Air Fryer Boneless Wings
This post is in partnership with El Yucateco Hot Sauce. All views are my own.
These crispy, juicy homemade boneless wings are made in the air fryer with just a few simple ingredients.
The sauce is made sweet, savory, umami and spicy all in one, with orange marmalade, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, Dijon mustard, soy sauce and El Yucateco Caribbean Chile Habanero hot sauce.
It’s the perfect appetizer, main dish or snack for your next football get-together!

How to make homemade air fryer boneless wings
Featured Ingredients
- Chicken breast: Three or four chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch cubes (the size of typical boneless wings) will make enough wings for about 6 people.
- Egg: Dipping chicken in egg wash will help the flour and cornstarch adhere to the chicken when it’s fried/air fried.
- Flour and cornstarch: A combination of both creates an extra crispy coating on the wings.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne.
- Orange marmalade and brown sugar: The sweet part of the sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, pairs perfectly with the El Yucateco Caribbean Chile Habanero hot sauce.
- Ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard: All offer acidic and savory notes, plus a smooth texture to the BBQ.
- Soy sauce: Umami – enough said!
- Garlic: A few freshly chopped cloves take this sauce to the next level.
- El Yucateco hot sauce: Arguably THE star of the show. The El Yucateco Caribbean Chile Habanero hot sauce is a vibrant, perfect blend of habanero peppers and carrots with a slightly sweet taste and mild heat.
- It goes so well with the orange marmalade and creates a unique and fabulous combination of flavors.
- You’ll want to add this wildly flavorful ingredient to all of your saucy recipes!
- What I love most about El Yucateco’s hot sauces is they focus on FLAVOR, not heat. They’re the #KingOfFlavor!
- I was able to find El Yucateco hot sauces at Meijer.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place orange marmalade, ketchup, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic and hot sauce in a large saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low; let simmer 5-6 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Alternatively, transfer sauce to a blender; puree until smooth. Keep sauce warm in saucepan.
- Preheat air fryer to 360 F.
- Set up a breading station:
- Place cubed chicken breast in a layer on a plate or sheet pan.
- Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl.
- Stir together flour and cornstarch in another shallow bowl.
- Divide salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and cayenne among the 3 bowls; stir each to combine.
- Carefully coat air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Working in batches, dip cubed chicken in egg wash, then flour/cornstarch mixture; shake off any excess flour.
- Line in air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Coat chicken with cooking spray. Cook 6-7 minutes. Flip, coat with cooking spray; cook an additional 5-6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of boneless wings reads 165 degrees F). Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Place boneless wings in pan with barbeque sauce; toss to coat. Serve with celery sticks, buttermilk ranch dressing and extra El Yucateco hot sauce, if desired.
Recipe Substitutions and Alterations
- For the chicken breast: Swap in boneless, skinless chicken thighs if that’s what you have on hand.
- For the orange marmalade: If using El Yucateco Caribbean Chile Habanero hot sauce, you could use apricot or pineapple preserves instead of orange marmalade, or a combination of them.
- For the brown sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar, depending on how much of a rich molasses flavor you want. Granulated sugar or honey would also work.
- For the mustard: You could use stone ground mustard or yellow mustard instead of Dijon.
- For the soy sauce: Tamari or coconut aminos would also work.
- For the garlic: Swap in ½ teaspoon garlic powder instead of freshly minced garlic.
- For the hot sauce: El Yucateco’s Grilled Pineapple and Habanero hot sauce would be a great substitution to use with orange marmalade in this BBQ sauce recipe. However, any of El Yucateco’s hot sauces would be fabulous here. You could alternate types of jam/jelly/preserves/marmalade to match the flavors of each hot sauce.
- El Yucateco has 13 hot sauce flavors, 6 of which were just released in 2023. There are endless flavor combinations to make the best wing sauce, right at home!
- Because El Yucateco focuses on FLAVOR rather than heat, it makes the perfect addition to so many recipes – it’s so versatile!
Nutrition Considerations
- To make this gluten free: Use gluten free all-purpose flour. Use tamari instead of soy sauce. Be sure all ingredients you choose are gluten free.
- To make this dairy free: There is no dairy in this recipe.
- To make this nut free: This recipe does not contain nuts. Be sure all ingredients you choose are nut free.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Store leftover wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat wings in air fryer or in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through. Wings can also be microwaved until heated through but will lose their crispiness.
Alternative Cooking Methods
- Baking: Follow all preparation instructions, then bake on a greased baking sheet at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and exterior is golden brown and crispy.
- Pan-Frying: Follow all preparation instructions, then pan-fry chicken in a few inches of canola oil heated to 350 degrees in a cast-iron skillet until chicken is cooked through and all sides of the exterior is golden brown and crispy.
- You can even do this on the grill if you’re tailgating; just be sure to make the BBQ sauce ahead of time and bring it along with you!
Tailgate-friendly recipes to try
- Ground Chicken Sloppy Joes
- Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Cheesy Cauliflower Tater Tots
- Chili Hummus
- Bacon Corn Fritters
- Cowboy Texas Caviar
- White Pizza with Spinach and Bacon
Air Fryer Boneless Wings
Crispy, juicy hand-battered air fryer boneless wings with a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce.
- Prep Time: 25 mins.
- Cook Time: 15 mins.
- Total Time: 40 mins.
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Air-Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Jammy BBQ Sauce:
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons El Yucateco Caribbean Chile Habanero hot sauce
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Boneless Wings:
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- 1 teaspoon onion powder, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
To serve:
- Celery sticks
- Buttermilk ranch dressing
- El Yucateco hot sauce
Instructions
- Place all barbeque sauce ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; let simmer 5-6 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Keep warm in saucepan.
- Preheat air fryer to 360 F.
- Set up a breading station: Place cubed chicken breast in a layer on a plate or sheet pan. Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl. Stir together flour and cornstarch in another shallow bowl. Divide salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and cayenne among the 3 bowls; stir each to combine.
- Carefully coat air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Dip cubed chicken in egg wash, then flour/cornstarch mixture; shake off any excess flour. Line in air fryer basket in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Repeat with remaining cubed chicken. Coat chicken with cooking spray. Cook 6-7 minutes. Flip, coat with cooking spray; cook an additional 5-6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of boneless wings reads 165 degrees F).
- Place boneless wings in pan with barbeque sauce; toss to coat. Serve with celery sticks, ranch dressing and El Yucateco hot sauce, if desired.
Notes
Storage Tip: Store wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer or oven. If you know you’ll have extras, keep the boneless wings and sauce separate and toss together right before eating leftovers.