buy them already separated for you. You can also use chicken drumsticks if you don’t have wings.
Buffalo hot sauce: I like to use Frank’s Buffalo Sauce for this recipe. However, feel free to use whatever buffalo sauce you have on hand. For a spicier wing, use hot buffalo sauce and have some water close by!

ingredients for air fryer buffalo chicken wings

How to Make

1. Add the canola oil, lemon juice, garlic salt, onion powder, basil and cayenne pepper to a bowl and stir to combine.

mixing bowl with ingredients for marinade

2. Transfer mixture to a large Ziploc bag. Add chicken wings into the Ziploc bag and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

chicken wings in marinade in a plastic bag

3. Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Place the chicken wings in the air fryer spread out in an even layer. Cook for 17 minutes, turning halfway through, or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165F.

chicken wings uncooked and cooked in an air fryer

4. Remove wings from air fryer and immediately toss in buffalo hot sauce. Serve warm and enjoy.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

These kitchen tools will help you make this recipe.

Storage Instructions

Store these Air Fryer Buffalo Wings in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. You can heat them back up in the air fryer or in the microwave.

To freeze, store the wings in an airtight freezer safe container for three to six months. Make sure to thaw the in the fridge overnight and reheat to 165F before eating.

A plate of buffalo chicken wings with celery and dip and an air fryer in the background

Recipe Tips

Be careful that you don’t put too much lemon juice in the marinade. It can bake the chicken tough without the oil to balance it out.
Feel free to shake the air fryer basket occasionally to allow the wings to cook more evenly.
Don’t overcrowd the wings in the air fryer. If your air fryer is small, you might have to cook this recipe in batches.

How to Reheat Wings in the Air Fryer

Got leftovers? It’s easy to reheat these wings in the air fryer.

Preheat the air fryer to 375F. Add the wings and air fry for 5 to 7 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Use a meat thermometer to check.

buffalo chicken wings on a plate with celery sticks and dip

Can I make this recipe in the oven?

If you don’t own an air fryer, you can make this recipe in the oven. They will take longer to cook though.

Bake them at 400F for 45 minutes or until they reach 165F internal temperature.

What Air Fryer to Use

For this recipe, I used the Instant Pot® Duo Crisp™ + Air Fryer 8-quart Multi-Use Pressure Cooker. I love it because it’s BOTH an Instant Pot and an air fryer all in one handy appliance.

It features two removable lids so you can easily switch back and forth between the pressure cooker and air fryer. Plus, it also works as a slow cooker, steamer, sauté pan, food warmer, sous vide, roaster, mini oven, broiler, and dehydrator.

It’s nice and roomy and can cook up to 8 servings. I like my air fryers big so I don’t have to batch cook and this is perfect for that.

A hand holding a buffalo chicken wing with ranch dip on it

What to Serve with Buffalo Chicken Wings

Celery sticks
Carrot sticks
Ranch dressing
Blue cheese dressing
Sweet potato home fries
Baked macaroni and cheese
Twice-baked sweet potatoes
Poutine

Air Fryer Recipes

You’ll also like my Italian Sliders.

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Rate this Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes