Cooking frozen chicken wings in the fryer couldn't be easier. Crispy skin, tender meat, and delicious wings on your plate in just about 30 minutes.
Did you ever forget to take the meat out of the freezer in time? It happens quite often to me... So, I looked for ways of cooking meat, especially chicken, from frozen.
Not only these amazing air fryer frozen chicken wings, but also air fryer frozen chicken breast or instant pot frozen chicken legs as well.
Jump to recipe
Recipe ingredients
The frozen wings, some spices, baking powder, and the air fryer. The sauce is totally optional, but really worth it!
Why use baking powder?
A well-known trick for extra crispy chicken wings, without deep frying, is using a small amount of baking powder. It helps dry out the skin and raises the pH, breaking down proteins so the skin browns and crisps faster in the oven or air fryer.
For best results, use aluminum-free baking powder to avoid any potential bitter taste some people may notice.
How to air fry frozen chicken wings?
Step #1: Place the wings into the basket in a single layer.
Step #2: Cook for 10 minutes at 360ยฐF/ 180ยฐC. Shake or flip.
Step #3: Increase the temperature to 400ยฐF/ 200ยฐC and cook for 18-20 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes. Check.
Step #4: Toss with about ยพ of the sauce and cook for 2 more minutes.
Tips
Use baking powder for extra crispiness, preferably aluminum-free, to avoid any bitter aftertaste.
Check if there is any water in the basket after the first 10 minutes of the cooking time. If so, discard it. Too much water in the machine will prevent the skin from getting crispy.
Store and reheat
Refrigerate as soon as cool in an airtight container. They will keep for 3-4 days. It is not recommended to freeze food that was already frozen, even when it's cooked.
Reheat in the air fryer: For about 5-6 minutes at 400ยฐF/ 200ยฐC.
Reheat in the oven: Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and reheat in the oven at 360ยฐF/ 180ยฐC for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Chicken wings:
- 2 lbs frozen chicken wings
- 1 ยฝ tablespoon baking powder Note
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 pinch of fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha or another hot sauce, to taste
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer, if necessary. Mine needs 3 minutes.
- Toss wings: In the meantime, combine the baking powder, garlic powder, paprika, and salt in a large bowl. Add the frozen wings and toss them well. Place the wings in the basket of the air fryer. 1 ยฝ tablespoon baking powder + 2 teaspoons garlic powder + 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + 2 lbs frozen chicken wings
- Cook at 360ยฐF/ 180ยฐC for 10 minutes.
- Check the basket; if there is any liquid in it (coming from the now defrosted wings), discard it. There was no liquid in my basket, but depending on the machine you have, it might happen.
- Shake the basket well or flip the wings using tongs.
- Increase the temperature to 400ยฐF/ 200ยฐC and continue cooking the wings for another 18 to 20 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes.
- Check if the wings are cooked through by tearing the thickest one you can find. If it still slightly pink near the bone, give it a few more minutes.
- Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl.1 tablespoon soy sauce + 1 pinch of fine sea salt + 1 tablespoon ketchup + 2 tablespoons honey + 1-2 tablespoons sriracha + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- Toss the wings with ยพ of the sauce. Air fry for a further 2 minutes.
- Remove the wings from the basket and toss with the remaining sauce. Serve immediately.
Valerie says
I used six large frozen wingettes and drumets but eight would probably have worked too. I put half of each of the seasonings in a bowl; I didnโt have any baking powder so I used a sprinkle of cream of tarter, then I shook the chicken around in the bowl. I followed the directions for cooking it in the air fryer but 18 minutes would probably be about right for the few chickens I used. The chicken was very tasty. I really liked it. I used a little poultry seasoning too. My husband loved the sauce but I could have eaten them from the air fryer without the sauce. It didnโt look crispy all over probably because I didnโt use a lot of cream of tarter or baking powder, but it was crispy tasting. I will make more next time. Thanks for the recipe
Adina says
Thank you for the feedback, Valerie, I am happy you liked wings.