Hot, crispy, and perfect for dipping in your favorite sauces — there are so many delicious reasons to make frozen chicken wings in the air fryer!

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings coated with buffalo sauce on a white plate with one drumstick being dipped into blue cheese

In a rush? Forgot to defrost your wings? Need to get something on the table quickly that you know everyone will love?

My friend, these are all perfect reasons to make frozen chicken wings in the air fryer!

Not that you need a reason, of course. These wings turn out so irresistibly hot and crispy, you’ll want to make them all the time!

They’re just as great for busy weeknights as they are for game-day snacking, family dinners, and more.

And if you love chicken wings, check out our great list of the best air fryer chicken wings here!

Here’s what I’m going to teach you in this post:

How to air fry frozen wings to crispy perfection
Tips for making the best air fryer frozen chicken wings
My answers to frequently-asked air fryer questions

Whenever I’m in a rush, knowing that I can whip up some TGI Fridays or Tyson frozen chicken wings in the air fryer is such a relief. They’re ready in 35 minutes, and my husband and kids will always devour breaded wings.

Best of all, I get to dip mine in my favorite easy homemade buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing. That’s what I call a win-win-win!

Air Fryer I recommend: Large, easy to clean, square basket, burner on top and bottom. Click to see it.

Frozen chicken wings and salt and pepper in different bowls

How to Make Frozen Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer

STEP ONE: Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.

STEP TWO: Place the frozen wings inside the air fryer in a single layer inside. I personally used Tyson frozen chicken wings for this recipe and photos, but I’ve tested other frozen wings in the air fryer and they all cook very similar.

Frozen chicken wings in air fryer basket

STEP THREE: Cook for 15 minutes.

STEP FOUR: Open the basket and season the tops of the wings with salt and pepper. Then, flip the wings, spritz them with cooking oil, and season the other side.

I like to use my EVO Oil Mister to quickly spritz a little oil on them.

STEP FIVE: Air fry for an additional 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket twice during cooking until done to your desired crispiness, and the internal temperature has reached at least 165 degrees.

STEP SIX: Toss in buffalo sauce, or your favorite sauce, before serving.

Chicken Wing Sauce Ideas:

Love cooking frozen foods? Check out this great list of frozen foods in the air fryer!

Can You Make Any Type of Frozen Wings in the Air Fryer?

Full disclosure, I haven’t tried making EVERY type of frozen wing in the air fryer… but I’ve tried a lot, and so far, they’ve all turned out great!

This recipe is my preferred method for making frozen bone-in chicken wings. For boneless wings, the process will be slightly different, so make sure to follow the instructions in this air fryer boneless wings recipe post instead.

For best results, I recommend buying fresh chicken wings and freezing them individually for quality reasons, but frozen store-bought wings work great too!

Do I Need to Preheat My Air Fryer?

Yes! For a recipe like this one, preheating your air fryer allows it to cook the food evenly and get that nice, crispy skin on the chicken wings.

To learn more, check out my post on when and how to preheat your air fryer.

Chicken wings on a plate with buffalo sauce in a bowl and chicken wing with a bite taken out of it

Can You Layer Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer?

I recommend placing your chicken wings in a single layer and not overlapping them. This allows the air to fully circulate around the wings, which will give you the crispiest skin.

If you try to cook too many at once, they won’t cook as evenly and the skin could turn out soft in places.

That’s why I always recommend cooking your wings in batches if necessary instead of trying to cram too many into the air fryer.

Buffalo chicken wings on a plate with blue cheese and celery

Tips for Making the Best Air Fryer Frozen Wings

Always flip the wings and shake the basket to ensure the air fryer can crisp up the wings on all sides.

Make sure the wings are fully cooked by using an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer. The internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees.

There’s no need to thaw your wings first. They’ll feel hard as a rock when they go in the air fryer, but they’ll come out perfectly tender and juicy!

Never over-crowd the air fryer basket. It’s better to cook multiple batches of wings in a single layer than to try to cook too many at once. This is one reason I see air fryer users upgrade to large-capacity air fryer within the first year of owning one.

For maximum flavor, toss in your favorite sauce or dry rub as soon as they come out of the air fryer.

Chicken wing being dipped into buffalo sauce with other wings on plate

There’s Some Water in the Bottom of the Air Fryer. Should I Drain It?

When you air fry frozen wings, they may release some water as they cook.

If you notice water accumulating in your air fryer, you can carefully drain it. But be extra careful because your air fryer will be very hot to touch!

I’ve Seen I Can Use Bread to Prevent My Air Fryer from Smoking. Should I Use It Here?

This is a great method to prevent your air fryer from smoking, but you shouldn’t need it for this recipe.

In my personal experience, I’ve never run into this issue when making wings. Plus, in most cases, the little water from the frozen wings will be enough to help it not smoke.

Are you running into this problem with other recipes? Check out my post on preventing your air fryer from smoking for some quick and easy solutions.

Air Fryer frozen chicken wings cooked and coated in buffalo sauce served with blue cheese and celery on a white plate

How to Reheat Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer

Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees.
Place the leftover chicken wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
Cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

This method also works well if you have refrigerated precooked or store-bought wings!

For more tips, check out this post on how to reheat wings in the air fryer.

You’ll get crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside perfection every time. Plus, I break down how to reheat wings that are already sauced without making a mess!

Other Air Fryer Wing Recipes You’ll Love:

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