These Crispy Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wings are a classic and irresistible snack. Perfect for game day menus like the Super Bowl, March madness, or any occasion! These chicken pieces are crispy and fried to perfection, then tossed in a tangy and spicy buffalo sauce for the ultimate bite.
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These Boneless Buffalo Wings are a crowd favorite. Super tasty with a classic taste. They're finger-lickin' good!
Looking for more game day buffalo chicken recipes? Try these buffalo turkey meatballs, this buffalo chicken chili, these crispy baked chicken wings, or these Philly cheesesteak sliders.
You may also like these traditional wings to add to your lineup, including these air fryer lemon pepper wings, these hot honey wings, or these garlic parmesan wings!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Perfect for game day - This boneless wings recipe can be enjoyed as a fun group snack, appetizer, or main dish and can be served with a variety of dipping sauces.
- Staple ingredients - All of the ingredients are pantry staples or items that can be found at your local grocery store.
- No deep fryer needed - Just grab a deep heavy bottomed pot like a dutch oven! You can get perfectly crispy chicken every time.
- Spicy and crispy - This recipe is one of our all time favorites, because it's the perfect blend of juicy chicken, crispy breading, and a spicy and tangy sauce.
🐓Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts - Chicken tenders can also be used.
- Buttermilk - If you don't have buttermilk, combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per every 1 cup of milk, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then it's ready to use like buttermilk!
- Hot sauce - Our favorite sauce is Frank's RedHot.
- Egg
- All purpose flour
- Dry seasonings - We use a mixture of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and smoked paprika. Adjust seasonings according to your preferences.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Butter - We opt for unsalted so that we have more control over the salt level.
- Honey - Optional, but a hint of sweetness brings the recipe together.
- Frying oil - Use an oil that can withstand high heat like our top choice, avocado oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & variations
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- No buttermilk or lemon - You can swap buttermilk with just plain milk if you don't have any lemon to make your own homemade buttermilk. Pickle juice also makes really flavorful liquid to help keep the chicken juicy and flavorful.
- Use a different sweetener - Add some brown sugar to the buffalo sauce for extra flavor.
- Omit the sweetener - If you don't want to add any extra sweetener, no problem. Just leave it out.
- Add breadcrumbs - For an extra crispy crunch, add some panko breadcrumbs in with the flour or in a separate bowl and dredge the chicken pieces in it.
- Swap the sauce - If you like, you can swap the buffalo sauce for bbq sauce, honey mustard, or even this hot honey sauce.
- Gluten free - You should be able to swap the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour (affiliate link).
- We don't currently have a great swap for keto diets, but you may enjoy these keto chicken nuggets!
- Unfortunately, we don't have suggestions for replacing the egg in this recipe.
🔪Prep work
- Cut the chicken into large chunks (bite-sized). Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Begin heating a large heavy bottom dutch oven with cooking oil over medium heat.
- Measure out all remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
In a large shallow dish or large bowl, combine the flour, some salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Set aside. (Image 1)
In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, all of the remaining cayenne, some of the buffalo sauce, salt, and seasonings, reserving some of the seasonings for the buffalo dipping sauce. (Image 2)
Add some chicken pieces to the bowl of seasoned buttermilk, then, using a slotted spoon or fork, shake off any excess liquid. Transfer the chicken to the seasoned flour mixture, coat it, then shake off the excess flour. (Image 3)
If double-coating the chicken, continue to steps 4 & 5. If you are skipping the double breading, skip to step 6.
Dunk the chicken coated in flour back into the buttermilk mixture (Image 4), then, back into the flour mixture. Shake off the excess flour, then set aside. (Image 5)
When the oil reaches 350°F, add the chicken in small batches and fry for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through, or the internal temperature reaches 165°F with an instant-read meat thermometer. (Image 6)
Remove from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack on large baking sheet in a single layer. (Image 7)
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or skillet, heat the butter, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and remaining seasonings over medium heat. (Image 8)
Stir often to combine and allow the sauce to thicken. (Image 9)
Add the cooked chicken pieces to the hot buffalo sauce mixture (Image 10), and toss to coat. (Image 11)
Serve immediately with this Wingstop ranch recipe, blue cheese dressing, or your favorite dipping sauce and some celery sticks. If desired, garnish with parsley or green onions. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Dry the chicken thoroughly. Remove any excess moisture from the chicken by patting it dry with paper towels before breading. This will help ensure that the breading sticks so the chicken fries up nice and crispy.
- Use a double breading method. To get extra crispy chicken, consider using a double breading method. Just make sure to shake off excess flour and liquid between each step.
- Use the right type of oil. For the crispiest results, use an oil with a high smoke point.
- Control the temperature. Keep the oil temperature at around 350°F. If the temperature is too low, the chicken will be greasy and not crispy, if it's too high, the chicken will burn.
- Fry in small batches. Fry the chicken pieces in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, which will help to maintain the oil temperature and ensure that the chicken cooks evenly.
- Drain excess grease. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oil with a slotted spoon and let it drain on paper towels or on a wire rack to remove any excess oil.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
To reheat: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the chicken on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes to warm through. You can also place them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to help them get nice and crispy.
In the air fryer, you will only need to heat them for about 5-6 minutes total at 375°F.
To freeze once cooked, allow the chicken to cool completely, then freeze solid on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and store for up to 3 months. To reheat, quickly fry from frozen in hot oil or bake in the oven until crispy and cooked through.
To freeze when raw, place the uncooked and breaded chicken pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer, making sure they don't touch each other. Freeze the chicken pieces for about 2 hours, or until they are solid. Transfer the frozen chicken pieces to a freezer-safe bag or container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When it's time to cook, don't thaw the chicken, simply place in hot oil from frozen and cook through.
Make sure to remove any excess moisture from the chicken by patting it dry with paper towels before breading. Also, be sure to drain off excess buttermilk batter and flour.
For the crispiest results, use an oil with a high smoke point, like canola, peanut, avocado oil, or vegetable oil.
To avoid greasy chicken, make sure to control the temperature of the oil and keep it around 350°F. If the temperature is too low, the chicken will take longer to cook and absorb more of the oil.
Avoid overcrowding the pot when frying, as this can lower the temperature of the oil quickly.
Also be sure to blot off excess oil from the fried chicken on paper towels, or place on a wire rack so the excess grease can drain off after cooking.
🏈More Game Day Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Boneless Chicken Wings
Equipment
- large skimmer (or slotted spoon)
Ingredients
Flour mixture (makes enough for double coating the chicken)
- 3 cups all purpose flour (360 grams)
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoons onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
Buttermilk mixture
- 2 cups buttermilk (can use regular milk instead)
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce (we used Frank's RedHot)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Chicken tenders
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- oil for frying
Dipping sauce
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey (optional and to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Preheat a large heavy bottom dutch oven with cooking oil over medium heat to 350°F.
- In a large shallow dish or bowl, combine the 3 cups flour, 1.5 teaspoons each of salt, garlic, and onion powder, and ¾ teaspoon of each of black pepper, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the 2 cups of buttermilk, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of hot sauce, 1 teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder, and onion powder, and ½ teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Whisk until completely combined.
- Add some chicken pieces to the bowl of seasoned buttermilk, then, using a slotted spoon or fork, shake off any excess liquid. Transfer the chicken to the seasoned flour mixture, coat it, then shake off the excess flour. Repeat the steps to double coat, and set aside.
- Add the chicken in small batches to the hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through, or the internal temperature reaches 165°F with an instant-read meat thermometer. Remove from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack on large baking sheet in a single layer to drain off excess oil.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or skillet, heat the butter, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and remaining seasonings over medium heat. Stir often to combine and allow the sauce to thicken.
- Add the cooked chicken pieces to the hot buffalo sauce mixture, and toss to coat. Serve right away while they're nice and hot with celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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Notes
- The flour mixture is made for double coating the chicken. If you don't want to double coat the chicken, reduce the ingredients in the flour mixture only by about ⅓.
- Frying oil is not included in the nutrition facts, as it is impossible to know how much you will need for your dutch oven and how much oil the chicken will absorb during the cooking process.
- Dry the chicken thoroughly. Removing any excess moisture from the chicken by patting it dry with paper towels before breading will ensure the breading sticks and the chicken gets crispy. This will help ensure that the breading sticks so the chicken fries up nice and crispy.
- Use the right type of oil. For the crispiest results, use an oil with a high smoke point.
- Control the temperature. Keep the oil temperature at around 350°F. To ensure you don't burn the chicken or make it greasy.
- Fry in small batches. Fry the chicken pieces in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, which will help to maintain the oil temperature and ensure that the chicken cooks evenly.
- Drain excess grease. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oil with a slotted spoon and let it drain on paper towels or on a wire rack to remove any excess oil.
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