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AIR FRYER BONELESS BUFFALO WINGS!! Can you tell I’m excited!?!?!
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This is one of my favorite buffalo chicken recipes. If it’s not mine, I’m pretty sure it’s Michael’s favorite. He is obsessed. My love for buffalo anything runs deep – buffalo chicken tenders, buffalo Brussel sprouts, twice-baked sweet potatoes, chicken salad – the list can go on.
Chicken wings were one of my favorite things growing up, and I’m so excited to share this easy and healthy way to make them at home with you guys! These air fryer boneless buffalo wings are lightly breaded in a homemade gluten-free flour mix. Then baked in the air fryer for a crispy outside, juicy in the middle, boneless buffalo wing. And finally tossed with an easy homemade buffalo sauce.
The ingredients make them naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, and Whole30. Plus, using the air fryer makes “frying” foods so easy, as you don’t have to use all the oil you normally would. It also gives you the perfect crispiness that sometimes you can’t achieve in the oven, and it’s a lot faster!
The outcome is the best appetizer, party, or game day food. Perfect for the Super Bowl coming up, if you ask me! Once done, we love serving them with some veggies and our favorite dipping sauce. Guacamole pairs perfectly with the buffalo sauce and helps balance out the spice from the wings. Good Foods Chunky Guacamole is our favorite – it’s made from real, whole food ingredients, tastes delicious, and doesn’t have any preservatives.
Why you’ll love these air fryer boneless wings
- restaurant-style boneless chicken wings at home!
- better for you – with using the air fryer, not a lot of oil is used, lowering the fat and calories compared to a restaurant. Plus, one serving has 47 grams of protein.
- perfect for a party, game day, or a fun dinner!
Air fryer boneless buffalo wings ingredients
- chicken breast
- almond flour – this flour makes the majority of the breading.
- tapioca flour – the second part of the breading, which helps lighten up the almond flour and fries up nicely.
- eggs – you’ll need 2 eggs for whisking.
- chili powder – for a little extra flavor and also to add some color to the breading
- paprika – same as the chili powder.
- cayenne pepper – a little added kick!
- ghee or butter
- hot sauce
- lemon juice
- garlic powder
- salt
How to make air fryer boneless buffalo wings
- Make your breading. In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, tapioca flour, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt and pepper.
- Set up an assembly line with cubed chicken, whisked eggs, and the flour mixture.
- Bread the chicken. Dip a piece of the chicken in the egg mixture, making sure it is fully coated. Roll in the flour mixture, fully coating and shaking off any excess. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Cook. Spray the bottom of your air fryer with some avocado oil. Place chicken in a single layer in your air fryer basket, spreading out evenly and leaving room in between pieces so the air can easily flow through. Spray the top of the chicken with a light coating of avocado oil. Close the drawer, set the air fryer on manual at 375°F for 15 minutes, pausing halfway through to flip them up, making sure they are still evenly spread out after flipping. Once done, they should be crispy and golden brown. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you will probably have to cook the chicken in two batches to make sure they are not overcrowded.
- When the chicken is cooking, make the buffalo sauce. Add hot sauce, ghee, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until warmed through and combined, about 3 minutes.
- Coat chicken. Once the chicken is done, add it to a large bowl and pour the buffalo sauce over the chicken. Carefully stir to coat the chicken (I find using a spoon works the best). Make sure to mix carefully, as you don’t want the breading to come off.
- Enjoy! Serve with guacamole, ranch or blue cheese, carrots, celery, and more hot sauce!
Can you pan-fry these?
I haven’t tried, but many of you have, and it works great! You can follow the method for this popcorn chicken and add about 3/4-1 cup of oil to a large skillet and let it get hot. Fry the chicken in batches, making sure not to overcrowd them.
Can you bake these?
Again, I haven’t tried, but many of you have and say it works well. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a wire rack on top of the parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray/oil (necessary to help them not stick) to help with even airflow. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until crispy and cooked through. If desired, put them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to get them extra crispy.
Storage and reheating
- fridge – store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- freezer – I have not tried freezing this recipe and am not sure if it would work, as they could lose their crispy texture.
- reheating – to reheat, place leftovers in the air fryer and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until warmed through.
Substitutions and additions
- chicken breasts – chicken thighs should work the same, they will just be a little fattier.
- eggs – there is no substitute for this.
- almond flour – I haven’t tried another flour mixture, but I think substituting another nut flour (cashew would probably be best) would be the safest. I have not tried a store-bought gluten-free flour mix or all purpose flour.
- tapioca flour – arrowroot flour or cornstarch will work instead of tapioca.
- spices – feel free to change the ratios if desired.
- buffalo sauce – homemade or store-bought will work interchangeably for this recipe. You can also swap out the buffalo sauce for another sauce.
More healthy air fryer recipes
- air fryer salmon bites
- the best air fryer french fries
- crispy air fryer brussel sprouts
- air fryer buffalo wings
- air fryer sweet potato fries
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Air Fryer Boneless Buffalo Wings
equipment
ingredients
Air Fryer Boneless Buffalo Wings
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch bite-size pieces
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper, to taste
- avocado oil, or similar cooking spray
- for serving – guacamole, ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, carrot sticks, celery sticks, buffalo sauce…
Buffalo Sauce
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1/2 cup hot sauce (I suggest Frank's for the best flavor)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt, to taste
instructions
- Make your breading and whisk your eggs. In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, tapioca flour, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt and pepper. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk your eggs.
- Set up an assembly line with cubed chicken, whisked eggs, and the flour mixture.
- Bread the chicken. Dip a piece of the chicken in the egg mixture, making sure it is fully coated. Roll in the flour mixture, fully coating and shaking off any excess. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Cook. Spray the bottom of your air fryer with some avocado oil. Place chicken in a single layer in your air fryer basket, spreading out evenly and leaving room in between pieces so the air can easily flow through. Spray the top of the chicken with a light coating of avocado oil. Close the drawer, set the air fryer on manual at 375°F for 15 minutes, pausing halfway through to flip them up, making sure they are still evenly spread out after flipping. Once done, they should be crispy and golden brown. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you will probably have to cook the chicken in two batches to make sure they are not overcrowded.
- When the chicken is cooking, make the buffalo sauce. Add hot sauce, ghee, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until warmed through and combined, about 3 minutes.
- Coat chicken. Once the chicken is done, add it to a large bowl and pour the buffalo sauce over the chicken. Carefully stir to coat the chicken (I find using a spoon works the best). Make sure to mix carefully, as you don't want the breading to come off.
- Enjoy! Serve with guacamole, ranch or blue cheese, carrots, celery, and more hot sauce!
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nutrition
Recipe by Kelly Nardo, Eat the Gains | Photography by Sierra Inn
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Super Bowl Sunday. A new air fryer. Coming off whole 30…. all perfect for making these Boneless Buffalo Wings! Kelly has the best recipes and this one is awesome! Air fryer gives it the crunch you need to feel “fried” and the buffalo sauce is the perfect addition! YUM!
Yay for a new air fryer! Thank you so much for trying them Courtney and so glad you liked them!!
Excited to try this recipe today! I dont have any Tapioca Flour. Do you think I can omit?
Yay! I haven’t tried it without – I don’t think it is definitely required, but does help them get nice and crispy. Arrowroot would also work if you have that. Hope you enjoy!
I didn’t have tapioca flour and just subbed it with almond flour… they were still delicious!!
Good to know! Thank you!!
I ended up just using almond flour only. The taste on these were delicious and got lots of compliments, but I think I wish they were a little more crispy (my bad, I used the wrong temp setting plus after eliminating the tapioca flour that probably didn’t help either). Only comment from my DH was he wanted more sauce! I think mixing the ghee with the hot sauce and other spices is key! Thank you for the recipe!
Glad you guys liked them! The tapioca definitely adds to help make them crispy, but good to know it works without. I always say more sauce, I can add that in the recipe notes! Thanks Amity!
I just printed this recipe, and I will try it tomorrow for the “GAME” I don’t have an air fryer yet.
What one do you recommend? BTW I love your recipes and Cashew! (Mike is not to bad either 🙂 lol
Hi Terri!! Thank you! This is the air fryer I have and absolutely love it! I would definitely recommend. If you want to make them before you get one, you can try to pan fry them. A few others have tried it using this method and said it works – https://healthguidecentral.org/paleo-popcorn-chicken-whole30/%3C/a%3E – also, if you scroll up on the comments, someone left a comment that they baked them in the oven (with directions) and it worked. Hope that helps!!
I made these buffalo tenders for dinner and OMG! It tastes just like take out but way healthier. My fiancé has not stopped talking about how delicious they were. Definitely making another batch for the Super Bowl! Yum!
YAY!! Always love it when the guys approve! So glad you guys liked them and thanks for trying them Melissa!
Tried this recipe tonight on day 30 of my January Whole39 and it was AMAZING! We don’t have an air fryer so I baked them at 375 for 25 min, flipping halfway through, and broiled for 2 min/side at the end to crisp them up. Hubby and I both thought they were fantastic! My kids ate them without the sauce and they devoured them. This will definitely be a regular in our meal rotation from now on. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
So glad they worked baking them! Glad y’all enjoyed them and thanks for trying them Stephanie!
I made these for dinner for the last night of my Whole30 and they were SO GOOD! I love buffalo chicken and am always on the hunt for a healthier version. This recipe combined with the air fryer made perfect crispy nuggets. I will definitely be recommending this recipe!
Yay!! So happy to hear that Jackie! They are our new favorite, thanks for trying them!
I made this recipe for dinner tonight and my husband and I really loved it! It’s very simple and easy to make and the flavors and texture are great! Highly recommend this recipe to anyone in the mood for some buffalo goodness 🙂
Thank you Mariah! Glad y’all liked it and thank you for trying it!
Love this recipe! I didn’t follow it exactly because I don’t have an air fryer (so I used avacado oil and a frying pan) and I used some different spices but WOW! I’ve been trying to make crispy chicken forever and it’s always just “okay” never AWESOME! The breading usually kind of falls apart and it’s never as crispy as I want but after seeing this recipe and adding the Tapioca Flour, FINALLY I have amazing crispy chicken! Thanks to this blog! Keep the recipes coming, girl! We love ‘em!
Yay!!! So happy to hear that Amy! Thanks for trying it and glad you enjoyed!