Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Bites

Big plate filled with the chicken bites with sauce in the back - square

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Bites

Crispy on the outside yet soft and flavorful on the inside, these air fryer buffalo chicken bites are the perfect game day snack or appetizer. They’re quick, tasty, and so easy to make!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer buffalo chicken bites, air fryer recipe, buffalo chicken bites

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings bites

Calories 89kcal

Author Elaine Benoit

Equipment

Ingredients

3 cups chicken breasts (cooked - and chopped small in the food processor)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup buffalo sauce (Frank's)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounces cream cheese (full-fat, half a block)

For the coating

1/2 cup flour (white, all purpose)
1 large egg (whisked)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (or more if needed for the coating)

Instructions

Place chicken in the food processor and pulse until it's in small chunks.
Measure out 3 cups of the chicken into a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper.
3 cups chicken breasts, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Add buffalo sauce, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese. Take a spatula and mix the chicken with the rest of the ingredients until fully combined.
1/4 cup buffalo sauce, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 4 ounces cream cheese
Add flour to a shallow bowl. Add egg to another bowl and whisk until combined. And in the third bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs.
1/2 cup flour, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Take a little chicken mixture in your hands and roll it into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a baking sheet until all the chicken mixture has been used.
Place a few chicken balls in the flour mixture and roll them until they are covered. Continue until all the balls are covered.
Add each ball to the egg and roll it around. Next add to the panko breadcrumbs and make sure all the chicken balls are covered.
If you have the air fryer that has the trays, take them out. Place each ball on the trays. Make sure there is space between each chicken bite.
If you have the basket type, just place each covered ball back on the baking sheet.
Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees Fahrenheit and set the timer to 10 minutes. (You will leave the basket in the air fryer if you have that type.
Once the air fryer comes to temperature, add the trays - you won't need to turn them. But if you have the basket type, you will turn the bites after 5 minutes.
Also if you have the basket type of air fryer, you may have to do these chicken bites in batches.
Place some buffalo sauce in a dipping bowl and whatever dressing you prefer. I love dipping them in buffalo sauce.
Eat
Smile
Enjoy

Notes

Helpful tips

Although I use cooked chicken breasts for this recipe, you can also use thigh meat if you prefer.
I use a small amount of hot buffalo sauce because I don't want to overpower the taste of the rest of the ingredients, so this recipe is only mildly spicy. Dip them in your favorite hot sauce if you want them to be spicier.
I recommend using a food processor to chop the chicken into little pieces but you can chop it yourself. Just know it will take longer.
Usually you need some type of oil to help things crisp up in air fryers, but I don't add any because the panko bread crumbs make these bites crispy. If you do need oil, use either olive oil spray or vegetable cooking spray and use it sparingly.
Although I use an air fryer that has trays, you can also cook these chicken bites in an air fryer that has a basket. But you may have to cook them in batches.
I like different types of sauces to dip these bites in - buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing, and ranch dressing are my favorite sauces.
You can dribble some buffalo sauce over the chicken bites if you know you're going to eat them in one sitting, otherwise they will get soggy. I don't usually drizzle on sauce before serving, as I like everyone to choose how much sauce they want to eat.
If just hubby and I are eating this delicious appetizer, we usually have chicken bites leftover. We store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
We enjoy placing leftover buffalo chicken bites in a medium flour tortilla. We flatten them with the back of a spoon, drizzle on buffalo sauce, wrap them up, and devour them. So good.

Nutrition