With just three ingredients and about 30 minutes, you’ll have delicious air fryer BBQ chicken wings ready to enjoy! Serve with your favorite sauce and dig in.
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Whether you’re making snacks for game day or whipping up dinner on a busy weeknight, wings are always a hit. And I just love the flavor you get from these easy air fryer BBQ chicken wings!
You only need three ingredients for this dish: BBQ rub, BBQ sauce, and wings. Seriously, that’s it! Use the rub to flavor the wings, let the air fryer cook them to perfection, then toss in your favorite sauce and enjoy!
Love wings? Check out our 35 best air fryer chicken wings recipes!
Here’s what I’m going to teach you in this post:
- How to make the best air fryer BBQ wings
- The easy way to whip up honey BBQ wings for a fun flavor twist
- How to make frozen BBQ chicken wings in the air fryer
- Tips for getting super crispy BBQ wings in the air fryer
This recipe is so simple, you can have it ready in about 30 minutes. And it’s one the whole family is sure to love! After all, who can resist sweet barbecue and crispy wings? From game-day snacks to family dinners, there’s never a bad time to throw this dish together!
How to Make BBQ Wings in the Air Fryer
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees F.
STEP TWO: Pat the chicken wings dry and coat the chicken wings evenly with the bbq rub. I love using Stubb’s BBQ Rub for the best flavor.
STEP THREE: Place the wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving room between the wings.
STEP FOUR: Cook for 20 minutes, flipping the wings halfway through.
STEP FIVE: Turn the temperature to 400 degrees and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
STEP SIX: Remove the wings from the air fryer and toss them in your favorite BBQ sauce. If desired, return the wings to the air fryer for another 1 to 2 minutes to heat up the sauce.
I recommend placing a parchment round or silicone liner in the air fryer when cooking sauced wings to help with clean up.
What is the Best BBQ Sauce to Use?
Feel free to use your favorite brand! Personally, I love Sweet Baby Rays and Stubb’s BBQ sauce. If you’re looking for something keto or low sugar, G Hughes is a great brand.
You could also whip up your own BBQ right at home! Once you try my 2 ingredient BBQ sauce, you may never go back to store-bought again.
Can I Make Honey BBQ Wings in the Air Fryer?
You bet! Just mix 2 teaspoons of honey into the BBQ sauce before coating the wings. You can add them back to the air fryer for a minute or two, or enjoy them right away.
I also love using honey in my air fryer lemon pepper wings. It just adds that little bit of sweetness that takes both recipes up a notch.
How Long Does it Take Wings to Cook in an Air Fryer?
At 380 degrees F, I like to cook wings for about 20 minutes, then increase the heat to 400 degrees and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. With this method, the total cook time is about 25 minutes.
Keep in mind that boneless wings will cook a bit faster than bone-in wings. If you want boneless BBQ wings, check out my air fryer boneless wings recipe and just toss them in BBQ sauce instead of our buffalo sauce!
How Do I Crisp Wings in an Air Fryer?
Craving a little extra crispiness? Make sure you pat your wings dry before cooking then simply increase the air fryer temperature to 400 degrees F for the last few minutes of cooking to get nice crispiness to the wings!
It’s my secret for the most crispy chicken wings in the air fryer without needing extra ingredients.
Can I Put BBQ Sauce in an Air Fryer?
BBQ sauce can burn if it cooks in the air fryer for too long. That’s why I recommend letting the wings fully cook, then tossing them in barbecue sauce and throwing them back in the air fryer for just a few minutes.
How to Cook Frozen BBQ Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Toss the wings in the BBQ rub then place the frozen wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- Add the BBQ sauce to the wings and return to the air fryer about 2 minutes to heat up the sauce.
This method will work for Tyson, TGI Fridays, Foster Farms, and Franks Kickin BBQ wings. You can also check out my post about cooking frozen chicken wings in the air fryer for more details!
How to Reheat Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
- Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees F.
- Place leftover chicken wings in the air fryer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until warmed.
- If wings are overlapped or touching, add an extra 2-3 minutes to the time for even cooking.
- Remove the wings from the air fryer and enjoy!
You can also check out my full article on how to reheat wings in the air fryer for all the best tips including ways to help with clean up when reheating already sauced wings.
Other Air Fryer Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:
- Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings
- Easy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Garlic Parmesan Wings in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Dry Rub
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks with BBQ Sauce
- 40 of the Best Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
- The Best Air Fryer Game Day Snacks
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Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs of chicken wings wings and flats separated, tips discarded
- 2 teaspoons Stubbs BBQ rub
- ¼ – ½ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees F.
- Pat the chicken wings dry and coat them evenly with the BBQ rub.Â
- Place the wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving room between the wings. Â
- Cook for 20 minutes, flipping the wings halfway through.
- Turn the temperature to 400 degrees and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the wings from the air fryer and toss them in the BBQ sauce. Return to your air fryer for another 1 to 2 minutes to heat up the sauce, or serve right away.
- Remove the BBQ chicken wings from the air fryer and enjoy!
Notes
How to Reheat Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer:
1. Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees. 2. Place leftover wings in the air fryer not touching and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until warmed thoroughly. If already sauced, use an air fryer pan, parchment paper, or silicone basket to help with clean up.How to Cook Frozen BBQ Wings in the Air Fryer:
1. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. 2. Toss the wings in BBQ rub then place them in the air fryer and cook for about 30 to 35 minutes, flipping halfway through. 3. Toss in BBQ sauce, then return to the air fryer for another 2 minutes then enjoy!Nutrition
This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.
This looks so delicious!
I love how simple and quick these wings were to put together! They were a hit at our family gathering last weekend. Delicious!
I’ve never made wings in an air fryer before. So very flavorful.