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With minimal prep time and 10-15 minutes of cooking you can make the best frozen chicken wings in air fryer. Raw or precooked wings are made perfectly crispy with a little bit of olive oil, ready to drizzle with your favorite wing sauce.
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Crispy chicken wings are my #1 favorite snack food - hands down! If they're on the menu - I'm having them.
I always have a bag of frozen chicken wings in my freezer, and often make air fryer frozen chicken wings as a quick snack or a simple meal together with one of my favorite sides for wings.
Why you will love this recipe
- It's the best way to cook frozen chicken wings
- Air fryer chicken wings are crispier than oven baked
- Nice crispy skin thanks to the circulating hot air
- Healthier than fried
- Super easy and done in under 20 minutes
What you need to make them
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Frozen chicken wings: This recipe can be made with any type of frozen chicken wings. Shown above are pre-cooked and seasoned chicken wings, but you can also use raw seasoned chicken wings, raw or pre-cooked breaded chicken wings and raw or pre-cooked wings without seasoning.
- Other cuts of chicken: These instructions work for other cuts of chicken as well, such as drumsticks. For larger cuts like drumsticks you will need to add 5 minutes to the cook times.
- Olive oil can be swapped for a different type of vegetable oil or cooking spray. It can also be skipped, but does add nice color.
- Seasoning should be added if you are cooking unseasoned wings, add it after the first round of cooking (see instructions below). I like using the seasoning for my Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks but any chicken seasoning you love will work.
How to Cook Pre-cooked & Seasoned Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
- Place chicken wings in a bowl or on a plate
- Pour over olive oil
- Rub the oil all over the chicken
- Place chicken wings in a pre heated air fryer basket
- Air fry 10-15 minutes at 400°F (200°C), flipping them once halfway
- Check to make sure they are done - the internal temperature should reach 165°F (74°C) - if not, add a few more minutes
How to Cook Raw Frozen Chicken Cings in Air Fryer
- Place chicken wings in preheated air fryer basket
- Air fry 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C) to thaw
- Remove wings from the air fryer and drain the liquid from the bottom. Rub the wings with oil and add seasoning.
- Place the wings back in the air fryer basket and air fry 7-10 minutes at 400°F (200°C), flipping them once halfway.
- Check to make sure the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C) - if not, add a few more minutes
Tips & tricks
- Preheat your air fryer to shorten the cook time and make cooking more even
- Cook wings from frozen - no need to thaw
- Cook chicken wings in one layer for an even cook. If making more wings, cook them in batches.
- Drain any excess liquid from the bottom of the basket
- Cook time will vary with the size of the wingsand the specific air fryer you're using
- If you want to add sauce, do it with 5 minutes left. Remove the wings from the air fryer basket, mix with the sauce, and place back in the basket.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure the wings have reached an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) (both raw and pre-cooked wings)
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Reheat chicken wings by air frying for 5 minutes at 300°F (150°C)
Recipe FAQ
For more answers to your Air Fryer questions, check out this extensive Air Fryer FAQ.
This depends mainly on the size of the wings. You will generally need 10-15 minutes, you could require more or less time.
No, it's better to cook them straight from frozen!
Yes, you can! Air fry 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature recahes 165°F (74°C).
Cook Tyson frozen wings at 400°F (200°C) for 12-15 minutes. After 5 minutes, drain the liquid from the bottom and season the wings as desired. Before serving, make sure the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C).
There are a few things you can do to ensure your wings come out crisp:
1. Don't overcrowd your air fryer basket - cook the wings in a single layer and leave some space between them as well
2. Turn the wings at least once - the circulating air should take care of an even cook, but I like to flip them once just to be sure
3. Drain excess liquid from the bottom of the basket - if there's a lot of liquid there (this especially happens if you cook raw wings) the wings can come out more steamed than crispy
More delicious air fryer recipes
Looking for more quick & easy air fryer frozen food recipes?
- Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs
- Frozen Steak in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Frozen Dumplings
And don't miss my complete guide to cooking frozen foods in air fryer.
Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Recipe
Frozen Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 10 frozen chicken wings raw or pre-cooked
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Seasoning (optional)
- ½ teaspoon paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ lime juice only
Instructions
Pre-cooked frozen chicken wings
- Preheat the air fryer by running it at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes.
- Pour the olive oil over the frozen chicken wings and mix to spread the oil all over the pieces.10 frozen chicken wings, 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Place chicken wings in air fryer basket and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 10-15 minutes, flipping them once halfway. Check to make sure they are done, and if not add a few more minutes.
Raw frozen chicken wings
- Preheat the air fryer by running it at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes.
- Place chicken wings in air fryer basket and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes.10 frozen chicken wings
- Remove the chicken wings from the air fryer and drain the liquid from the bottom. Pour the oil over the chicken wings and season as desired.1 teaspoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon paprika powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ lime
- Place the chicken wings back in the air fryer basket and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 7-10 minutes, flipping them halfway. Check to make sure they are done, and if not add a few more minutes.
Equipment needed for this recipe
Notes
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Frozen chicken wings: This recipe can be made with any type of frozen chicken wings; raw or pre-cooked.
- Other cuts of chicken: These instructions work for other cuts of chicken as well, such as drumsticks. For larger cuts like drumsticks you will need to add 5 minutes to the cook times.
- Olive oil can be swapped for a different type of vegetable oil or cooking spray. It can also be skipped, but does add nice color.
- Seasoning should be added if you are cooking unseasoned wings, add it after the first round of cooking (see instructions below). I like using the seasoning for my Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks but any chicken seasoning you love will work.
Tips & tricks
- Preheat your air fryer * to shorten the cook time and make cooking more even
- Cook wings from frozen - no need to thaw
- Cook chicken wings in one layer for an even cook. If making more wings, cook them in batches.
- Drain any excess liquid from the bottom of the basket
- Cook time will vary with the size of the wingsand the specific air fryer * you're using
- If you want to add sauce, do it with 5 minutes left. Remove the wings from the air fryer * basket, mix with the sauce, and place back in the basket.
- Use a meat thermometer * to make sure the wings have reached an internal temperature * of 165°F (74°C) (both raw and pre-cooked wings)
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Reheat chicken wings by air frying for 5 minutes at 300°F (150°C)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Doc Glidewell
I used 350 deg so my times were slightly longer but, using Foster Farms pre-cooked wings (from Costco USA) the results were perfect.
Thanks for the recipe.
Mik
Takes far longer then 10 minutes to cook frozen wings. I followed this recipe and the time is a joke.
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Mik! Did you use pre-cooked frozen wings or raw frozen wings? This recipe is for pre-cooked wings which cook much quicker. Cook times will still vary with the specific air fryer model you use but mine are definitely done after 10 minutes. 😊