# Air Fryer Buffalo Wings

Blistered, saucy wings with a cool blue cheese dip, on the table in about half an hour.

- Total time: 29 min (one cook, steps overlapped; 56 min if done strictly in order)
- Hands-on time: 16 min
- Serves: 4 (about 20 pieces)
- Method: Air fryer (also available: Oven)
- Difficulty: easy
- Source: https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com/r/air-fryer-buffalo-wings

## Ingredients

### Wings

- 2 lb chicken wings, split into flats and drums
- 1 tbsp baking powder, aluminum-free. Substitutes: cornstarch (Still crisp, a little less blistered)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper

### Buffalo sauce

- 3 tbsp unsalted butter. Substitutes: ghee (Nuttier, never splits); vegan butter (Works the same, dairy free)
- 1/3 cup Frank's RedHot. Substitutes: Crystal hot sauce (Tangier and a touch thinner); sriracha plus 1 tbsp vinegar (Sweeter, garlicky, hotter)
- 1 tsp honey (optional). Substitutes: maple syrup (Same job, rounds off the heat)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

### Blue cheese dip

- 1/2 cup sour cream. Substitutes: plain Greek yogurt (Tangier and lighter)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled. Substitutes: feta (Milder and saltier, for blue cheese skeptics)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste

### Veg sticks

- 3 stalks celery
- 2 carrots, peeled (optional)

## Steps (in the fastest order for one cook)

1. [0:00] **Pat dry** (Wings): Pat 2 lb chicken wings very dry with paper towels. _(3 min, hands-on, critical path)_
   - Why: Dry skin crisps. Wet skin steams.
2. [0:02] **Preheat** (Wings): Heat the air fryer. _(3 min, hands-off, 400°F, critical path)_
3. [0:03] **Season** (Wings): Toss the wings with 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp black pepper until evenly coated. _(2 min, hands-on, critical path)_
   - Why: Baking powder raises the skin's pH so it browns and blisters like it was fried.
4. [0:05] **Air fry** (Wings): Cook the wings in a single layer, flipping halfway, until deep golden and crisp. _(22 min, hands-off, 400°F, critical path)_
   - At 11 min in: Flip the wings
5. [0:05] **Stir** (Blue cheese dip): Stir 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1 tsp lemon juice together, fold in 1/3 cup blue cheese, then season with salt and pepper. _(3 min, hands-on, optional)_
6. [0:08] **Melt** (Buffalo sauce): Melt 3 tbsp unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat. _(2 min, hands-on, low)_
7. [0:08] **Chill** (Blue cheese dip): Chill the dip so the flavors come together. _(15 min, hands-off, optional)_
8. [0:10] **Whisk** (Buffalo sauce): Whisk in 1/3 cup Frank's RedHot, 1 tsp honey and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Keep warm off the heat. _(1 min, hands-on)_
9. [0:11] **Cut** (Veg sticks): Cut 3 stalks celery and 2 carrots into 4 inch sticks. _(3 min, hands-on, optional)_
10. [0:27] **Toss** (Wings): Toss the hot wings in the buffalo sauce until glossy. _(1 min, hands-on, critical path)_
11. [0:28] **Serve** (Wings): Pile the wings on a platter with the dip and veg sticks. _(1 min, hands-on, critical path)_

## Graph

Each step lists the steps that must finish before it starts.

- preheat-af (can start immediately)
- dry (can start immediately)
- season after dry
- air-fry after season, preheat-af
- melt (can start immediately)
- whisk after melt
- mix-dip (can start immediately)
- chill-dip after mix-dip
- cut-sticks (can start immediately)
- toss after air-fry, whisk
- serve after toss, chill-dip, cut-sticks

## Notes

- Wings straight from the fridge are fine. Frozen wings are not: thaw them first.
- Crowding the basket steams the wings. Cook in two batches if they overlap.

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Recipe graph by Dagwood (https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com). Licensed CC BY 4.0. JSON graph: https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com/r/air-fryer-buffalo-wings.json