Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings [+VIDEO]

These Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings are smoky, crispy, and ready in less than 30 minutes using a few pantry spices and your favorite BBQ sauce. They’re an easy way to get sticky, lightly charred BBQ wings without starting the grill.

Serve these air fryer barbecue chicken wings for a quick family dinner, game day, or summer cookouts. Use your favorite BBQ sauce, or try my homemade BBQ sauce when you want a lower-sugar option.

Why Make BBQ Wings in the Air Fryer

• Smoky BBQ flavor without the grill: A hickory-style BBQ sauce gives the wings smoky flavor, while the final few minutes in the air fryer make the sauce sticky with lightly charred edges.
• Easy and ready in about 30 minutes: You only need chicken wings, pantry seasonings, oil, and BBQ sauce. They cook much faster than my Crockpot BBQ Chicken Wings, so this is the method I use when I want BBQ wings for a quick dinner.
• Works for dinner or appetizers: Serve them as a weeknight meal or make a batch for game day, cookouts, and other casual get-togethers.
• Use the BBQ sauce you like: Your favorite BBQ sauce works. When I want a lower-sugar option, I use my homemade BBQ sauce.

Ingredients Needed

• Chicken wings: You can leave the wings whole or separate them into drums and flats. I usually use wing parts because they’re easier to arrange in the air fryer basket. If you’re starting with whole wings, use my tutorial for how to cut chicken wings.
• Olive oil: Drizzle a small amount over the seasoned wings before air frying. This helps with browning as the wings cook.
• Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning make up the BBQ chicken spice mix. The seasoning base is similar to the one I use for my Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Fried Chicken Wings. For a shortcut, replace the entire spice mix, including the salt, with my BBQ Seasoning.
• BBQ sauce: Use your favorite BBQ sauce. I recommend a hickory-style sauce for smoky flavor. For a lower-sugar option, use my homemade BBQ sauce, which gets its smoky flavor from ingredients like liquid smoke.

How to Make Air Fryer BBQ Wings

You can find the video tutorial for how to make air fryer bbq wings in the recipe card or in the body of the post. The main steps are:

• Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel to remove as much surface moisture as possible.
• Mix the BBQ chicken spice mix in a small bowl, then toss the wings with the seasonings to coat.
• Arrange the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket and drizzle them with olive oil. Cook at 400°F for 15 minutes.
• Flip the wings with tongs and cook at 400°F for 10 more minutes.
• Brush BBQ sauce over both sides of the crispy wings, then cook for 5 additional minutes at 400°F to heat and lightly char the sauce.

Top Cooking Tips & FAQs

• Save the sauce until the end: Cook the wings until they’re crispy before brushing them with BBQ sauce. Adding the sauce during the final 5 minutes gives it time to get sticky and lightly charred without leaving it in the air fryer long enough to burn.
• Use wing parts to fit more in the basket: Whole wings work, but drums and flats are easier to arrange in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, using wing parts can also help you fit more wings without overcrowding the basket.
• Use parchment for easier cleanup: My Ninja Foodi basket is dishwasher-safe, so I usually don’t line it. If you want easier cleanup, you can use round air fryer parchment paper in the bottom of the basket.

How to Store Leftover BBQ Chicken Wings

Store leftover wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Can you use frozen chicken wings?

Yes, but I use a different cooking method when starting from frozen. Follow my Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings recipe first, then add the BBQ sauce once the wings are cooked and crisp.

Can you use a double rack to make more wings at a time?

I haven’t tested more wings than the amount listed in the recipe card. When I use a double rack in general, the main difference is that the food may need more cooking time.

If you want to make more wings at once, adjust the cooking time as needed before adding the BBQ sauce.

Recommended Side Dishes & Drinks

For dinner, serve these BBQ wings with Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Southern Coleslaw, Creamed Corn, or Cornbread Muffins.

For lighter or lower-carb sides, try Keto Coleslaw, Keto Cornbread, or Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli. If you’re making the wings for game day, add fries, veggies, and ranch dressing for dipping.

For drinks, serve them with cold lemonade or blueberry iced tea lemonade, especially for summer cookouts.

More Ways to Make BBQ Wings

If you want to make BBQ wings without the air fryer, try my Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Wings or Crockpot BBQ Chicken Wings. The oven version gives you crispy baked wings, while the Crockpot version is a more hands-off option.

If you try this recipe, please stop back and leave it a star rating and/or a review in the comments. Stay connected & share photos of your creations with me & others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!