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Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer

Cook Time14 minutes
Total Time17 minutes
Cooking Temperature400 degrees Fahrenheit

The exact cook time can vary. Read below for our tips!

For irresistible and easy-to-make wings, you have to try frozen chicken wings in the air fryer.

Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, these wings are ready in minutes without thawing involved!

Similar to making fresh wings in the air fryer, these chicken wings are perfectly dippable and make a great snack or appetizer for the big game!

saucy chicken wings in bowl with ranch dip and carrot sticks behind
Frozen chicken wings are so easy to make in the air fryer!

Recipe Tips

Before you make air fryer frozen chicken wings, read through the recipe tips so that you end up with the best result!

  • There is no need to thaw the chicken wings first. Simply place them into the air fryer from frozen.
  • There are various types of frozen wings. They might be pre-cooked or raw, breaded or un-breaded. Some already have sauce applied and they will vary by size. All this will affect your cooking time slightly, so keep that in mind and use your judgement!
  • If you have wings that don’t have a breading/sauce on them yet, cook them first and toss them in your favorite wing sauce once they are cooked. This way, you won’t risk the sauce burning in the air fryer.
  • It’s important to not overcrowd the air fryer when making chicken wings. This way, they will get crispy and cook evenly.
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Step by Step Instructions

If you’d like some visuals for how to make frozen wings in the air fryer, you can have a look at the few photos below. This way, you know exactly how we make ours.

Alternatively, Iíf you just want to know the times and temperatures for cooking frozen wings in the air fryer (without the photos), you can skip to the bottom of this post for the recipe card!

frozen chicken wings in black air fryer tray
Place the frozen chicken wings into the air fryer.

First, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the air fryer is hot, add the wings. Be sure not to overcrowd the air fryer – the wings should fit in one layer with some space between to allow for even cooking and crisping.

If your air fryer is too small to fit all the wings, cook them in two batches.

cooked crispy chicken wings in black air fryer tray
Make sure the wings are fully cooked through.

Cook the wings for 11-14 minutes for pre-cooked frozen wings, and 16-19 minutes for uncooked frozen wings. Flip the wings halfway through.

Cook time can vary depending on the size of the wings and your air fryer. Just make sure that the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the chicken wings once they are fully cooked/heated on the inside and are crispy on the outside.

saucy chicken wings in bowl with ranch dipping sauce
Air fryer frozen chicken wings – ready for dipping!

If you would like to add sauce, you can place the cooked chicken wings into a bowl and toss them in your favorite wing sauce (optional). Popular options are buffalo, blue cheese, and BBQ sauce.

You can serve the chicken wings with some celery sticks, carrot sticks, and a dipping sauce like blue cheese or ranch dressing.

To make a bigger meal out of it, you can also make the wings part of a larger meal with a few curly fries or waffle fries tossed on the side.

Storage Tips

You can store leftover chicken wings in a sealed container in the fridge. Keep in mind that they might get a little soggy over time if they have sauce on them.

Consume the chicken wings within 3 days.

To reheat, you can place them back into the air fryer if you want to dry them out a tad. The microwave will also work, but they might end up softer.

Of course, you can also just eat them cold – sometimes cold wings are the best!

Related Recipes

If you want more frozen chicken appetizers, here are some tasty creations you can’t forget about!

saucy chicken wings in bowl with ranch dipping sauce

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings

Frozen Chicken Wings are super easy to make in the air fryer! Ready for dipping in minutes, air fryer frozen wings make a finger-licking dinner or snack for the big game!
4.57 from 23 votes
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Cook Time: 14 minutes
Additional Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 9

Ingredients

  • 1 pound frozen chicken wings, approximately 8-12 wings
  • your favorite wing sauce, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Add the wings into the air fryer tray when it is hot. Be sure not to overcrowd the air fryer – the wings should fit in one layer with some space between to allow for even cooking and crisping. If your air fryer is too small to fit all the wings, cook them in two batches.
  • Cook the wings for 11-14 minutes for pre-cooked frozen wings, and 16-19 minutes for uncooked frozen wings. Flip the wings halfway through. Cook time can vary depending on the size of the wings and your air fryer. Just make sure that the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Remove the chicken wings once they are fully cooked/heated on the inside and are crispy on the outside.
  • Optional: You can place the cooked chicken wings into a bowl and toss them in your favorite wing sauce if desired.
  • Also optional: Serve the chicken wings with some celery sticks, carrot sticks, and a dipping sauce like blue cheese or ranch dressing.

Notes

  • There are different types of frozen wings you can buy – some are pre-cooked, others are raw, some are breaded, others are not. Cook time will vary slightly across all these different kinds and also depends on your air fryer (they all cook a little bit differently). Make sure that the internal temperature of the chicken wings reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 454mg

This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.

Cuisine American
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This recipe was contributed by
Lisa is the founder and main creator for Simply Air Fryer. As the author of two successful food blogs, she's usually found measuring ingredients, trying out new combinations, or hiding behind the camera snapping photos of food. She bought her first air fryer over 3 years ago and has since used it over 500 times. With the help of her trusty sidekick (husband), she's created and tested lots of recipes for Simply Air Fryer.

15 thoughts on “Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer”

  1. Thank you! This is the most informative way to air fry frozen wings I have come across. I will be trying it out tonight and feel sure they will be wonderful!

    Reply
  2. How do I do frozen breaded chicken wings In a traditional size stove (oven) which has a air fry setting on the oven. So this is a full size stove with built in air fryer.
    I have trays that have the mesh baskets. I have 3 racks in the oven. Can I put all 3 trays in at the same time and cook all the chicken wings evenly?

    Reply
    • Hi Debbie, unfortunately, I have never made frozen chicken wings in a full-sized oven with an air fryer setting so I can’t share my personal experience. I would probably start experimenting with one rack at a time at 400 degrees and keep an eye on the chicken wings so you know how long they need. The next time you could try using all 3 trays at the same time – since the air fryer setting is similar to a convection oven, the chicken wings should cook more evenly than when using top and bottom heat. However, since the oven will be more crowded, the wings will likely take a bit longer than when you only use one tray at a time. Just make sure to keep an eye on the wings when experimenting – if they are not done, leave them in longer. But after a couple of tries, you should know pretty well what works for your oven.

      Reply
  3. Also in the full size (stove) air fryer oven. What temperature would I cook still on 400.
    I have never used the air fryer on my stove as of yet. I just got the trays so I would like to make a big batch and want to put more than one tray in at a time. It holds 3 trays cause it has 3 racks in the oven. But I’m worried that one rack will Cook more than another. Do you know if it’s possible to cook them all at once?

    Reply
  4. Thank you so much, I had no idea I could cook frozen chicken wings in an air fryer. I just buy regular a big pack of chicken wings, cook some, freeze the rest. I am the only one that eats them. Now before I would let the chicken wings defrost over time, then air fry them. Learn something new everyday.

    Reply
  5. 4 stars
    Great information. Mine had thawed a little and looked anemic but were 185 degrees internally. I would definitely season them next time – aT least salt and pepper. I might increase the temperAture on my NInja too. I liked the suggestion and think each individual could tweak it according to their product and machine. Mine were large wings too.

    Reply
  6. About to try this with frozen Costco wings, but thinking to myself…does anyone season these or add salt before air frying?
    Won’t they be bland?
    Will try this tomorrow depending on your answers 🤣

    Reply
    • If you don’t plan on putting any sauce on them after cooking, I would add some oil and salt (and maybe other spices depending on your preference) before air frying. However, when the wings are really frozen, the spices sometimes don’t adhere well so you could air fry them for a couple minutes to thaw them a bit and then spray them with oil spray and sprinkle with salt, etc. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  7. Used this recipe several times always comes good. Family seems to not get enough of them. I do season prior to cooking though. I use olive oil salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Sometimes some cornstarch for a crispy coating. Mix with sauce when done or eat them just as they are.

    Reply

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