Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings

Name: Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 8 chicken wings ((frozen)); 1 tablespoon buffalo sauce

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Cook perfect juicy, tender chicken wings from frozen in the air fryer with this easy method. The air fryer cooks any frozen chicken wings to perfection, without needing to defrost them first.

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Why you'll love it
Different chicken wings
How to air fry frozen chicken wings
Top tips
Serving suggestions
Flavor variations
Leftovers
Frequently asked questions
You might also like these recipes
Recipe

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Air fried chicken wings are tender and juicy, and you can make them exactly as crispy as you'd like. With this method you can air fry chicken wings right from frozen without having to defrost them first.

Do you ever find yourself in the kitchen ready to cook dinner, only to realize that you forgot to take the meat out of the freezer? Me too. Luckily, no one will be able to tell the difference, as the wings cook perfectly even from frozen.

Why you'll love it

Easy to make
No preparation needed
20 minute dinner
Minimum effort recipe
Kid friendly

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Different chicken wings

This recipe works perfectly with any type of chicken wings. Use it on whole chicken wings, or cut chicken wings. You can get frozen plain wings without seasoning, or frozen buffalo wings or other flavors.

Whole chicken wings can either be air fried as they are, or cut into drumettes and wingettes. See my post on How to Cut Chicken Wings for more information.

If you love this recipe, you might also want to check out my other chicken wing recipe, including my favorite Cajun Chicken Wings or BBQ Baked Chicken Wings.

How to air fry frozen chicken wings

You can find full instructions + ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page

Add the frozen chicken wings to the basket. Leave a little space between each wing to ensure an even cooking result.

Air fry the wings at 360 F / 180 C for 10 minutes, then flip and air fry for a further 10 minutes.

Serve the crispy chicken wings hot with your favorite dipping sauces and sides.

Step by step images showing how to cook air fryer frozen chicken wings.

Top tips

Although the chicken wings are frozen, they should be separated. If they are all stuck to each other, you should cook them for 5 minutes, then remove them from the basket and break them apart before you continue cooking. Also, add a few minutes to the total cooking time.
This recipe works best if you cook frozen pre seasoned chicken wings. If you use plain wings with no seasoning, I recommend adding seasoning, glaze or a sauce halfway through cooking.
Don't add any seasoning while the chicken wings are frozen, as the spices will drip off as the wings defrost.
Make sure to only cook wings in a single layer, and don't stack them on top of each other. The amount of wings you can cook at the same time will vary depending on the size of your air fryer. If you need to cook a big batch of wings, you might have to do it in multiple batches.

Serving suggestions

These easy chicken wings are best served as an entree for lunch or dinner, paired with a delicious dipping sauce and side dishes. Here are some of my favorite recipes to pair it with:

Side salad: Lemon Kale Salad, Black Bean Corn Salad, Asparagus Pasta Salad
Rice: Instant Pot Mexican Rice, Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice, Carrot Rice
Potatoes: Parmentier Potatoes, Mexican Potatoes, Healthy Mashed Potatoes
Vegetables: Air Fryer Eggplant, Spicy Roasted Carrots, Air Fryer Cauliflower
Sauce: Honey BBQ Sauce, Healthy Homemade Ranch Dip

A hand holding an air fried chicken wing.

Flavor variations

You can air fry chicken wings from frozen whether they are plain or pre seasoned. If your chicken wings don't have any seasoning, I highly recommend adding some, or they will be very bland.

I love to add a seasoning mix, dry rub, sauce or glaze to the wings.

If you're using dry spices, you can add these halfway through cooking, as you're flipping the chicken wings.

If you're using a sauce, I recommend adding this to the wings about 3-5 minutes before they are cooked to prevent the glaze from burning.

Buffalo chicken wings: Coat the chicken wings in buffalo dipping sauce, or melted butter mixed with Frank's RedHot sauce.

BBQ wings: Coat the wings in a thin layer of your favorite BBQ sauce. You can use any sauce that you like. I love my easy Honey BBQ Sauce.

Teriyaki wings: Add a very thin coat of teriyaki sauce.

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Leftovers

Store leftover air fryer chicken wings in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat them in an air fryer or microwave for a few minutes, and serve them warm.

You can also shred the meat from the wings, and use it in other dishes like salads or casseroles. This is a great way to use your leftovers if you don't like eating the same meal several times in a row.

Frequently asked questions

Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer?

Yes! Place a sheet of aluminum foil at the bottom of the air fryer basket to make clean up easier. This will prevent the air flow from being efficient, and will therefore slightly increase the required cooking time.

How can you tell that chicken wings are cooked?

You can check that chicken wings are cooked by inserting a meat thermometer into the middle of the meat. The internal temperature of chicken should be 145 F / 75 C.

Can you reheat chicken wings in an air fryer?

Absolutely. Reheat the wings at 360 F / 180 C for about 3-5 minutes, or until they are warm throughout.

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