Make no bones about it, these boneless buffalo wings are always the first thing gone on my game day table! I coat juicy bites of chicken breast in a flavorful seasoned breading, fry them until perfectly golden, then toss them in my signature homemade Buffalo sauce. These boneless chicken wings are guaranteed crispy, saucy, and crowd-pleasing!
Homemade Boneless Chicken Wings
I’ll be honest. As much as I love traditional Buffalo wings, I’ll pick boneless chicken wings if I have the choice. They’re juicy, full of flavor, and I don’t have to wrestle with bones to enjoy them! What can I say, I just love the way bites of white meat chicken breast turn into delicious boneless buffalo wings that are easy to bake or fry. It’s the perfect game day snack!
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My Simple Buffalo Sauce
My homemade Buffalo sauce is the real game-changer for these boneless wings. I start with hot sauce, add honey and brown sugar for balance, a touch of vinegar for brightness, and Worcestershire for depth. It clings to the wings without making the breading soggy, so they always come out wonderfully-crispy and totally crave-worthy!
🙈 Learn from my mistake!
I thought it would be easier to move the chicken pieces from the hot oil directly to a bowl with the buffalo sauce to save a step. But that left me with soggy breading, and the sauce didn’t cling the way I wanted it to.
💡Lesson Learned: Be sure to drain the wings after frying, so excess grease and oil doesn’t sit on the surface.
Boneless Buffalo Wings Recipe
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Dutch Oven
- Deep Fry Oil Thermometer
Ingredients
For the Boneless Wings:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 2-inch nuggets*)
- Vegetable oil (for frying**)
For the Buffalo Sauce:***
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- ½ cup Frank’s RedHot hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- In a large resealable bag, combine the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Shake to fully combine.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 1½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add in the chicken pieces (about 10 at a time), sealing and shaking to fully coat the wings in the flour mixture. Remove wings from the mixture and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Repeat with all the chicken until they are all fully coated in the flour mixture. Place wings in the refrigerator for 10-30 minutes; this will help the flour to fully adhere to the wings.
- While the wings chill in the refrigerator, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven to 360°F.Vegetable oil
- Fry the wings in batches of 10 for 10-15 minutes, or until the wings are crispy, browned, and fully cooked through. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- When you start frying the last batch of wings, start the sauce. Heat the buffalo sauce ingredients in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, reduce to simmer and continue cooking. Use a whisk to stir the sauce often while cooking, about 10-15 minutes.½ cup Frank’s RedHot hot sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 cup unsalted butter
- Once all the wings are done and drained of oil, add them all to a large bowl and toss in the hot sauce.
Notes
- Cut the chicken into equal-sized pieces so they all cook at the same rate.
- Always chill the chicken before frying to help set the breading.
- I recommend using a deep-frying or instant-read thermometer to monitor the oil temperature. If it is too cold, the wings will turn greasy. Too hot, and the breading will burn while the meat stays raw.
- Always let the oil return to temp between batches for the best results.
- Keep cooked wings on a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a 250°F oven until all batches are done. They stay hot, crisp, and ready for sauce.
- Let the wings rest on a wire rack or paper towels for 1-2 minutes before tossing them in the sauce. This helps drain excess grease, locking in crispness.
- Use a good quality unsalted butter (European-style is best if you have it) for a silky sauce that clings to the wings instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
- Feel free to use any wing sauce you like on these boneless wings! If you’re not feeling the buffalo, try my lemon pepper wing sauce.
- The spice level depends on the type of hot sauce you use and how much of it you add to the honey butter mixture.
- To make the wings spicier, add more hot sauce.
- To make them sweeter, add more honey.
- To bake boneless wings: spray them lightly with nonstick spray or olive oil and bake in a 375°F oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.
- To air fry boneless wings: preheat your air fryer to 400°F and spray the basket with olive oil or nonstick spray. Arrange the wings in a single layer, spray with more oil, and air fry for 16 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Note: Water, salt, pepper, oil, and broth are not counted as ingredients on this site.
Watch one of our trusted recipe testers make this!
Kristina shows us how easy it is to turn chicken breast into crispy boneless wings.
Foolproof Tips
- Don’t over-crowd while frying. The wings need room to fry properly on all sides. Trying to fry too many pieces at once can affect the oil temperature, which needs to be maintained for the crispiest results. Instead, fry in batches of about 10 pieces, depending on the size of your pot.
- Don’t skip the chill. That quick 10-30 minute chill time in the fridge is my secret to crispy boneless wings! This helps the flour really cling to the chicken, so it won’t slide off when you dunk them in hot oil to fry. That means a heartier, sturdier breading that maintains its crispness.
- Don’t toss in the sauce too soon. Like I showed you above, tossing the chicken pieces in sauce directly after frying leads to a greasy, runny mess. Instead, let the oil drain for at least a few minutes before coating in buffalo sauce. Even better, wait until all batches are done frying before adding the sauce.
How to Make Boneless Wings Step by Step
Cut Chicken Breast into Boneless Wings: Start with 1½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2-3 breasts). Cut into bite-sized pieces, about 2-inches each. It’s important to cut these into evenly-sized pieces so that they cook through at the same rate.
Make the Seasoned Breading: In a large resealable bag, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon of ground paprika, 1 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper, 1½ teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper to taste. Shake to fully combine the spices.
Add the Chicken: Next, add the boneless chicken breast pieces to the bag of spices (about 10 at a time), seal it, and shake to fully coat the wings in the flour mixture. Once coated, remove them from the bag and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
Chill: Once all pieces of chicken are breaded, place the tray of wings in the refrigerator to chill for about 10-30 minutes. This will help the flour to fully adhere to the wings, so it doesn’t fall off while frying.
Heat the Oil: While the wings chill in the refrigerator, heat 3 inches of frying oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven to 360°F. I prefer to use a deep-frying thermometer to ensure the temperature stays consistent throughout the frying process.
Fry the Wings: Fry the boneless wings in batches of 10, for 10-15 minutes; or until the chicken pieces are crispy, browned, and fully cooked through to 165F. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. If you have a lot of wings, you can place them in a 250°F oven to keep warm while you fry the rest. When you start frying the last batch of wings, start the buffalo sauce.
Make the Buffalo Sauce: In a saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine ½ cup of Frank’s RedHot hot sauce with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, ½ tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1 cup of unsalted butter. Once bubbling, reduce to a simmer and continue cooking. Use a whisk to stir the sauce often while cooking, about 10-15 minutes.
Toss the Wings: Once all chicken pieces are done and drained of oil, add them to a large bowl and toss in the Buffalo hot sauce until well coated. I don’t like to leave them in the sauce for too long, or they can turn soggy. Instead, I usually move the sauced wings to a serving platter right away.
Serve: Serve boneless wings while hot, with ranch or your favorite dipping sauce!
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
Store leftover boneless Buffalo wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat wings in a 350°F oven or air fryer for 5-7 minutes, or until warmed through.
More Buffalo Wing Recipes to Try!
Note: This recipe is one of those few exceptions on our site that has more than 10 ingredients. We try to keep things VERY easy around here, and limiting ingredients and time spent is one of our favorite ways. That being said, this recipe is too delicious to leave out of our recipe box! It’s an exception that is so flavorful and worth the extra ingredients if you have the time and resources to make it.
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