Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings

Name: Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb frozen chicken wings (Note 1); 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; ½ teaspoon paprika (sweet, hot, or smoked (Note 2)); 3 tablespoons hot sauce (Note 3); 1 tablespoon brown sugar

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Perfectly seasoned Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings, from frozen to fully cooked in just 30 minutes, these amazing wings are addictive! An easy way of putting dinner on the table without any fuss.

plate with chicken wings and sauce on a newspaper with two forks beside it.

Why is this recipe great?

Chicken wings straight from the freezer to fully cooked in half an hour! That’s just amazing! No worries if you forgot to defrost them or if you decided to cook the wings at a moment’s notice. To make these air fryer frozen chicken wings, there is no need to go shopping, no need for preparations; this is my preferred method for cooking wings.

A perfect appetizer, great for weeknight dinners or guests. Make them for a football game or the Super Bowl, and you will need nothing else. Just some napkins… And if you love crispy wings, check out these fantastic Honey Lemon Pepper Wings.

They go well with many side dishes. Serve them as a main dish with potatoes, fries, rice, Mac and Cheese without Flour, or crispy bread. Then, add a nice big salad, like a green salad or coleslaw, or serve them with roasted vegetables.

Choose the seasoning or sauce. I love this simple combination of hot sauce and brown sugar, but whatever sauce you like is excellent.

No need for messy deep-frying! Juicy chicken wings with crispy skin and tender meat, these hot wings are a personal favorite, a success every single time!

What do you need?

collage of four pictures of frozen wings, spices, bottle of hot sauce and brown sugar.

Frozen chicken wings: 1 lb wings, divided into drumettes and wingettes.
Spices: salt, black pepper, and paprika powder, either sweet, smoked, or hot. Or a combination. Other spices are excellent; you can add garlic powder, dried herbs, cayenne pepper, and so on. You can also use a spice mixture or a dry rub of your choice.
Sauce: 3 tablespoons of hot sauce and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. You can use your favorite sauce (for example, bbq sauce, sweet and sour, teriyaki sauce, or buffalo sauce), but if it’s a sweet one, reduce the sugar amount or leave it out altogether.

How to air fry frozen chicken wings?

Preheat the air fryer according to its instructions. Some don’t need it, but most of them do. Mine needs to be preheated for 3 minutes.
Place wings into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 15 minutes.
Season: Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika and toss well (1).
Cook for another 10 minutes, shaking once in between (2).

two pictures of raw and half-cooked wings in an air fryer.

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Sauce: In the meantime, mix the hot sauce and the brown sugar.
Pour over the wings, toss well, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until the wings are fully cooked, and the sauce is glossy and slightly sticky (3, 4).
Check the internal temperature of the meat; it should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius). If you don’t have a meat thermometer, tear the meat off one wing, the inside should be completely white, not pink.

collage of two pictures of chicken wings in an air fryer before and after coating with sauce.

FAQ and Expert Tips

Arrange the raw wings in the basket in a single layer. Although they might touch or slightly overlap each other initially, once they are defrosted, they will lose some volume and won’t overlap anymore. Don’t stack them on top of each other.
Add the seasoning after the first 15 minutes of the cooking time. The spices will not stick to the frozen pieces.

What if they are frozen in a clump?

Place them in the preheated machine and cook them for about 5 minutes. Try to take them apart now; if they’re not there yet, give them a couple more minutes and try again. Once you can take them apart, arrange them in the basket in a single layer.

Can I use pre-cooked or pre-breaded frozen wings?

Yes, the cooking time will be slightly shorter, about 15-18 minutes. They will be cooked through from the beginning, but ensure they are properly heated through before serving. As they are already season or coated with sauce, you can skip those steps when air-frying them.

What if there is water in the basket?

It can happen depending on the machine you are using. Check the bottom of the basket after 10 minutes; if there is any liquid in it, discard it.

How to store the wings?

Fridge: Keep the leftover chicken wings in an airtight container. They will keep well for 2-3 days.
Freezer: Once fully cooked, you can freeze the wings again. Let cool completely, place in airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Then, defrost in the fridge and reheat before serving.

How to reheat them?

Air fryer: Reheat for 5-6 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
Oven: Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and reheat at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for about 10 minutes or until heated through.

close up many chicken wings coated with hot sauce.

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