These Buffalo-BBQ Boneless Wings are the perfect restaurant copycat. Make them in the Air Fryer or on the stovetop in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken breasts – you can try using boneless skinless chicken thighs but the wings won’t be as healthy.
- Paprika – cayenne would also add a bit of kick to these wings.
- Onion powder – swap out for a bit of garlic powder instead.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Buttermilk – make your own buttermilk by combining 2 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice with 2 cups of milk. Let it sit for 10 minutes and you’re good to go!
- Crushed cornflakes – panko breadcrumbs would be a good substitute here. You could also use crushed potato chips, just make sure to leave out the rest of the salt.
Wing sauce
- Buffalo sauce – use a combination of butter, hot sauce and garlic powder instead.
- BBQ sauce – use your favourite store-bought brand.
- Butter – swap out for a dairy-free butter substitute to help cut the sauce.
How to make boneless wings
Step 1: Season the chicken.
In a large bowl, toss chicken with paprika, onion powder, salt & pepper.
Step 2: Make the cornflakes mixture.
Add buttermilk to a large bowl, and crushed cornflakes in another large bowl.
Step 3: Bread the chicken.
Toss chicken in buttermilk, then toss in cornflakes.
Step 4: Cook the chicken.
Heat 1/4 cup canola oil to a large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken pieces to skillet in a single layer, frying for 4 minutes per side until chicken is cooked through and coating is browned. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate for oil to drain.
Step 5: Mix together the wing sauce.
Meanwhile, mix wing sauce ingredients together in a large bowl.
Step 6: Toss wings in the sauce and serve!
When chicken is done, toss in sauce, then serve with carrots and celery and your fave dipping sauces. Enjoy!
What to serve with boneless wings
I typically like to serve my wings with carrots, celery and a dipping sauce like ranch or BBQ sauce. If you're looking for more side dish ideas, here are some of my favourites:
Frequently Asked Questions
Boneless wings are really similar to breaded chicken nuggets. Since it would be very difficult to debone a wing given how tiny they are, boneless breast meat is cut into bite-sized pieces instead. Then, the meat is seasoned, breaded and cooked to resemble traditional wings.
You can serve these wings with extra buffalo sauce, ranch, blue cheese, BBQ or pretty much any other wing dip of your choice.
This boneless wings recipe has 80 grams of carbs per serving.
If you're planning on making these boneless wings for a party, I'd recommend cooking and freezing the wings ahead of time. That way, you can just pop them in the air fryer or the oven right from frozen. You could also cook them and store them in the fridge the night before, but they might not be as crispy when you reheat them the next day.
If you're cooking your boneless wings in the air fryer, they'll need to cook for about 4 minutes per side at 400° Fahrenheit. If you're reheating them, cook them for about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Storing and reheating
Keep any leftover boneless wings in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. It’s best to store any extra sauce separately so the wings don’t get soggy.
To reheat, pop the wings in the Air Fryer until warmed through. It can help to start them at a lower temperature, then increase it after a few minutes to get the skin nice and crispy again. You could also try reheating your wings in the oven at 400° Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes.
Freezing this recipe
For a quick and easy appetizer, freeze the boneless wings for up to 3 months. Allow them to cool, then spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour, then transfer the chicken wings to a Ziploc bag and freeze.
When you're ready to enjoy your wings, you can reheat them straight from frozen in the air fryer or the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 400° Fahrenheit.
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More buffalo chicken recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these wings into leftovers.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders if you're marinating the chicken then freezing it.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Buffalo-BBQ Boneless Wings {Super Easy}
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts diced into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups crushed cornflakes
Wing sauce
- 1 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
To serve
- Celery
- Carrots
- Ranch and/or blue cheese dip
Instructions
For Stovetop
- In a large bowl, toss chicken with paprika, onion powder, salt & pepper.
- Add buttermilk to a large bowl, and crushed cornflakes in another large bowl. Toss chicken in buttermilk, then toss in cornflakes.
- Heat 1/4 cup canola oil to a large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken pieces to skillet in a single layer, frying for 4 minutes per side until chicken is cooked through and coating is browned. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate for oil to drain.
- Meanwhile, mix Wing sauce ingredients together in a large bowl. When chicken is done, toss in sauce, then serve with carrots and celery and your fave dipping sauces. Enjoy!
For Air Fryer
- Preheat Airfryer for 8 minutes on 400 F. In a large bowl, toss chicken with paprika, onion powder, salt & pepper.
- Add buttermilk to a large bowl, and crushed cornflakes in another large bowl. Toss chicken in buttermilk, then toss in cornflakes.
- Add chicken to Air Fryer once it's done preheating, placing nuggets in a single layer and spraying with cooking spray. Cook for 4 min, then flip and cook another 4 min. You may need to do the chicken in two batches.
- Meanwhile, mix wing sauce ingredients together in a large bowl. When chicken is done, toss in sauce, then serve with carrots and celery and your fave dipping sauces. Enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Erik says
My wife and I had some bonless chicken breast and wanted to try something different. We came across this recipe, it was quick and easy. We didn’t have the buttermilk on hand and made it, I went with franks red hot sauce with galic powder and smoked paprika. She went with garlic Parmigiani. Came out awesome. Highly recommend trying it out.
Adam says
Used the air fryer method and turned out great. Used lays potato chips because there were no corn flakes and they worked very well. Chicken is more tender than any restaurant I’ve had for these.
Taylor Stinson says
Ooooh potato chips would be a great sub! Thanks for your review!