I love to make these air fryer chipotle chicken wings. They are crispy and spicy on the outside and wonderfully moist and juicy inside. The homemade firecracker ranch dressing pairs perfectly, offering spice as well as an amazing tangy creaminess. The air fryer is perfect for making these, since it’s healthier than deep frying but quicker than baking!
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Everyone loves this tasty air fryer chicken recipe with a buttermilk firecracker ranch recipe dipping sauce. Put this one the menu and learn how to make air fryer chicken wings tonight!
Why You’ll Love These
- Perfect appetizers: Everyone loves wings and these firecracker wings are especially perfect if you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe.
- Spicy: They’re not called firecracker chicken wings without a good reason. If you love spicy food, you’re definitely going to enjoy these with the homemade ranch style dressing or even blue cheese dressing.
- Crispy: Nobody wants soggy chicken wings, whether you’re making adobo wings, Chinese inspired wings, peach bourbon wings, or these firecracker wings. Using baking powder means you can be sure to get them super-crispy.
With this tasty air fryer chicken recipe, you can rustle up your favourite Chipotle Mexican Grill dish. You don’t even have to leave home to get your spicy chicken fix. Easy chipotle chicken is great for any occasion, from a casual weeknight dinner to part of a buffet.
This is also a great dish to make if you are going to watch a movie with some friends over. I can’t think of an occasion these wings and buttermilk firecracker ranch recipe wouldn’t suit. Just make sure you provide plenty of napkins – they can be messy!
Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken Wings: Ingredients
You will need a couple of pounds of chicken wings along with various herbs, spices and seasonings to get the flavour spot-on. Brown sugar adds sweetness, while oregano, garlic and cilantro add gentle herby flavours.
You can always vary the ingredients, perhaps opting for air fried ranch chicken wings by using ranch dressing mix instead of the Mexican spices and then making a different dressing such as blue cheese or something light and yogurt-based perhaps.
The spice comes from bold-tasting ingredients like cayenne, pepper and paprika.
Buttermilk Wings Air Fryer Directions
After blotting away any excess moisture off the chicken, you can add the wonderful flavours. Make sure all the seasonings are well combined before you start.
Next you can add the wings to the dry seasoning mix and make sure they are well-coated. All that’s left to do now is cook them in the air fryer in a single layer.
How to make the Buttermilk Firecracker Ranch Recipe
One of my favourite things about air fryer chipotle chicken wings is this homemade firecracker ranch dressing. It’s so good! You can make this in a food processor either before you make the wings or while they’re cooking.
This buttermilk firecracker ranch recipe calls for a sour cream and buttermilk base, so you know it’s going to be tangy. Garlic, jalapeno, lime, cilantro, dill weed, and cayenne pepper go into the mix to pack it with flavours. For this buttermilk chicken wings air fryer recipe, this dressing is the perfect pairing.
This is absolutely the best homemade firecracker ranch recipe I have tried. It’s just amazing with the easy chipotle chicken.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken Wings
Once you know how to make air fryer chicken wings, you’ll want to make them. But what will you serve on the side? You could consider fries or potato salad. Onion rings are always good with firecracker wings or you might like to try some homemade pickled onions.
A simple green salad is another idea, or you could go more traditional and serve carrot and celery batons with crumbled blue cheese. Any of those sides would be incredible with this tasty air fryer chicken recipe.
Tips for Cooking Wings in an Air Fryer
Doesn’t it seem like air fryers have been around forever? The first one came out in 2010 though, so they are pretty new. At least when compared to microwaves and crockpots.
I love my air fryer because it heats up really fast – much faster than the oven. I can air fry foods which are usually either deep fried or oven fried, and they come out crispy.
You need very little oil to cook in an air fryer. In fact a lot of foods just need to be spritzed with some cooking spray. Some recipes don’t even need that.
This easy chipotle chicken is the perfect candidate for air frying. Once you know how to make air fryer chicken wings, you won’t want to use another method.
When you make this tasty air fryer chicken recipe, you will want to arrange the wings in a single layer and don’t let them touch. This maximises the amount of air that can circulate around them.
It’s the hot air which cooks and browns the chicken, so this is important. If your air fryer is a smaller model, you might need to cook your air fryer chipotle chicken wings in two batches.
If you are a fan of these air fryer chipotle chicken wings, you might also like Irresistible Air Fryer S’more Pie Pops with Nutella, Air Fryer Blackened Chicken Caesar Salad or Cobb Salad with Garlic Cilantro Dairy Free Ranch Dressing.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings FAQs
You might be wondering why there is baking powder in the ingredients list for this ranch wings air fryer recipe. Isn’t baking powder used to make cakes and breads rise? Yes it is, but there is another use too! You can actually use baking powder or baking soda here. The alkalinity raises the pH of the chicken skin. This helps the browning process and the skin will be browner and crispier! Have you heard of this tip before – try it. You’ll be happy you did!
A lot of people love to pair spicy wings with a creamy sauce, but ranch isn’t your only option. Blue cheese dressing would be really good with these too. Hot and spicy wings fresh out of the air fryer basket and chilled blue chilled dressing or ranch are a match made in heaven.
Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken Wings with Buttermilk Firecracker Ranch Recipe
Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken Wings with Buttermilk Firecracker Ranch
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 Teaspoon oregano
- 1 Teaspoon peppercorn cracked
- 1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- 2 Pounds chicken wings
- 1 Bunch cilantro fresh
Firecracker Ranch
- 1 Clove garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 2 Teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Cup sour cream
- 1/2 Cup buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 1/2 Juiced lime
- 1 Teaspoon peppercorn cracked
- 1 Teaspoon dill
- 1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Prepare firecracker ranch. Add all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until emulsified. Pour into a mason jar or covered container and place into the fridge.
- Rub chicken wings with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Toss wings in the seasoning to evenly coat.
- Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F for 5 minutes
- Place chicken wings into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook 25 minutes. Remove from heat
- Serve with firecracker ranch.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
So what kind of comfort food are you going to make? I highly recommend this easy chipotle chicken with tangy buttermilk firecracker ranch recipe. It’s so quick and easy. Are you also a fan of homemade firecracker ranch dressing and wings?
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for food, dogs, fitness, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
These are making my mouth water!