Did you know that you can cook frozen chicken wings (bone-in) in your air fryer in just 25 minutes? You CAN and they turn out juicy and delicious and don’t require any thawing beforehand.
Have you seen this? Have you heard about this? Air frying frozen chicken wings. Bone-in! No thawing necessary, just straight-up taking frozen chicken wings from your freezer and air frying to juicy, snackable perfection.
Whether you like your chicken wings crispy or sauce-y, you can get the delicious results you crave with this air fryer preparation. Instructions follow for how to air fry chicken wings:
- On a baking sheet or in an air fryer basket
- On an elevated rack over a baking sheet
And how to achieve:
- Crispy wings
- Caramelized sauce-y wings
If you want a bold dry rub, you’ll want to be all over this homemade Adobo Seasoning. If you want something lower in salt, try this Low Sodium Taco Seasoning. If you want it sauce-y, this Honey Chipotle Sauce is a must-try.
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How to make frozen chicken wings in the air fryer
For this recipe, all that’s required are uncooked frozen chicken wings. Ready whatever seasoning or sauce you’d like to flavor your wings with at the end of their cook time in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds frozen bone-in chicken wings
- Seasoning or sauce of your choosing
Note, you will likely need to air fry in batches if cooking all 3 pounds. I can cook 3 pounds in 2 batches in my Ninja Foodi XL Air Fryer Oven.
Instructions
Using a baking sheet or basket
Spray a baking sheet or air fryer basket lightly with cooking spray to prevent the wings from sticking while they cook.
Arrange wings on a baking sheet or in an air fryer basket so they aren't touching.
If necessary (depending on the model of your air fryer) preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
Add frozen chicken wings to the air fryer and cook for 15 minutes; flip then continue cooking for another 10 minutes. The wings will need to cook for 25 minutes total.
Note: If there is liquid pooling on the tray, drain it off before resuming cooking.
A thermometer inserted into a chicken wing at 25 minutes of cook time should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or close to it). Make sure the thermometer is in the meat and not touching the bone(s).
Using an elevated rack
Spray an elevated rack with cooking spray to prevent the wings from sticking while they cook.
Arrange wings on a rack so they aren't touching.
If necessary (depending on the model of your air fryer) preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
Add frozen chicken wings to the air fryer and cook for 25 minutes.
Optional: flip at 15 minutes, then continue cooking for another 10 minutes. The wings will need to cook for 25 minutes total. If you decide not to flip, the top will be crispier than the bottom, but it won’t be soggy like if you were to not flip the wings when cooking on a tray or in a basket.
A thermometer inserted into a chicken wing at 25 minutes of cook time should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or close to it). Make sure the thermometer is in the meat and not touching the bone(s).
When there is 5 minutes of cooking time left, do the following if you want crispy wings or sauce-carmelized wings.
Crispy wings
Spray the wings with cooking spray when there are 5 minutes of cooking time left. If you want both sides crispy, flip them after 2 ½ minutes of the remaining 5 minutes, spray again, and finish cooking.
Caramelized sauce-y wings
Remove the wings when there are 5 minutes of cooking time left, coat in sauce, then arrange back on tray or rack and finish cooking (flipping not required).
Seasoning and/or saucing after fully cooked
After 25 minutes of cooking time, remove the wings and immediately toss in the seasoning or sauce of your choosing.
Pros and Cons of Air Fryer Cooking Options
With a Baking Sheet or Basket
Pro(s): Requires only one dirty dish to clean up.
Con(s): Need to flip wings during cooking.
Need to remove excess moisture if pooling occurs.
With an Elevated Rack (over a Baking Sheet)
Pro(s): Flipping wings during cooking is not required (the bottoms won’t be as crispy as the tops, but they won’t be soggy like not flipping the wings when cooking on a tray or basket).
Excess moisture falls down into the tray.
Con(s): Extra dish to clean.
Equipment
Air Fryer. I recommend this amazing Ninja Foodi oven-style one that’s so much more than an air fryer.
What to Serve with Air Fried Chicken Wings
A dipping sauce, of course! Try pairing these sauces with your wings.
If you want other appetizers to go with your air fried wings, try:
- No Mayo Spinach Dip and pita chips and fresh veggies
- Cucumber Pico de Gallo and tortilla chips
- Air Fryer Pickle Spears and a chipotle ranch sauce
Storage
Store leftover wings in a lidded container in the refrigerator. Best eaten within 2-3 days. I like to shred the meat off of leftover wings and use it as the protein in a garden salad, no reheating required.
Top tip
The top tip I have to impart - regardless of how you cook ‘em (pan or basket vs. elevated rack) - is to leave space between the chicken wings as they cook. No touching! You want the air to circulate around the wings as much as possible to ensure even cooking. It’s also key to getting the crispiest skin possible.
Cook in batches if the number of wings you want to cook won’t fit in your air fryer without them touching.
Food safety and raw chicken
Here is an obligatory blurb regarding food safety and cooking chicken. All it takes is getting sick once from undercooked chicken to never want it to happen again.
- Per USDA guidelines, cook your chicken to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Wash your hands after touching raw meat - and yes, this includes frozen raw meat!
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds frozen bone-in chicken wings
- seasoning or sauce of your choosing
Instructions
Air Frying on a Baking Sheet or Air Fryer Basket
- Spray a baking sheet or air fryer basket lightly with cooking spray to prevent the wings from sticking while they cook.
- Arrange wings on a baking sheet or in an air fryer basket so they aren't touching.
- If necessary (depending on the model of your air fryer) preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Add frozen chicken wings to the air fryer and cook for 15 minutes; flip then continue cooking for another 10 minutes. The wings will need to cook for 25 minutes total. Note: If there is liquid pooling on the tray, drain it off before resuming cooking.
- A thermometer inserted into a chicken wing at 25 minutes of cook time should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or close to it). Make sure the thermometer is in the meat and not touching the bone(s).
Air Frying on an Elevated Rack
- Spray an elevated rack with cooking spray to prevent the wings from sticking while they cook.
- Arrange wings on a rack so they aren't touching.
- If necessary (depending on the model of your air fryer) preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Add frozen chicken wings to the air fryer and cook for 25 minutes. Optional: flip at 15 minutes, then continue cooking for another 10 minutes. The wings will need to cook for 25 minutes total. If you decide not to flip, the top will be crispier than the bottom, but it won’t be soggy like if you were to not flip the wings when cooking on a tray or in a basket.
- A thermometer inserted into a chicken wing at 25 minutes of cook time should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or close to it). Make sure the thermometer is in the meat and not touching the bone(s).
Finishing Air Fried Wings
- See the notes to see how to finish your wings for crispy wings or sauce-caramelized wings.
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