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Just 4 ingredients and 30 minutes get you the best crispy air fryer Buffalo wings! Same authentic flavor without the oil and deep frying.
Why You’ll Love These Wings
Air fryer Buffalo wings offer up the same crispiness and flavor as deep-fried chicken wings without the mess, extra calories, and trans fats. Because I grew up just North of the Buffalo border, I’m a bit of a wing snob. I initially thought it impossible to create a true Buffalo wing without deep frying—but I was wrong, and I’m so glad.
All you need is 4 ingredients and 30 minutes to whip up a batch of Buffalo sports bar-quality wings, and I’m going to show you how to do it.
Ingredients
Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Skin-on chicken wings. I prefer them with no tips. You can cut those off, freeze them, and save them for making chicken stock.
- Frank’s® RedHot. The original kind is best!
- Butter. Melting butter into the sauce tones down the heat, so the more butter you add, the less hot the wings will be. It all adds a wonderful buttery flavor to the sauce.
- Distilled white vinegar. This is the ticket to that Buffalo sauce tang we all lust over—the aroma that opens up our sinuses the moment those wings are set in front of our faces. Trust me, don’t skip out on the vinegar.
How to Make Buffalo Wings in the Air Fryer
Gently pat the wings dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then place the wings into the air fryer basket. Space them out so they aren’t crowded and cook at 375º F for 10 minutes. Open the basket, gives the wings a good shake to flip them over, and pop them back into the fryer for another 10 minutes. Again, open the fryer, give the basket another good shake to flip the wings over, and cook them for 5 minutes. Open the fryer once more, shake, and pop them back in for 5 minutes but at 400º F this time. That last 5 mins at a higher heat will crisp those wings up nicely!
While the wings are cooking, start the sauce. Pour the Frank’s® RedHot into a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bringing it to a low simmer. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter into the sauce, stirring often, and give it a taste. If you want less heat, add a bit more butter. Keep adding butter until you achieve the level of heat you prefer.
Stir in the vinegar and bring the heat to low to keep it warm while the wings finish cooking. Stir the sauce every once in a while so that a film doesn’t develop over your sauce. (If this happens, don’t worry about it. Just keep stirring and heating.)
When the wings are done, transfer them to a large mixing bowl and drizzle the sauce over top. Toss the wings with tongs while whirling the bowl around to evenly coat them in that luscious velvety sauce.
Dig in. Serve with your favorite blue cheese dip and carrots and celery if you’d like. You know, for a good and healthy balance ;)
What to Serve With Buffalo Wings
- Pizza is my absolute favorite companion for saucy Buffalo wings.
- I love a salad to balance things out. My pizza night salad is a great option, or you could go with an easy Caesar!
- Carrot & celery sticks are a classic pairing that typically come with wings whenever they’re served at bars—and of course, some blue cheese for dipping. Not a fan of blue cheese? Ranch works well.
Storage, Freezing, & Reheating
- You can store Buffalo wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- You can reheat them in the microwave in 15 second increments until warmed through—but they’re also really good cold ;)
- You can freeze Buffalo wings! Wait until they’ve cooled, then pop them into a gallon-sized freezer bag, push as much air out as possible, seal, and pop them in the fridge for up to 4 months. Transfer them to the fridge the day before you plan on enjoying them.
Have You Made This Recipe?
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More Awesome Air Fryer Finger Foods
- Easy Air Fryer Pizza
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Pickle Brined Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Breaded Air Fryer Mushrooms
Best Crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings
- 1 cup Frank's RedHot® Original
- 2 TBSP butter
- 1 TBSP white vinegar
Instructions
Crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Wings.
- Spread the chicken wings out onto a flat surface like a cutting board, and gently pat them dry to remove excess moisture.
- With tongs, place the wings into the air fryer basket skin-side up. Space them out as much as you can. If some are touching a bit, that's okay.
- Place the airfryer basket into the air fryer and cook the wings in the following time increments:
- 375º F for 10 minutes; open the air fryer, then carefully flip the wings.
- Cook them for another 10 minutes; open the air fryer and flip the wings.
- Cook the wings for 5 minutes this time. Finally, open the air fryer once more, and flip the wings. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Transfer the wings to a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the wing sauce over the wings and toss them around with tongs to evenly coat them.
- Serve with your favorite blue cheese dip, and carrots and celery!
Buffalo wing sauce.
- Heat the hot sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and stir it in as it melts. Give the sauce a taste. If it's too spicy, add a bit more butter. The more butter you add, the less heat you'll end up with.
- Once the heat level is to your liking, stir in the white vinegar.
- Bring the heat to low, and leave the sauce on a low simmer stirring occasionally while the wings cook in the air fryer. When the wings are done, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Love this air fryer Buffalo wings recipe, so easy and turn out so crispy and delicious. Thanks for sharing :)
You’re so welcome, Elisa!
My family loved these spicy wings!
Awesome :)
My new favorite way to make buffalo wings! Perfectly cooked with the best flavor!
Right? I was floored the first time we did wings in the air fryer. I really didn’t think we’d get that same deep-fried crisp. So happy with how these turn our every time.