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It’s #WingWednesday so of course I need to share another awesome air fryer chicken wing recipe! This Spicy BBQ Chicken Wing recipe will definitely inspire you for some #WingWednesday fun!
A couple of weeks ago I experimented with these barbecue chicken wings. I posted some glimpses of the cooking process on my Instagram story, and I made a poll asking if you wanted to see the recipe. Well, the votes spoke for themselves! I received 100% of the votes saying “yes,” so here I am! Better late than never, but you asked, and I’m going to deliver!
These chicken wings will get ready in about 30 minutes! Let me tell you that the air fryer really works magic in making these wings! You’ll get really juicy wings on the inside, but the skin of the wings will be nice and crisp.
What’s amazing about these BBQ chicken wings is how saucy they’ll be! Do you like sauce? Well this recipe is for you! I’ll confess that I actually really don’t like dry wings. For me, the saucier the better! These awesome sticky wings are sure to blow you away! When I made these sauce, I had so much extra sauce to soak these wings in! You’re in for a mess of a meal, but let’s admit it - the messier the food is, the more fun it is! Your hands-on work will be kept to a minimum, so you can just let the air fryer cook up the wings and enjoy the goodness! I’d recommend taking that time to prepare some awesome Air Fryer French Fries to pair with your wings (if you’ve got a free basket!), or some Oven Baked French Fries.
If you’ve already checked out my Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe, you’ll see that I made significantly less. This recipe was great to experiment with because instead of cooking 14 wings, I actually cooked 24, so that influenced the timing a bit. So if this is going to be for a full on party, then you’ve come to the right place!
My stomach is rumbling as I write this and I’m taken back to that awesome night where I made these! So I should end the intro now, let’s get started!
Are Air Fryer Chicken Wings Healthy?▼
Probably a really common question any air fryer recipe developer will receive! I’m not sure chicken wings are usually classified as “healthy” in any context to be honest with you. But the air fryer doesn’t make them as unhealthy as they could be, if you want to put it that way.
This recipe uses absolutely NO OIL! Yes, none! You may be wondering how come the wings don’t dry out without any grease, however? Well, the skin of the wings is fatty enough. You’ll notice when you’re air frying the wings that fat will drip into the basket. That’s all that you need to keep your wings nice and juicy! We’ll also be adding a lot of sauce to help keep our wings nice and tender.
As for the stickiness we all love in a BBQ wing, that’s where the final cook in the air fryer comes in. Because the air fryer acts as a little convection oven, the hot air circulates so fast that BBQ sauce will caramelize quickly without overcooking your chicken!
How to Make Spicy BBQ Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
This air fryer chicken wing recipe is unbelievably easy! Let’s get to it!
- Pat the wings dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel and season the chicken wings with paprika/cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
- Add a trivet to the air fryer basket and arrange the chicken wings in a single layer. Bake the wings at 350 F for 13 minutes.
- Flip the wings and cook for another 13-18 minutes or until golden brown.
- Toss the wings in a large bowl and pour in your favorite barbecue sauce. Remove the trivet from the air fryer, increase the temperature to 390 F and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until the barbecue sauce is caramelized and warmed through.
- Serve immediately with your favorite sides and pour any additional barbecue sauce from the air fryer basket for a saucier experience if desired.
How Do I Know the Wings Are Ready?▼
The wings are ready when they have a crisp golden brown crust on the outside. If you really want to be sure that they are cooked, they should reach an internal temperature of 165 F.
How to Reheat BBQ Chicken Wings?▼
I wouldn’t. Fresh would always be best.
But if you really have no other choice, add the wings to the air fryer basket and heat at 350F for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through.
Tips & Tricks for Tasty Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Pat the wings dry before cooking.
- You do not need to use tricks like baking powder or cornstarch to develop that beautiful crispy skin. The skin has enough fat to render and develop a crispy exterior. I have tried these tricks in the past, and I think they take away from the natural flavor of the chicken.
- Flip the wings after 13 minutes to ensure both sides get evenly colored.
- Make sure not to stack the wings on top of each other. If you don’t have enough space in your basket, then I recommend you make your wings in two batches. It’ll be worth it! You can always quickly reheat the wings from the first batch in the air fryer by selecting the reheat setting.
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