Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer

Frozen chicken wings in air fryer machines actually turn out great! Tender meat on the inside with a crispy skin and smothered in sauce. It’s the way to go when you forgot to defrost dinner! 

• We’ve made tender pressure cooker frozen chicken wings before, but these are even better!

I mean yes you want them cooked thru but crispy chicken skin is where it is at right? Especially when it comes to wings for sure. I’m sure you will agree with me. There are so many ways to serve them but it all starts with the texture before they go out for guests to enjoy them.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings Frozen

Before you move on any further, LIKE our easy air fryer recipes page to get new ideas for meals and snack ideas like this one daily!

Before you had to cook them, then pop them under your broiler. Not anymore! With a hot air fryer you can make crispy chicken skin on the outsides too! That means you can make anything and everything faster and more efficiently. I am all about that with 3 kids and working full time.

Anything that will help us eat dinner together more often I am a fan of. I made this resolution years ago and though we are not perfect it has become a priority for us. Even if we only get it 2 times a week it is a great way to talk about the day and reconnect. Especially with teens with one word answers this is big. And very important.

Can you cook frozen meat in an air fryer?

Yes!! Frozen meat can take a long time to cook when normally, however thanks to air fryer technology you can now cook a variety of frozen meat products in no time at all! If you have never done this before it is a guaranteed game changer for us all. And you have to try it like right now…..

When they’re done you’ll never know they were rock hard when you first put them in.

Air Fry Frozen Wings

There’s NO prep work for these babies! That means when I’m having a blonde moment and totally forgot to defrost my meat for dinner, I can still save the evening. Don’t worry about the lack of flavor because when they get warmed and moist on the outside you can add dry rub on the outside if you want.

Or just go for dipping sauces in the end and sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper just to liven them up.

• Once we got the hang of this we went on to create a whole lot of other frozen meat in air an fryer. Air fryer frozen fish comes out amazing too.

Now if you do remember it is a bit better in my opinion. 

• BUT it’s great to have this and how to cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot on hand too.

This is what you’ll need for air fryer frozen chicken

• Ninja Foodi or other electric air fryer 
• Bag of frozen chicken wings
  • that is it if you don’t want sauce
  • naked wings are quite good with just some salt and pepper 

Buffalo sauce is what was used to toss them in here once they were done with the ingredients below. Feel free to use teriyaki instead or just seasonings.

• Brown sugar
• Garlic powder
• Olive oil spray

I like my wings both ways, sauced, dipped in fry sauce, or with a dry rub.  

If they’re frozen that won’t work though, you’ll have to use a bottled teriyaki sauce, or use the recipe below for something a bit sweet and spicy.

How long do you cook frozen chicken wings in the air fryer?

The short answer is about 25 minutes for 1 batch. Of course times will vary depending on whether you preheat it first, and how crispy you like your skin too.

Here are the basic steps for air fried chicken wings

1. Put single layer of frozen chicken wings in your air fryer basket.
2. Close drawer or lid and set to 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
3. Then flip them over and continue cooking the wings for another 10 minutes.
4. Flip again, spray with olive oil spray and continue for 5 more minutes.

Flipping them a few times is really important to getting them as crispy as possible and the middle tender at the same time.

1. You could enjoy them at this time but if you want perfectly cooked crispier skins flip the wings again.
2. Spray with olive oil and add another 3-5 minutes at a time.
3. Remove when your frozen air fryer chicken wings are as crispy as you’d like.
4. Put on paper towels when done, sauce and enjoy!

Total cooking time will be about 30 minutes per batch.

Can you defrost in an air fryer?

The beauty of the air fryer is that you don’t need to defrost frozen foods before cooking them. Take these air fryer tater tots.

They work just like if you were to cook them in the oven. Just throw them in rock solid and they’ll come out tender, but crispy on the outside. Actually, crispier than if you put them into the oven.

Love deep fried wings but want a healthier version ?

• This is it!! 

If you want to decide whether naked wings in the oven, or these are better, follow our how to bake crispy chicken wings recipe here.

You use a bit of baking powder on the outside to get that CRISPY skin. That’s what we did before we got this nifty machine.

What to serve with air fryer frozen chicken wings

I mean side dishes are very personal so choose whatever you like! Since these are packed with protein you can just pair them with some easy dinner rolls and mixed vegetables and serve. Or make:

• French fries
• Air fryer zucchini chips
• A salad is my go to on really busy days
• Pasta salad

The list goes on and on I tell you. Since they are so high in protein you get filled quite quickly really. If you just serve them with a side of carrot sticks, celery and some ranch dressing the kids will think you’re a dinner hero. And that is so easy you can totally do that!

• Crunchy air fryer corn dogs are yummy too

Now if you have defrosted meat you can follow the air fryer wings recipe with the best dry rub ever and enjoy. Yes you can put sauce on them but I kid you not these seasonings will blow any sauce out of the water.

How do you make leftover wings crispy?

Can chicken wings be reheated?

YES to both of these questions:

You can preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Just put parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the wings in one layer. Bake for 15 minutes or until they are thoroughly heated through. 

I personally prefer using my air fryer though. Just a few minutes in a preheated air fryer at 400 F. usually does the trick. Of course fresh is always best but don’t throw anything away for sure! Leftovers can be resurrected.

Are chicken wings still good if left out overnight?

If they’re out between 40 and 140 degrees F, they can be out for up to two hours.

If they’re out in temperatures around 90 degrees or higher, you can only leave the wings out for about an hour.

Can you cook frozen chicken in an air fryer?

• YES! Not only are frozen chicken wings in air fryer possible, but cooking a frozen chicken breast in an air fryer is great too!

What Temp for Wings in Air Fryer

There is a detailed list of ingredients and instructions below but here is a quick step by step for you as well:

If you add any other sort of sauce that comes out killer let us know! You can use bottled bbq, wing sauce or other too if you’d rather. Serve with celery and carrot sticks with ranch dressing and enjoy.