When I first learned how to cook frozen chicken wings in an air fryer, it was a game changer! Not only did they turn out nice and crispy, I didn’t even have to thaw them out!

air fryer frozen chicken wings — Perfectly cooked chicken wings that were made from frozen. The easiest and best way to cook wings!

And for me, that was important! That is because I would always forget to take the bag out of the freezer in enough time to let them thaw before cooking.

So when I discovered that I could make wings in my Instant Pot from frozen, I was so happy!

However, when they finished cooking, I would have to throw them under the broiler or use an Instant Pot Crisper lid to brown up the skin and make them crispy.

Therefore, to eliminate the final step, I attempted to make frozen chicken wings in the Air Fryer instead.

And in just 30 minutes, I had perfectly cooked wings. They were golden brown and crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.

Now the only dilemma was to figure out what wing sauce to use!

If you don’t have an air fryer yet, check out the 5 Reasons To Purchase An Air Fryer. It really has been life changing for us in the kitchen. We now can even make Homemade Breaded Chicken Tenders in it!

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings Recipe

Before I get into the details of how to make this recipe, let’s first clarify the type of wings that I used.

I purchased a mixture of chicken wings and small drumettes. They are often called Chicken Wing Sections. And they can be found in a plastic bag in the freezer section of the grocery store.

Typically the bag contains 2-3 pounds of chicken and has a resealable top so that it can easily be stored back in the freezer once opened.

However, you can also purchase fresh chicken wings and place them in the freezer until you are ready to cook them in the air fryer as well.

Ingredients

Frozen Chicken Wings
Buffalo Wing Sauce (or your favorite wing sauce)

cooked air fryer wings — Once the initial cook time is up, increase the temperature and continue to cook until the wings are nice and crispy on the outside.

Instructions

Place the frozen chicken wings in the air fryer basket. Because of the fat content in the wings I don’t typically spray the air fryer basket with oil. However, you can if you would like.

I also do not preheat the air fryer for frozen chicken wings. This allows the chicken wings to slowly thaw at the beginning of the cooking process.

Set the temperature to 380°F and set the timer for 30 minutes. Half way through the cooking time turn the wings over with a pair of tongs.

buffalo wings — After tossing the wings in your favorite sauce, you can put them back in the air fryer for a few minutes so they aren’t so ‘saucey’.

When the initial cook time is up, increase the air fryer temperature to 400°F and cook for 5-8 more minutes until the skin becomes brown and crisp.

Transfer the wings to a bowl and toss with your favorite wing sauce.

Optional Step – if you don’t like a lot of extra sauce on your wings, you can return the coated wings to the air fryer and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. The sauce will bake into the wings making them not so messy.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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