Name: Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings (Gluten Free)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Ingredients: 1 lb Chicken Breast (Chopped into 2” cubes, 454g); 1 Egg; ½ cup Almond Flour; 2 Tbsp Tapioca Starch/Flour; ¼ tsp Paprika; ¼ tsp Chili Powder; ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper; ⅛ tsp Pepper; ¼ tsp Salt; 3 Tbsp BBQ Sauce; 2 Tbsp Water

Sweet, smoky and crispy Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings for a healthy gameday appetizer. Coated with almond flour, tapioca starch and a blend of spices, these gluten free boneless chicken wings have a perfect hot barbecue flavor!

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So many options when it comes to chicken wings!

Boneless vs Regular wings, Buffalo vs BBQ flavor.

Flavor is definitely a priority over the bone-ness, so I’m all for that barbecue sauce here. What I’m DEFINITELY not for is all the sodium in regular store bought sauces. Thankfully, miracle sauces – i.e. Mr Spice’s Honey BBQ Sauce – exist!

It has almost 0 sodium (2.5mg compared to the regular 175mg in a tablespoon worth) so I had pretty much no second thoughts before having a spoonful straight out of the bottle! Plus it’s Organic so a double win!

As for the bone-in or out, I think I’ve always been one for the boneless. I know some people consider boneless wings “fake” since it isn’t the actual chicken wing per se; But it’s so much cleaner to eat and more meaty too!

Ingredients for the Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings

These paleo friendly and gluten free chicken wings are coated with almond flour and tapioca flour so they have the crispy flavor without the bread crumbs! The rest of the ingredients are just basics you probably already have in your pantry.

Chicken breast – Makes this air fryer fried chicken even healthier
Almond flour – To replace the typical all-purpose flour in regular versions, and keeps this fried chicken recipe Gluten-free and Paleo!
Tapioca Starch – You can use the regular corn starch, but tapioca flour makes breaded chicken breast paleo.
Egg to catch the coating
Spices (Paprika, Chili Powder, Cayenne Pepper) for slightly spicy barbecue wings maybe?
Salt & Pepper

How to make Gluten Free Breaded Chicken Breast

You need to get a bit handsy with the process here to coat the chicken nuggets with the almond flour mix, but it really is a super easy process.

Whisk the egg in a shallow bowl.
In another bowl, mix the almond flour, tapioca starch, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
Prepare your workstation with the egg, dry mix and plate.
Take a piece of chicken at a time and dredge it first in egg, followed by the gluten-free breading.
Shake off the extra coating and place the piece on a plate. Do this with all of the chicken pieces.
Place them in an air fryer basket and cook for about 10 minutes at 375°F.
You might need less or more time depending on the size of your chicken. Don’t cook it too much or the meat will dry out.

Now toss the Air Fryer Chicken Wings in The Barbecue Sauce!

Do this step only when the chicken is almost ready so you have a hot and bubbly barbecue sauce to coat the freshly cooked wings.

To make a thick bbq sauce for these boneless chicken wings, first whisk together the regular barbecue sauce or marinade from a bottle with some water. Then heat it on the stove to thicken.

I would recommend a small nonstick pan or pot, and using about medium heat.

When the chicken is done, transfer the pieces to bowl, pour over the sauce, and toss until all the chicken nuggets have a nice thick barbecue glaze.

Tips for Crispy Crunchy Air fryer BBQ Chicken Breast

Use bite-sized chicken pieces; Too big and they won’t be as crunchy in every bite.
Coat all sides of the chicken completely when dredging.
Leave enough room between pieces or they won’t crisp up evenly. Spread them in a single layer and work in batches if you need to.
Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper like baking in the oven, so the chicken pieces don’t stick to the bottom.
Shake the air fryer basket or flip the breaded chicken bites over halfway so both sides get just as crispy.
Sauce before serving only. This way the chicken wings are still crispy when you eat them, and have that fresh bbq glaze!

Can you Deep Fry or Bake the Fried Chicken?

Yes. Simply bake the chicken pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 12 minutes at 425°F. You might want to spray a bit of cooking spray on first.

If you really want to deep fry it – they will be extra crunchy, but very fatty. Fry on a skillet in oil about 2” high heated to 350°F for a few minutes until browned on the outside. Test to make sure it’s no longer pink on the inside.

Can you store these Gluten free Barbecue Chicken Wings?

This chicken has a crispy and crunchy coating with the barbecue glaze when just cooked, so it’s best had fresh.

If you know you’re going to have extras, don’t toss the wings in the sauce until you’re ready to have them.

The cooked boneless wings will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

For a freezer-friendly alternative, let each piece freeze individually on a baking sheet and then place them in a freezer-safe zipper bag. They should last for even 2 months.

With both options, reheat them in the air fryer or use an oven. You could microwave them, but they won’t be as crunchy.

What about making it ahead of time and then baking or air frying?

To meal prep, first dredge and coat the chicken in the tapioca almond flour blend.

Then, like the cooked version, freeze each breaded chicken piece individually on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer-safe zipper bag.

When it’s time to cook, just cook them in the air fryer them straight out of the freezer, but for about 15 minutes.

Some ways to serve this spicy healthy appetizer

I actually enjoyed these barbecue chicken wings just by themselves since they had the nice sweet and slightly hot flavor, but ranch dip would go really well!

Any other creamy herby dipping sauce would be amazing too!

To make it part of a complete meal, maybe a side salad?

Some more Spicy Healthy Chicken Appetizers to try