Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer

Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer?! Learn how easy it is to air fry your frozen wings to crispy chicken wings right in your air fryer basket!

I know it sounds insane, but yes! You can make crispy air fryer chicken wings!

Everyone loves delicious wings with their favorite sauce. But, sometimes, time doesn’t allow you to thaw fresh wings…

This post will walk you through every step you need to take for the best results. Don’t worry! There is a printable recipe card below!

There is almost no prep time and no extra ingredients like potato starch or baking powder.

These make the perfect appetizer for game day, Monday, or any day!

How to make Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer

I love keeping fresh frozen chicken wings in my freezer. But, I used to plan ahead and thaw them out before air frying to crispy skin perfection.

But, y’all, you can just drop the frozen wings right into your air fryer basket, and that’s it!

First, you’ll pick up your bag of fresh wings in the frozen section. My favorite ones come from Trader Joe’s.

They’re coated individually in ice, so I like to rinse them off. Just run cool water over each chicken wing so the “ice casing” melts off. The wings will still be frozen, but the extra water surrounding each one needs to go away.

Next, plop them into a bowl and liberally dust them with whatever seasoning you want.

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I chose Ranch Seasoning Powder because I have a very strong love affair with it.

Other seasonings that would go well:

• Garlic Powder + Onion Powder
• Salt + Black Pepper
• Dry Rub like Smokehouse Maple from McCormick

Now, of course, you can totally air fry naked wings! Just plop them in and go! You’ll want to sauce the wings later anyway, so it’s not that dire to season them.

Air Frying Chicken Wings

Start by preheating your air fryer. I use a Chefman Compact Air Fryer, but I hear the Cosori Air Fryer works well too!

Different brands of air fryers hold different amounts inside them. The compact ones hold just enough for a single person, like me! Plus, it doesn’t take up as much room in my cabinet! Yay.

Did you know air fryers are just like a mini convection oven? Hot air circulates all around your food, evenly cooking to crisp perfection without a deep fryer!

Grab your cooking spray and once the air fryer is preheated for a couple of minutes you’ll hose it down. This makes for easy clean-up later! Have you tried using your own oil mister and adding a little extra virgin olive oil to it? Learn which is the Best Oil Spray for Air Fryers!

Add your frozen wings to the bottom of the basket in a single layer.

Air fry the wings for 12 minutes.

After 12 minutes, open the air fryer, and this is what they should look like… Delightful!

Give them a turn to the other side, and pop them back into the air fryer for another 10 minutes.

Cook the wings to an internal temperature of 165 degrees f.

Depending on the size of the wings this could take a few minutes longer. If you’re nervous, snag a meat thermometer and be 100% sure! The cooking time for various frozen wings ranges from 15-30 minutes.

If you’re using fresh chicken wings the cook time will be significantly lower! I go off of the sound they make when they’re tossed about! Very scientific…

If you like your chicken wings to be super saucy, follow this method:

Slather your favorite wing sauce on the chicken wings after the next air frying round. Add them back to the air fryer, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and do this a couple more times.

The sauce cooks into the wings, and is just wonderful!

Chicken Wing Sauces

Now comes the saucy part!

Crispy wings need a good sauce!

Here are some great options:

• Buffalo Sauce – make your own at home with equal parts butter and hot sauce! I like to add a drizzle of Golden Syrup, like in these Golden Syrup Hot Wings.
• BBQ Sauce – such an easy way to get a bold flavor profile on your air fryer wings!
• Teriyaki Sauce – from personal experience, this is one of my favorite sauces at Buffalo Wild Wing!

What’s your favorite wing sauce?!

Here on Sweetpea, there are a bunch of other chicken wings recipe ideas. Take a look!

Air fryer frozen chicken wings need a favorite dipping sauce.

You could whip up some homemade ranch dressing, or blue cheese dressing, or even a Copycat Chick Fil A sauce to dip your delicious air fryer chicken wings in!

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. The best way to reheat them is using your air fryer again!

This easy appetizer needs a platter filled high with the wings, dipping sauce, and celery sticks!

In conclusion, don’t you love an easy recipe that doesn’t require the extra time of thawing and planning ahead??! Me too!

Other Air Fryer Recipes You Should Try:

• Air Fryer Tater Tots
• Air Fryer Totino’s Pizza Rolls
• Air Fryer Frozen Dumplings

Save this to your favorite Chicken Wing Board on Pinterest!

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