These boneless chicken wings are made with cubes of tender chicken breast coated in the crispiest buttermilk batter, fried to perfection then tossed in 2 different sauces!
Boneless Wings
Buttermilk-marinated boneless chicken wings are fried until crispy and golden, then doused in Buffalo sauce or honey BBQ sauce. It’s basically a grown up adult version of my kids favorite Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets!
When it comes to boneless wings, I say the crispier the better, and the saucier the better! They’re the perfect Super Bowl appetizer for game day, a New Year’s Eve party snack, or anytime you crave restaurant-style boneless wings in the comfort of your own home.
Ingredients Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Chicken breasts: Cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Unlike baked chicken wings, these have much more meat to bite into.
- Buttermilk: Marinating the chicken in buttermilk helps tenderize the chicken, thanks to the acidity. It also adds extra flavor and moisture.
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch: Gives the boneless chicken wings a deliciously crispy coating.
- Seasoning: Sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika.
- Vegetable oil: For frying.
- Buffalo sauce and honey BBQ sauce: Your favorite store-bought sauces or you can make my homemade Buffalo sauce and homemade BBQ sauce recipes.
How to Make Boneless Chicken Wings
Let the cubes of chicken sit in a bowl of buttermilk while you set up the dredging station.
Add the flour, cornstarch, and seasoning to a shallow bowl then pour the remaining buttermilk into another shallow bowl. Use a fork to dip the buttermilk-coated chicken into the flour mixture, then buttermilk, then back into the flour.
Place chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat until all the pieces of chicken are coated. Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes.
Heat oil over medium heat. Once it is hot enough, cook the boneless chicken wings in batches of about 8-10 pieces at a time for about 4-5 minutes. Flip halfway.
Once golden brown and cooked through, remove the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate until all of the chicken is done.
Toss half the boneless wings in Buffalo sauce and the other half in BBQ sauce until they’re all smothered in sauce. Enjoy!
Using the Air Fryer
The air fryer works beautifully for these boneless Buffalo wings; however, because the basket is small, you’ll need to cook them in batches.
Add as many as you can fit, leaving space between each one, into the air fryer basket. Spray with cooking oil (this helps to brown them) and cook at 400°F for 8 minutes, flipping halfway.
Tips for the Best Boneless Wings
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, if preferred.
- A digital thermometer is the best way to tell when the chicken is fully cooked. It should have an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Add cayenne pepper to the seasoning for extra heat.
- Use one kind of sauce for all the boneless chicken wings, if preferred.
- Serve with: carrot and celery sticks on the side, along with blue cheese dressing and homemade ranch dressing for dipping.
- Oven baked buffalo wings: Lay the coated boneless bites onto the baking sheet, about 1-2 inches apart. Bake them in a preheated 450°F oven for 10 minutes and then broil them for a couple more minutes.
Storing and Reheating
- Store: Keep them refrigerated in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: My favorite way to reheat them is to use the air fryer if just a few. If more than a few, I’ll arrange them on a baking sheet and reheat them in the oven. The microwave works too; however, you won’t get that crispy bite back again.
More chicken wings recipes to try include teriyaki chicken wings and lemon pepper wings or make buffalo cauliflower wings!
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Boneless Chicken Wings
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts , cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk , divided
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- vegetable oil , for frying
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- ½ cup honey barbeque sauce
Instructions
- Coat chicken in buttermilk: Add the 1 pound chicken pieces and 1/3 cup of buttermilk to a shallow bowl. Toss to coat the chicken and set aside
- Whisk dry ingredients: Whisk together the 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, & 1/2 teaspoon paprika in a separate shallow bowl.
- Put buttermilk in bowl: Add the remaining 2/3 cup of buttermilk to a third shallow bowl.
- Coat chicken three times: Using a fork, take a single buttermilk coated piece of chicken and place it into the flour mixture. Lightly coat with flour then move it to your third bowl to coat it in buttermilk. Return it back to the flour mixture and heavily coat. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
- Let chicken rest: Once all pieces are coated, allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat oil: To a heavy skillet add 1 inch of oil and heat over medium.
- Cook chicken in oil: When the oil reaches 375°F add the chicken pieces in batches of 8-10 pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway through. The chicken should be golden and the internal temperature 165°F.
- Remove chicken: Remove the chicken onto a paper towel baking sheet and repeat until all chicken is cooked.
- Toss chicken in sauce: Toss half of the chicken in ½ cup buffalo sauce and the other half of the chicken in ½ cup honey barbeque sauce. Or, use 1 cup of your choice of sauce to coat all the boneless chicken wings.
- Serve: Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Appetizers, Chicken, Dinner, Mini appetizers, Reader Favorites, Snacks, Stovetop, Super Bowl
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Very family friendly with the option of the 2 sauces! Turned out crispy, tender and saucy. Alisha, recipe tester
Yes, a sauce for everyone’s preference! So glad your family enjoyed them.