These Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings are sweet, sticky and extra crispy. Have these easy party wings ready in just 35 minutes!
If you love my super popular Air Fryer Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and Air Fryer Nashville-Style Hot Chicken and Waffles, you will love these BBQ chicken wings! They're equally as crispy and just as easy to whip up for dinner or hosting.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Extra crispy chicken without oil. Although deep-fried chicken is delicious, it isn't the healthiest because it's made crispy with a lot of excess oil. These wings are made crispy without any oil at all.
- Made with 6 super simple ingredients. I love making meals from scratch that are not only flavorful but easy and fast because life is busy enough as it is. All you need for these wings is chicken, BBQ sauce, spices, plus salt and pepper. If you love BBQ sauce, check out my BBQ Chicken Nachos!
- Make as the main dinner protein or easy snack/appetizer. These wings are great for game days, summer BBQs, or family dinners. They are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser amongst both kids and adults.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- chicken wings - Skin-on wings are the best wings to use for the crispiest results. If you remove the skin or use skinless chicken, the wings will still have great flavor but will not be as crispy.
- BBQ sauce - Use your favorite BBQ sauce here. This is where a majority of the flavor will come from.
- spices - This recipe uses cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Try using smoked paprika for extra smoky barbecue wings.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
📖Variations
- Mix up the spices. The dry rub I created for this recipe is very simple and can be made at home with just a few staple spices. If you have a pre-mixed dry rub you know and love, feel free to use it. Similarly, you can use more or less of each spice to your liking.
- Use your favorite BBQ sauce. Depending on the BBQ sauce used, the flavor of these bbq chicken wings can vary greatly. Try a sweet honey BBQ sauce, a North Carolina BBQ sauce for simple flavor, or a tangy Kansas City BBQ sauce.
- Make a hot buffalo version. If you like spicier wings, try using half buffalo sauce and half BBQ sauce.
🔪Instructions
These BBQ chicken wings are ready in just 35 minutes and are best served hot. Plan to make them as close to your meal time as possible.
- Pat the chicken skin dry. This step is essential for the crispiest chicken skin. The paper towels are going to soak up any excess moisture and allow the skin to become crispy as opposed to steamed.
- Coat in dry rub. In a large mixing bowl, toss the wings in the spices to evenly coat.
- Air fry. Add the coated wings to the fryer basket in a single layer, with space between. Cook for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees F, flipping halfway through. The wings should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Toss in BBQ sauce. Once the wings are cooked through, toss them in your favorite BBQ sauce and garnish with green onion. Enjoy immediately while hot!
💭Recipe FAQs
This is going to depend on the model you own because each air fryer is slightly different. Keep the wings in a single layer in the basket to prevent overcrowding. If you need to work in batches it is better to do so than try to cook too many wings at once.
No, the only way your chicken will be dry is if you overcooked it. I recommend using a meat thermometer to read the internal temperature of your meat and determine its doneness. This will help you learn if your model runs on the hotter or cooler side and will help you adjust cooking time as needed.
This recipe was specifically developed with thawed chicken and has not been tested with frozen chicken. Frozen chicken wings would take longer to cook through and would need an adjusted cook time.
Top Tips
- Keep ample space between the wings in the fryer basket to help the hot air circulate. If the basket is too crowded and the wings are packed in tightly, the air won't circulate well.
- Serve additional barbecue sauce on the side for dunking. There is nothing better than finger-licking, saucy wings.
- BBQ chicken wings can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Reheat leftovers in the air fryer or oven, as desired.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes You'll Love
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating & comment below to let me know how it came out. Thanks for visiting!
🍳Recipe
Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken wings
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- Green onions, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel, then add the wings to a large bowl with the spices and mix with your hands until wings are fully coated with the spices.
- Add the wings to the air fryer basket or rack and cook for 20-25 minutes, checking and flipping halfway through.
- Remove the wings from the air fryer, toss in bbq sauce and enjoy!
Notes
- Keep ample space between the wings in the fryer basket to help the hot air circulate. If the basket is too crowded and the wings are packed in tightly, the air won't circulate well.
- Serve additional barbecue sauce on the side for dunking. There is nothing better than finger-licking, saucy wings.
- BBQ chicken wings can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Reheat leftovers in the air fryer or oven, as desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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