Crispy, sticky, sweet & savory barbeque chicken wings made in the air fryer! The easiest wings you will ever make.

Why this recipe works
1. No Deep frying, dredging, or flipping
2. They come out so crispy, almost like they are deep-fried in tonnes of oil.
3. It needs no oil! YEss! They are oil-free!
These Barbeque Chicken Wings are the perfect game night appetizer or a quick, indulgent late-night snack.
Serve them with celery sticks, a cold soothing dip, extra beers, and a heap of napkins. You know you will need them!
Perfectly charred, smoky BBQ chicken wings! What comes first? The game or the game day food? I don't know about you, but give me all the finger-licking goodness because you know I ain’t watching the game.
Whether hosting or watching a movie, these crispy chicken wings are a perfect appetizer and snack. Speaking of appetizers and snacks, do give my air fryer buffalo shrimp, air fryer hasselback potatoes with garlic & airfryer honey chilli edamame a try too! They are soo addictive!
And if, like me, you freeze all the chicken the minute it hits home, here is how to air fry frozen chicken wings. The wings will caramelize and crisp up to golden perfection.
If you just got your air fryer and are looking for recipes, check out our collection of more than 50 Air fryer Appetizers and finger foods. These wings will be so good with a cool drink like a Blueberry Ginger Refresher or a cold Beer on a hot summer day!
This summer we have also been making these hot honey chicken wings and honey mustard chicken drumsticks.
Ingredients for Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings
All you need are four ingredients, especially if you use store-bought BBQ sauce.
Chicken Wings
Chicken Wing is divided into three sections: the drums, wingette, and the tip.I prefer flats of the wings.
Barbecue Sauce
If you have your favorite barbecue sauce, then use that. I haven't found a sauce that I love at all times. I make my own homemade BBQ sauce. It's easy to whip up, and you can adjust the taste as your choice.
Here is the recipe
- 1 Cup Ketchup
- 3 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Just mix it up and taste. Adjust the taste if needed. You can also use a dry seasoning blend, but I like sticky wings, which is only possible with BBQ sauces.
You do not have to stick to BBQ sauce while making wings in the air fryer. These air fryer garlic parmesan wings are a great variation to try.
How to Air Fry Barbecue Chicken Wings
Here is a detailed description of how to make BBQ chicken wings in the air fryer.
We will be adding BBQ sauce to the chicken wings at various stages. This will make sure the wings are FULL of flavor!
Step 1: Prep
Cut the wings into three parts. Or you can make them as they are too.Dry the wings on a paper towel.This will help in getting rid of excess moisture.
In a large bowl, toss them in salt, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of BBQ sauce.The baking soda will make the wing skin crispy and brown it more evenly. You can also use white flour instead.
We are doing this so the wings have a coating that will hold onto all the sweet BBQ sauce.
Step 2: Air Fry
Preheat the Air Fryer to 200C or 400F.Place wings to the air fryer basket in a single layer. You can add about 1 pound of wings at a time in mine. There is some overlap, but it works!
Air fry for 10 minutes.
Step 3:Brush the Wings with bbq Sauce & Air Fry
Take half the BBQ sauce.You can brush the wings with BBQ sauce or toss them in a bowl.
Air Fry for another 5 minutes.We air fry twice to get that perfect crispy skin caramelize the chicken, and char it to perfection.
Step 4:Toss the wings in the sauce
This step is optional, but I like the shining glistening sauce on the wings.Toss it once more in the leftover ¼ cup of BBQ sauce.
Serve the air fryer BBQ wings hot, with a side of ranch and crunchy celery sticks.Chicken wings are cooked when the meat just falls off the bone or registers an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) on the meat thermometer.
Wings should be served piping hot, straight after they have been cooked. That's when texturally, they are at their peak!
Serve it with your choice of dip. If the wings are spicy, I lean towards a cooling and soothing dip like blue cheese or ranch dip, sriracha aioli or a Greek yogurt cold dip, or a Tzatziki.
Another favorite side, along with wings, is celery & baby carrots. I love munching on it in between wings. It's such a perfect, easy-to-make delicious game day appetizer!
Storing Leftovers
Leftover wings can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. To eat, simply air fry again for 5 minutes.
You can also freeze the chicken wings in various stages- Tossed in sauce and flour, cooked air-fried wings, and finished wings. They can last for 2-3 months in the freezer.
Recipe Notes
Though the recipe is quite simple, I have a few notes to help you make the most delicious wings.
- Double Toss Wings- I like to toss the wings twice in the seasoning or sauce. After the first toss, most of the sauce caramelizes, and some falls through the air fryer basket. So I open the basket just 1 minute before it's done, and I add more sauce or rub straight to the basket.
- Sugar - If your sauce or rub contains sugar, the wings caramelize nicely to a golden brown hue. So if you are making a homemade rub, don't forget to add some brown sugar to it.
If you make these air fryer chicken wings, please leave a review. I appreciate every rating and review comment!
Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Chicken Wings
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Barbecue Sauce Check the notes for homemade recipe
Instructions
- Dry the wings & cut it into 3 parts- Drumette, Wingette and wing tip.
- Add the baking powder,1 teaspoon of bbq sauce & Salt in the wings. Toss it so they are evenly coated.
- Preheat the Air fryer at 400F or 200C for 10 minutes
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil.
- Place the wings in the air fryer. Try and not overlap much.
- Air Fry for 10 minutes.
- Open and brush the wings with BBQ sauce. Or you can tip the wings in a bowl and toss them in half the bbq sauce.
- Air Fry for another 5 minutes till the wings and the sauce has caramelized a bit.
- Take out the wings and add more BBQ sauce and serve hot!
Notes
Homemade Barbecue Sauce
- 1 Cup Ketchup
- 3 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Salt
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