Shop
My
Custom
FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook
GET IT NOWAfter I published my air fryer chicken wings recipe, many of you asked me if it’s possible to cook frozen chicken wings in the air fryer. You can! I’ve had those days when I forget to thaw chicken more times than I can count, and while I used to think I’m just stuck choosing something else, I’ve discovered in my testing that air frying makes it possible to enjoy juicy, crispy wings even when I forget. It’s been such a lifesaver. If you forgot to thaw today, make these air fryer frozen chicken wings with me — I think you’ll love the results!
Why You Need My Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
- Flavorful, crispy wings with extra crispy skin – A.k.a. what air fryer recipes do best. But what really surprised me is that I could achieve that juicy texture and crispy skin even with frozen chicken wings! It’s partly my method and partly my secret ingredient. 😉
- No need to thaw – Honestly, this is the main reason I cook frozen wings in the air fryer. It’s literally the only method I’ve found that actually tastes amazing without thawing.
- Quick & easy – With just 5 minutes of prep time and no planning ahead, this recipe is perfect for busy days… or just one of those days when the chicken doesn’t make it out of my freezer. And it’s definitely faster than oven baked wings.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my air fried chicken wings recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Frozen Chicken Wings – I like a mix of flats and drumettes for variety, but either works. You can also make this recipe with whole chicken wings, but they’ll take longer for both air frying steps.
- Olive Oil – Avocado oil works, too.
- Baking Powder – My secret ingredient for crispy skin! It works by raising the skin pH and bringing moisture to the surface (so that it evaporates). Don’t use baking soda, which is different and will leave your chicken with a bitter flavor.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – These are my basics, but I’ve got more seasoning and sauce below!
How To Cook Frozen Wings In The Air Fryer
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Pre-cook the frozen wings plain. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F, then arrange the frozen chicken wings in the air fryer basket. Air fry until thawed and warm. (The picture on the left is how I arranged them frozen, and on the right is how they look after this step.)
- Dry the thawed wings. Pat the wings dry with a clean paper towel and pat dry with a paper towel. Drain any liquid from the bottom of the air fryer basket, if needed.
- Oil and season. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil, and sprinkle with baking powder, salt, and pepper (or any seasonings you want). Toss to coat. I use tongs for easy mixing.
- Air fry again. Place the wings back in the air fryer. Increase the heat (if your air fryer goes higher) and cook until crispy, flipping halfway through.
My Recipe Tips
- The timing for initial air frying step can vary a bit. 8 minutes is always ideal for the frozen wings I get, but if yours are small, I would check on them a few minutes sooner. Pull them once they are warm and thawed — I poke them with a fork to check that they aren’t solid inside.
- Season only after the first air frying step, not before. Oil and seasonings won’t stick well to the frozen chicken. This is why I pre-cook the frozen chicken wings in the air fryer first, as it’s essentially a faster way to thaw — and with the air flow, they don’t dry out even though this step does partially cook them.
- Dry well before seasoning. Moisture on the outside is the enemy of crispy skin, so you want them super dry. I find it helpful to line the bottom of my bowl with 2 layers of paper towels, dump the wings on top, then fold the paper towel over the top and get the paper towel between any layers. Then just pull the paper towel out from underneath.
- Don’t crowd the basket. It’s important that your wings are in a single layer, so cook in batches if they don’t fit well. It’s okay if they touch a little, but you don’t want them crammed together, or they won’t get crispy. I have this air fryer and love the roomy basket without a huge counter footprint.
- I don’t flip when thawing, but I do when air frying after seasoning. This is important for both sides to get crispy.
- I go by how the outsides look to determine they are done. For most chicken recipes I rely on internal temperature (165 degrees F is the minimum for chicken), but here the crispy skin is the most reliable indicator. The inside is always done by the time the skin crisps up, and I never find these wings dry even if the temp creeps up higher.
Sauce & Seasoning Variations
I created recipe to show you how to cook frozen chicken wings in the air fryer, focusing on the method rather than a specific flavor, but I’ve made it lots of different ways! Here are some other seasonings or sauces you can add:
- Simple spices – My go-to blend is a teaspoon of Italian seasoning plus 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- Spicy dry rub – Trade salt and pepper for a tablespoon of my Cajun seasoning or jerk seasoning. My husband loves spicy food and he loves these.
- Lemon pepper – Replace the salt and pepper with 2 tablespoons of my lemon pepper seasoning. It’s already salted, but if you use a store-bought mix that isn’t, add salt separately.
- Buffalo – The classic! Make the wing sauce from my baked buffalo wings and toss your cooked wings in it.
- BBQ or teriyaki – Same as above, but use teriyaki sauce or barbecue sauce (I love this sugar-free BBQ sauce).
- Garlic parmesan – This sauce is similar to the one in my Crock Pot chicken wings, but the method is different. I air fry frozen chicken wings as usual, and sauté 3 cloves of garlic in 1/4 cup of butter while they cook. Once the wings are done, toss them in the melted butter and top with shredded parmesan cheese. You can air fry for another minute if you want melty cheese.
Serving Ideas
I’ve served these air fryer frozen chicken wings as a dinner main as well as an appetizer. Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy them:
- Dipping Sauces – I think a sauce is a must, even if you don’t toss the wings in it! These are perfect with ranch dressing (shown above) or blue cheese dressing, especially if you toss them in buffalo sauce or other hot sauce. When I eat them plain, I like them with sugar-free jalapeno honey.
- Crudites – A.k.a. raw vegetables. I usually do carrot and celery sticks, but cucumbers work well, too.
- Appetizers – Make a game day platter with my jalapeno poppers, bacon wrapped dates, air fryer french fries, and spinach artichoke dip.
- Sides – When I serve these for dinner, I like to pair them with other air fried sides, like air fryer zucchini or air fryer sweet potato fries. If you’d rather cook something in parallel while you’ve got your frozen chicken wings in the air fryer, try my parmesan brussels sprouts or broccoli cheese casserole.
Frozen Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer (Crispy!)
Make frozen chicken wings in the air fryer in minutes! Air fryer frozen wings get super crispy and juicy, thanks to my secret ingredient.
Remove Ads
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
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.
-
Increase the air fryer temperature to 430 degrees F (221 degrees C), or leave it at 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 to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 4-6 chicken wings, or 1/4 entire recipe
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you with the right timing and get the crispiest skin, plus notes on flipping and how to tell they are done.
- Sauce and seasoning variations: See my variations above for ideas!
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: I highly recommend reheating in the air fryer again to get the skin crispy. And while they do re-crisp better in a single layer, sometimes I toss a larger batch in all at once and they still reheat pretty well.
- Freeze: To prevent your air fried frozen wings from sticking together, freeze in a single layer on a parchment lined baking flat first. Once solid, transfer to a zip lock bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months. I prefer to thaw before reheating, since they are already cooked at this point.
- Note on nutrition info: The nutrition information does not include wing sauce, as it depends on what you use.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Healthy Air Fryer Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Frozen Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer
17 Comments
Karen Munsell
1Found this recipe the other night and it was a life saver as I forgot to defrost any chicken early enough and the wings were still frozen. So helpful to have the time and temp to make these quickly in the air fryer. While we had cooked the oven version using the secret ingredient trick on chicken legs for years, I had not tried on wings and not in the air fryer. So simple. And delicious. Had to do in 2 batches but still pretty fast considering the chicken wings were still frozen. FYI, if your wings are frozen together in a lump, soaking in a sealed bag in water for 30 minutes or so can help make it easier to unclump.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yay, I’m glad this was helpful, Karen! We’ve all had those nights.
Elm
1I’ve used this timing twice now, with wings that were still frozen after refrigerator thawing. This was greatly appreciated and turned out close enough to the thawed render and crank recipe! Thanks for sharing! You are awesome!
PAM TAYLOR
1I never (hardly ever) remember to thaw wings that are in my freezer until I get the hankering to have them. This method works great! I have an air fryer with two shelves instead of a basket…so I am able to thaw in 2 batches and then spread out over both shelves without turning at the half way point. YUM!
Dave Ellingson
0What if the wings are thawed? How long in the air fryer and at what temperature?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dave, If your wings are thawed, follow my regular recipe for air fryer chicken wings.
Elisa Castagna
0This is a life-saver recipe as I often forget to defrost my wings. Easy, quick and taste great!
Kevin
0So I use the airfryer to defrost, flavor, then cook? I could save a step and defrost on my own. Confused…
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kevin, This recipe is if you haven’t defrosted your wings yet. If your wings are already thawed, you can use my original air fryer wings recipe.
Sherrie Poirrier
0If I did thaw them could step one be skipped and go to step two without having to take them out? Just wondering?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sherrie, If your wings aren’t frozen, make my regular air fried chicken wings.
Paul
0Wait, 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?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
1Hi Paul, They use different methods. The frozen ones are at 400 the entire time, the non-frozen start lower and then I turn it up. You can cook thawed ones at 400 the entire time if you want them faster, I just find my air fryer wings method here makes them more juicy.
Svetlana
0This is so great! 9/10 times I forget to defrost haha, these turned out perfect!
Jessica
0These turned out so good with the baking powder! Now my new go-to!
Paula K
0So, so easy! Thank you so much, I am so happy I found this recipe.
Jennifer
0The only way I’m ever making chicken wings again!! They came out so good in the Air Fryer!