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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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I got everything to make these tomorrow night & I seriously can’t wait! I am using them for Buffalo Chicken Salad that my husband & I love so much.
Based on the reviews, I’m SUPER excited to have this as my 2nd recipe in my new air fryer. I won’t lie, this recipe actually pushed me to get one.
Aw yay! That makes me so happy to hear Cheryl! I hope you enjoyed and adding them to a salad sounds amazing!! Thank you!
These were seriously so delicious and easy to make. I left some plain for my toddler and she loved them too. This recipe will be on regular rotation.
So happy to hear that Dyanne! Thanks for giving them a try!
I am allergic to almonds what would be a good substitute for the flour ? I am so excited to try these
Can you have cashews? Cashew flour would be a great sub (you can just grind up cashews yourself to make flour too)! Let me know how they go!
Oh my goodness these were so yummy! I made these wings for my super bowl party and my crew loved the flavors! They were quite surprised that they were consuming something made from all whole ingredients. I did have a little bit of “stickage” of the breading but I did forget to flip them as I decided to double the recipe and cooked 3 separate batches, keeping my hands covered in raw chicken. Would definitely prep them all ahead of time but wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe! They even inspired me to “rebake” the dish and turn them into something else. Will definitely make again!
So glad to hear that everyone loved them Kathryn!! They are definitely great to reuse in salads and what not too. Thank you for trying them!
These were amazing! I pan fried them because I don’t have an air fryer, but they turned out awesome! My hubby was very impressed and it totally met our craving for boneless buffalo wings. Can’t wait to mags then again!!
Woot woot! I love it when the guys approve too! Glad you liked them Catrina and thanks for trying them!
Great recipe! I don’t have an air fryer so I just cooked mine in the oven but they turned out great! I have tried so many almond flour breading recipes but none of them ever turned as good as using regular flour until I used this one. This is now my go to recipe for boneless wings! 🙌🏽
Love that you made them in the oven! Thank you for trying them!!
This recipe was perfect for the Super Bowl! I recently got an air fryer and this was the first recipe I tried – I didn’t even realize until reading through the comments that I left out the tapioca flour 🤦🏻♀️ But they were still DELICIOUS! I used The New Primal’s mustard BBQ instead of buffalo (since we had Buffalo chicken Dip on yesterday’s menu too) and they were so GOOD! Recipe couldn’t have been easier to follow (if you read the whole thing lol) and the leftovers are going to be perfect for salads this week!
LOL! That happens to me a lot haha! I love that you used that BBQ sauce, it sounds amazing!! Thanks for trying them Shauna!
I loved this recipe! It’s super easy to make and perfect while meal prepping – using the airfryer to free up the pan!
So delicious and approved by the whole family 🙂
Yay! So glad the whole family like them! Thanks for trying them Sigga!