Making frozen chicken wings in the air fryer is so easy! The wings turn out perfectly crispy on the outside and melt off the bone tender on the inside. They're ready in under 30 minutes and you can choose whatever flavour you like including salt and pepper, buffalo, teriyaki or bbq!
One of the best things about air fryers is how good they are at cooking meat and seafood from frozen including air fryer frozen shrimp and air fryer frozen hamburgers and today I am going to teach you how to air fry frozen chicken wings!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this cooking method:
- It's so easy! Since you are cooking the wings from frozen there is zero prep time and the wings are ready in under 30 minutes.
- Air fryer frozen chicken wings turn out perfectly - the outer skin is nice and crispy with a nice melt in your mouth inner meat layer.
- You can make these crispy wings into whatever flavour you like - you can leave them as salt and pepper chicken wings or add a sauce to turn them into buffalo, teriyaki or bbq chicken wings.
- Like my grilled salt and pepper chicken wings these wings are healthy and are also keto, gluten-free, low carb, carnivore, paleo and Whole30!
If you love cooking meat in your air fryer you also need to try my air fryer juicy lamb chops, air fryer crispy pork belly and air fried pork ribs.
Ingredients and substitutions:
For the full ingredient list and exact measurements refer to the recipe card later in this post.
Jump to the Recipe Card.- Frozen chicken wings - any type of fresh, frozen chicken wings will do. I recommend buying pre-cut chicken wings if possible to make this recipe even easier to make.
- Avocado oil - to help get that perfect crispy skin. You can swap this for olive oil.
- Sea salt and ground black pepper - the only seasonings you need!
- Optional: a sauce of your choice for topping the wings such as buffalo sauce, bbq sauce or teriyaki sauce.
Recipe variations and add ins:
- Feel free to add other seasonings or a dry rub to these wings - other great options include onion powder, garlic powder, seasoning salt, or lemon pepper seasoning.
- If you are serving a crowd you can double or triple this recipe.
How to make frozen chicken wings in the air fryer:
Step 1
Place the frozen raw chicken wings in your air fryer and cook them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
Step 2
Separate the wings and coat both sides with the avocado oil, salt and pepper. Bake them for another 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until they are crispy on the outside. If you are using a basket style air fryer, be sure to shake the basket half way through.
Step 3
This step is optional. If you like salt and pepper wings stop here, but if you like sauce covered wings you will now coat the wings with a sauce of your choice such as homemade buffalo sauce, sugar free barbecue sauce, or low sugar teriyaki sauce before serving.
Top Tips:
- For this recipe you do not need to preheat your air fryer. If you do preheat it, subtract a few minutes of cooking time.
- I recommend cooking these chicken wings on the top rack of your air fryer if you are using a rack style air fryer.
- Depending on the size of chicken wings you are using you may need to alter the cooking time - for larger wings, add a few extra minutes of cooking time, for smaller wings, use less time.
- If food tends to stick to your air fryer, give the air fryer tray or basket a spray with a cooking spray or cooking oil such as avocado oil or olive oil before cooking the chicken wings.
- Once you separate the wings be sure you put them back on the rack in a single layer and leave some space between each one to ensure they cook evenly.
Frozen chicken wings in the air fryer FAQs:
No! You can cook frozen chicken wings in an air fryer without thawing them first and they still turn out nice and crispy.
Chicken wings are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 165 °F. You can use a meat thermometer to check them once they are done cooking to ensure they are safe to eat.
Store any leftover chicken wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat chicken wings in an air fryer cook them for 2-3 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chicken wings make a great appetizer, snack or meal and are perfect for Super Bowl parties, tailgates and picnics. They pair well with many side dishes including Asian coleslaw, dairy free potato salad, broccoli salad with grapes, French fries in the air fryer, and air fried onion rings. You could also serve them with a dipping sauce such as ranch dressing, homemade honey mustard sauce or mustard aioli.
Other easy air fryer recipes you will love:
Recipe
Frozen Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen chicken wings
- 3 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil)
- salt (to taste)
- ground black pepper (to taste)
Optional
- sauce for coating the wings
Instructions
- Place the frozen chicken wings on the rack of your air fryer and cook at 400F for 15 minutes.
- Pull the chicken wings apart and coat both sides of the wings with avocado oil, salt and pepper and bake for another 15 minutes at 400F. If using a basket style air fryer be sure to either shake the basket or flip the chicken wings half way through.
- Optional: coat the wings with a sauce of your choice such as buffalo sauce, bbq sauce, or teriyaki sauce before serving.
Notes
- You can serve these as salt and pepper chicken wings or add a sauce such as buffalo sauce, teriyaki sauce or bbq sauce once they have finished cooking.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
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