Frozen Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer (Crispy!)

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After I published my air fryer chicken wings recipe, many people asked me if it’s possible to cook frozen chicken wings in the air fryer. You can! I tested them right from frozen to make sure. These air fryer frozen chicken wings have all the convenience and crunch of the regular version, without the extra time needed to thaw just like my frozen air fryer broccoli.

With simple oil and seasonings, you can have these wings from freezer to table in under half an hour, making this one of my favorite air fryer recipes when I forget to thaw chicken ahead of time.

Can You Cook Frozen Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer?

Yes, it is possible to cook frozen chicken wings in an air fryer. Your frozen chicken wings will come out perfectly crispy, juicy, and delicious every time!

Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings Recipe

Flavorful, savory chicken
Juicy meat with extra crispy skin
5 minutes prep time
No thawing required
Works with any of your favorite dipping sauces
Much faster than the oven

Air fryer frozen chicken wings with carrots, celery, and ranch.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for air fried chicken wings, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

Frozen Chicken Wings – Choose flats and drumettes for a little variety.
Olive Oil – I prefer extra virgin olive oil, but use any neutral cooking oil you like.
Baking Powder – This secret ingredient works by soaking up the extra moisture in the skin and creating more surface area for the brownest, crispiest wings.
Sea Salt & Black Pepper – For easy, basic seasoning. See more seasoning ideas below!
Wing Sauce – Optional, but adds so much flavor. See my favorite wing sauce pairings below.

How To Cook Frozen Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer

This section shows how to make frozen wings in the air fryer, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

Prep. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
Arrange. Place wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Cook. Air fry wings from frozen until they are thawed and warm.

Transfer. Put wings in a large bowl and pat dry with a clean paper towel. Drain liquid from the bottom of the air fryer basket, if needed.
Season. Add olive oil, baking powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Toss to coat.
Cook. Place the wings in a single layer back in the air fryer and cook until they are fully finished and crispy, flipping halfway through. Toss finished wings with sauce, if desired.

Wings coated in baking powder and seasonings.

Crispy chicken wings in an air fryer basket.

How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer?

Air fry frozen chicken wings for about 8 minutes until they are warm. Add oil and seasonings, then cook for 10-12 more minutes, flipping halfway through. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F.

Seasoning Variations

Try these seasonings for a burst of flavor on frozen air fryer wings:

Lemon pepper – Replace salt and pepper with 2 tablespoons of lemon pepper seasoning.
Italian – Add 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in addition to the salt and pepper. Serve with sugar-free marinara sauce.
Cajun – Trade salt and pepper for 1 tablespoon of homemade Cajun seasoning.
Caribbean – For a burst of spicy and zesty flavors, replace the salt and pepper with 2 tablespoons of jerk seasoning.
Garlic Parmesan – Make the air fryer frozen chicken wings as is. Meanwhile, saute 3 cloves of garlic in 1/4 cup unsalted butter. When the wings are done, toss them in the garlic butter sauce. Top with shredded or grated parmesan cheese.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep leftover air fryer wings in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.
Reheat: Spray leftovers with cooking spray or brush lightly with oil before reheating in the air fryer. (No need for them to be in a single layer.)
Freeze: Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They can stay frozen for 3-6 months. You can reheat from frozen or thaw first.

Air fryer frozen wings plated, with one chicken wing dunked in ranch.

What To Serve With Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings

Create the perfect plate when you serve frozen air fryer chicken wings with these other recipes:

Sauces – If you don’t have a preferred hot sauce, use the wing sauce from my baked buffalo wings and honey sriracha chicken, or toss wings in sugar-free teriyaki sauce, BBQ sauce, or chimichurri sauce.
Dressing – Try homemade ranch dressing (shown in the photo above) or blue cheese dressing with these wings, or use your favorite store-bought brand — especially if you tossed them in buffalo sauce!
Appetizers – Make a game day platter with jalapeno poppers, bacon wrapped dates, rutabaga fries, and spinach artichoke dip.
Fresh Vegetables – Carrots and celery sticks make a classic pairing, or serve wings with cilantro lime taco slaw, Israeli salad, or cucumber noodles for a cool and crisp side.

More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes

The air fryer turns out juicy, tender chicken infused with flavor every time. Try these other easy air fryer chicken recipes:

Air Fryer Chicken Legs

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Recommended Tools

Air Fryer – My go-to for making super crispy wings! It also bakes, broils, and roasts.
Glass Mixing Bowls – Comes with lots of sizes to make food prep easy.

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings

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Review

Ingredients

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2 lb Frozen chicken wings (flats and drumettes) ▢
2 tbsp Olive oil ▢
2 tsp Baking powder ▢
3/4 tsp Sea salt ▢
1/4 tsp Black pepper ▢
Wing sauce of your choice (optional) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
Arrange the frozen chicken wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer. (Cook in batches if they don’t all fit.)
Cook frozen wings in the air fryer for 8 minutes, until thawed and warm.
Transfer the wings to a large bowl and pat dry with paper towels. Drain any liquid from the bottom of the air fryer basket.
Add the olive oil, baking powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the wings. Toss to coat evenly.
Place the chicken wings back in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Set the air fryer temperature to 430 degrees F (221 degrees C), or 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) if that’s as high as your air fryer temperature goes. Air fry for 6 minutes. Flip the wings over and continue cooking for 4-6 minutes (for a total of 10-12 minutes), until the chicken wings are done and crispy.
Serve air fryer frozen chicken wings plain, or toss with your favorite sauce.

Last Step: Leave A Rating!

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 4-6 chicken wings, or 1/4 entire recipe

Nutrition information does not include wing sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 334

Fat 26.3g

Protein 22.5g

Total Carbs 1g

Net Carbs 0.9g

Fiber 0.1g

Sugar 0.1g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keywords: air fryer frozen chicken wings, air fryer frozen wings, frozen chicken wings in the air fryer, frozen wings in the air fryer

Calories: 334 kcal

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8 Comments

Sherrie Poirrier
0 February 21, 2023Reply

If I did thaw them could step one be skipped and go to step two without having to take them out? Just wondering?
- Wholesome Yum D
  0 February 22, 2023Reply
  
  Hi Sherrie, Here is a recipe for already thawed chicken wings.
  - Paul
    0 May 11, 2023Reply
    
    Wait, hold the phone. So for completely frozen wings, cook for 18-20 minutes total. But for thawed wings, cook for 30-35 minutes total??
    
    This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Is this “from frozen” recipe assuming precooked wings and the thawed one assumes raw wings?
    - Wholesome Yum D
      0 May 12, 2023Reply
      
      Hi Paul, They use different methods. The frozen ones are at 400 the entire time, the non-frozen are at 250 first and then get turned up.
Svetlana
0 January 17, 2023Reply

This is so great! 9/10 times I forget to defrost haha, these turned out perfect!
Jessica
0 January 17, 2023Reply

These turned out so good with the baking powder! Now my new go-to!
Paula K
0 January 17, 2023Reply

So, so easy! Thank you so much, I am so happy I found this recipe.
Jennifer
0 January 17, 2023Reply

The only way I’m ever making chicken wings again!! They came out so good in the Air Fryer!