Wondering how to air fry frozen chicken wings? We've got you covered! Our comprehensive guide to cooking frozen chicken wings in the air fryer has everything you need to cook delicious wings from frozen in just 30 minutes, plus suggestions for sides, sauces, and more. If you're chicken wings aren't frozen, we show you how to make fresh chicken wings in the air fryer too!
Jump to:
- Watch the Video
- Ingredients You Need to Air Fry Frozen Wings
- Freezing Chicken Wings
- How to Cook Frozen Wings in the Air Fryer
- Recipe Tips
- Toaster Oven Style Air Fryer Instructions
- Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
- How to Store Leftover Wings
- Wing Sauce Suggestions
- Want extra crispy wings?
- FAQ
- Side Dishes for Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Frozen Recipes
- Frozen Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
- Feedback
Air frying wings from frozen is easy, and a great way to make a last-minute game day appetizer or fun family dinner! Maybe you're just craving buffalo wings? We get it.
That's what makes this recipe for frozen chicken wings in the air fryer so handy—you can buy wings frozen or freeze your own, then leave them in the freezer right up until you're ready to enjoy them. No worrying about using them up before they go bad, considering wings can last for up to six months in the freezer before you cook them!
We're big fans of preparing frozen food in the air fryer, so you can count on our recipe for air fried frozen wings to work flawlessly. Let's get air frying!
Watch the Video
Ingredients You Need to Air Fry Frozen Wings
- Frozen Chicken Wings: Look for frozen winglets and wing drumettes. You can also freeze your own chicken wings easily (see below for a guide on freezing wings).
- Unsalted Butter: We recommend using unsalted butter when making your buffalo sauce. If you only have salted butter, taste test the sauce after mixing it, then simply use less or no extra salt when seasoning the wings.
- Frank's Red Hot Sauce: This tasty hot sauce combines with butter in the microwave to create the buffalo sauce for our wings. It's a classic choice for making homemade buffalo sauce - we highly recommend it! Of course, if you want, you can also use your favorite bottled sauce.
- Kosher Salt: For seasoning the wings, we recommend kosher salt or sea salt flakes. Avoid table salt.
- Garlic Powder: For adding a garlicky flavor to the wings without any risk of burning.
- Black Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper always tastes best, but you can use pre-ground black pepper, too.
Freezing Chicken Wings
You can easily freeze your own raw chicken wings to air fry later. Here's how:
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, then set the wings on the sheet. Leave a little space between each wing.
- Place the pan in the freezer for a few hours until the wings are frozen, then transfer the frozen wings to a zip-top freezer bag.
- Press the air out when you seal the bag, label with the current date, and store for up to 6 months!
How to Cook Frozen Wings in the Air Fryer
Prep the Air Fryer
Preheat air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
When the air fryer is preheated, spray air fryer basket with oil spray. Make sure to use an oil like olive oil in a sprayer bottle, and not cooking spray, which can damage the non-stick coating of your air fryer.
Add the Wings
Add 1 lb frozen chicken wings to the air fryer basket in a single layer and lightly spray the frozen chicken wings with oil. Make sure not to overcrowd the air fryer.
Air Fry
Air fry 25 minutes, turning each chicken wing halfway through air frying, until the wings are golden on the outside and reach an internal temperature of 175-190°F when checked with an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the wing.
Make the Hot Sauce
Melt 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter with 3 ounces Frank’s Red Hot Sauce in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until the butter is completely melted. Whisk the melted butter and hot sauce together to combine and set aside.
Mix the Seasoning
Mix ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper together in a small dish and set aside.
Season the Wings
When chicken wings are cooked through, remove them from the air fryer into a large bowl and toss with the seasoning mixture. Keep tossing until the chicken wings absorb the seasoning powder.
Add the Sauce
Pour Buffalo sauce over chicken wings and use tongs to toss the wings and coat with the Buffalo sauce.
Serve and Enjoy!
Serve Buffalo wings immediately with carrot and celery sticks and a dipping sauce such as ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Recipe Tips
- Use an oil sprayer filled with your favorite cooking oil, such as light olive oil or avocado oil. Avoid using pressurized cooking sprays, which have additives that will break down the non-stick coating of your air fryer over time.
- When making the buffalo sauce, be sure to cover the bowl with a paper towel or paper plate to prevent spattering sauce in your microwave. (Trust us on that one.)
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific air fryer model and type. As always, we recommend experimenting based on our recipe to find the perfect timing for your air fryer. Make sure to use a meat thermometer!
- If cooking multiple batches, check on subsequent batches early. They might cook more quickly.
Toaster Oven Style Air Fryer Instructions
Toaster-oven style air fryers with a tray, such as the Breville Smart Oven Air, take longer to cook than air fryer models with a basket. For this reason, we recommend air frying wings for 30 minutes at 400°F following the above instructions. Make sure to leave room between each wing on the air fryer tray, and flip them over halfway through the cook time.
How to Store Leftover Wings
- Fridge: Store leftover buffalo wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze leftover chicken wings by placing them first on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Store the pan in the freezer until the wings are completely frozen. When frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and tightly seal it with the air pressed out. Label with the date and store for up to 6 months.
- Reheating (From Refrigeration): Reheat wings from the refrigerator in the air fryer for about 3-4 minutes, until heated through.
- Reheating (From Frozen): You can reheat frozen cooked chicken wings by following the temperature guidelines in this recipe. Just be sure to cut the time down and check on them early!
Wing Sauce Suggestions
- Buffalo Sauce: Our favorite wing sauce! As outlined in this recipe, buffalo sauce is a great choice for wings. Serve buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing on the side. When using blue cheese dressing, we like to mix in a few crumbles of extra blue cheese. By far this is our favorite dipping sauce for buffalo wings.
- Honey Hot Sauce: Add ¼ cup of honey (or to taste) to the sauce when tossing the cooked wings for honey hot wings if you are looking for a sweet heat.
- Garlic Butter: We developed this amazing garlic butter dip to use with just about everything, including wings. You can toss your wings in garlic butter sauce and Parmesan for cheesy Parmesan garlic wings - a fantastic and flavorful combination!
- BBQ Sauce: You can also season the wings with your favorite barbecue sauce. The possibilities are endless when you're cooking air fryer frozen chicken wings!
Want extra crispy wings?
If you're a fan of crispy skin on your wings, you should thaw your wings first rather than air frying from frozen. See our recipe for fresh wings in the air fryer for a detailed guide to air frying wings from fresh. The process is a bit different, but it will give you crispy air fryer chicken wings you'll love.
FAQ
The time can vary between air fryer models depending on size and style, but we found that a pound of chicken wings took 25 minutes to cook in our 7-quart air fryer with a basket. Air fryers with trays tend to take longer to cook.
We recommend you do not wrap your chicken in foil. This will steam the wings and they will not turn out crispy at all. Additionally, it will affect the cooking time.
In our extensive testing making this chicken wings recipe, we found that the seasoning burned in the air fryer, giving the wings an unpleasant taste. This is why we recommend seasoning the wings immediately after air frying instead, while they are still piping hot and the seasoning can cling to the chicken. Be sure to mix until the wings absorb all of the seasoning powder!
Side Dishes for Chicken Wings
- Vegetables: Celery and/or carrot sticks are great for serving with wings. It's a classic combination, especially with blue cheese dressing as a dip.
- Fries: You can't go wrong with a combination of fries and wings. Try our recipe for homemade french fries, or even our guide to air frying frozen fries.
- Salad: Put together a simple, light salad to serve with wings to balance out the meal.
- Onion Rings: An alternative to fries, onion rings are delicious with chicken wings! Even better, give our Homemade Air Fryer Onion Rings a try!
Air Fryer Frozen Recipes
- Frozen Shrimp
- Frozen Garlic Bread
- Frozen Meatballs
- Frozen Pork Chops
- Crispy Frozen Mozzarella Sticks
Leave a comment and review for us below if you enjoyed this recipe, or if you have questions about any of our air fryer recipes!
Frozen Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Oil Spray See our guide to cooking oils.
- Microwave-Safe Bowl
- Whisk
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen chicken wings winglets and wing drumettes
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 ounces Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
- When air fryer is preheated, spray air fryer basket with oil spray. Make sure to use an oil like olive oil in a sprayer bottle, and not cooking spray, which can damage the non-stick coating of your air fryer.
- Add 1 lb frozen chicken wings to the air fryer basket in a single layer and lightly spray the frozen chicken wings with oil. Make sure not to overcrowd the air fryer.
- Air fry 25 minutes, turning each chicken wing halfway through air frying, until the wings are golden on the outside and reach an internal temperature of 175-190°F when checked with an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the wing.
Preparing the Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Melt 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter with 3 ounces Frank’s Red Hot Sauce in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until the butter is completely melted. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Preparing the Chicken Wing Seasoning
- Mix ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper together in a small dish and set aside.
Seasoning and Adding Sauce to Wings
- When chicken wings are cooked through, remove them from the air fryer into a large bowl and toss with the seasoning mixture. Keep tossing until the chicken wings absorb the seasoning powder.
- Pour Buffalo sauce over chicken wings and use tongs to toss the wings and coat with the Buffalo sauce.
- Serve Buffalo wings immediately with carrot and celery sticks and a dipping sauce such as ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Notes
- For nutrition and serving size: The amount of wings contained in 1 pound of chicken wings can vary based on the size of the wings. Generally, though, 1 pound of chicken wings is enough for 2 servings. If you want to air fry more than 1 pound of wings, make sure to cook them in batches to avoid overcrowding the air fryer.
- Use an oil sprayer filled with your preferred cooking oil, such as avocado oil or light olive oil. Avoid using pressurized cooking sprays with additives, as they might damage the non-stick surface of your air fryer.
- When microwaving the buffalo sauce, cover the bowl with a paper towel or paper plate to prevent spattering.
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific brand of air fryer, as all air fryer brands vary. As always, use our cook time and temperature as a guide until you are more comfortable with your specific model of air fryer.
- If cooking multiple batches, check on the remaining batches early, as they may cook more quickly.
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