Cooking Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings is such a great way to cook chicken quickly. When you don’t have to worry about thawing out the chicken, it makes for a fast weeknight dinner, even if you’re making it last minute!
This crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe is a favorite at our house. Everyone loves being able to grab the “mini wings” and enjoy them all to themselves. What I enjoy most about this chicken recipe is that I can add the frozen wings right to the air fryer basket and let one of my favorite kitchen appliances do its thing.
As much as I try to remember to meal prep for all the meals, there are times when I forget to take the meat out of the freezer and put it into the fridge. Thankfully, recipes like this exist where I can still get crispy chicken wings no matter how forgetful I was during the day.
You can also cook up salmon that is frozen as well using my Air Fryer Frozen Salmon. These types of air fryer recipes make being a mom and cook that much easier!
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Another favorite is making Air Fryer Cornish Hen.
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Ingredients
Just one ingredient and then your favorite sauce or seasoning is all you need for perfect crisp wings! Without any added oil, baking powder, or potato starch I created extra crispy wings in my air fryer.
Chicken Wings – I use 1 pound of frozen wings when I cook up this simple air fryer recipe. You can easily cook them in small batches and serve them as an appetizer or make them the main meal, too.
How To Make Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
You’re going to love how simple and easy this chicken wings recipe is. It’s a great way to treat the kids to a crispy and delicious protein meal.
Step One: Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for the best results. Add the frozen wings to your air fryer in a single layer. Make sure to leave space and don’t stack them. The air needs to circulate to cook them all the way through.
Step Two: Cook the wings for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, then flip. Flip them carefully so the skin doesn’t tear. Crispy skin is the best part! Cook the other side for an additional 10 minutes.
That’s it! Enjoy them naked or add them to a large bowl and toss in a dry rub or your favorite wing sauce.
Top Tip
I would say that adding in no more than eight chicken wings max would be your goal. If they’re bigger, you might only be able to fit in 6. If you don’t have an extra rack you may need to make these in two batches.
Variations
Seasonings – While I like to add the wings to the air fryer as is, you can always try to add on some lemon pepper or garlic powder. Seasonings may stick to raw wings better than cooked wings but some can burn during the cooking process. Black pepper and salt will not burn so if you want to season before cooking they are the best bet.
If you’re a fan of spicy, you can add some ground chipotle pepper, cayenne pepper, or chili pepper.
Sauces – The sky is the limit when it comes to sauces. If you are doing keto just be mindful of added sugar. Everything from spicy chili sauce to bbq sauce and ketchup can have added sugar.
Some of our favorites are creamy buffalo sauce for buffalo wings, white barbecue sauce for bbq wings, and parmesan garlic sauce for a more unique option.
Common Questions
What is the best air fryer?
This all comes down to your preference, as there are many great options out there on the market. I just use the air fryer lid on my Instant Pot because space is limited, and the lid works great.
What are the best dips to serve with chicken wings?
Dipping these delicious wings in a favorite dipping sauce is half the fun! There are a lot of dip recipes to choose from, but some of my favorites are:
- Ranch dressing – for a dairy-free ranch this recipe is the best.
- BBQ sauce – check out my post with three different flavors of keto barbecue sauce that can be made in just 5 minutes!
- Blue cheese dressing – make your own with just a handful of ingredients.
- Hot sauce/Buffalo sauce – a classic wing sauce favorite!
These are just a few of my favorite dipping sauces but feel free to experiment and have fun. You can literally dip these wingettes into anything that you want to or eat them “naked” without any sauces.
What side dishes do you serve with air fried wings?
There are endless options. Cutting up some carrots and celery sticks is a delicious crunchy side dish. I also think that steaming vegetables like broccoli or adding a simple side salad are great side options, too.
If you want to use your air fryer more, make up a batch of fries as well! There’s nothing better than some crispy fries to go with your crunchy chicken wings. For a low-carb option try my keto fries.
How do you reheat chicken wings?
Using your air fryer to reheat leftover chicken wings is the best way to bring back some of that crunch. Make sure to just reheat for a few minutes so that you don’t burn or overheat.
Alternatively, you can reheat them in the oven under the broiler or on the stovetop in a hot skillet.
You can also reheat air fryer wings in the microwave. But, keep in mind that if you do reheat in the microwave they’re not going to be crisp at all.
How do you store leftover drumettes?
Just add the leftovers to an airtight container and keep them stored in the fridge. You can also add them to the freezer and save them for later too.
I prefer to eat these fresh from the air fryer because they had that super delicious crunch!
Can you cook fresh chicken wings in the air fryer?
Yes, you can air fry fresh chicken wings! You may have to adjust the cooking time to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees when you’re cooking fresh instead of frozen, but that’s about all you’ll have to do!
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Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
This Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings recipe is such a great way to cook chicken quickly with no thawing required.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat the air fryer to 400 and spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray.
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Place the wings in a single layer on the basket. Cook for 20 min. Flip the wings over. Cook an additional 10 min.
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Toss the wings in your favorite sauce or dry rub and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 135.9Carbohydrates: 0gProtein: 11.2gFat: 9.8gSaturated Fat: 2.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3.9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 47.1mgSodium: 44.7mgPotassium: 95.5mgFiber: 0gVitamin A: 90IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 7.3mgIron: 0.6mg
Originally Published January 28, 2022. Revised and Republished January 17, 2024.