Air Fried Frozen Chicken Wings

Name: Air Fried Frozen Chicken Wings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1.25 lb chicken wings; 1 tsp steak seasoning; 2 tbsp bbq chicken rub; 2 tbsp avocado oil; ⅓ cup bourbon bbq sauce (I pick this up from the market)

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Air Fried Frozen Chicken Wings are an easy and delicious 30-minute appetizer or main dish. They come together with 5 simple ingredients, including a sweet & smokey bourbon BBQ sauce. Make these when you want wings, but don’t have the time to thaw them out.

Golden-brown air-fried frozen chicken wings arranged on a platter, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, garnished with a sprinkle of fresh herbs.

Why Make Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings

No thawing required: this easy recipe lets you cook frozen chicken wings in your air fryer without thawing them out first.
Easy: simply take your chicken out of the freezer and cook the chicken wings straight from frozen. They’re ready in about 30 minutes with simple ingredients.

Ingredients Needed

Here’s what you need to know about the ingredients to make frozen chicken wings in an air fryer:

Individually Frozen Chicken Wings: I get these frozen individually from the grocery store. This recipe does not work with a “block” of frozen chicken wings. So, if you have that, you will need to thaw them out before cooking.
Steak Seasoning: this compliments the BBQ chicken dry rub and adds additional flavor. Any Montreal-style steak seasoning will work
BBQ Chicken Rub: this is a homemade spice mixture. I make a bunch and store in an airtight container for later in recipes like Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tenders, BBQ Chicken Flatbreads, BBQ Chicken Sliders, and more.
Avocado Oil
Bourbon bbq sauce: your favorite bbq sauce will work

Ingredients for air-fried frozen chicken wings arranged in separate bowls: individually frozen chicken wings, steak seasoning, BBQ chicken dry rub, avocado oil, and bourbon BBQ sauce.

How To Air Fry Frozen Chicken Wings

Season the frozen chicken wings: Add the frozen chicken wing pieces, seasoning, dry rub, and the avocado oil to a large bowl. Use tongs to evenly coat the chicken.
Add the wings to the air fryer : Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Add the seasoned chicken wings to the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Air fry at 400 degrees: cooking the wings evenly will require flipping them often.
Coat the wings with bbq sauce and air fry some more: This allows the wings to crisp and the sauce to caramelize without burning.

photo collage showing how to make individually frozen chicken wings in the air fryer in 4 steps

Recipe Tips & FAQs

Toss to coat the wings in seasoning: Since the wings are frozen, this might require some extra tossing, but try to get as much seasoning on the wings as possible.
Flip often: Cooking the wings evenly will require flipping them often. I tend to check on my air fryer frozen wings every 5-6 minutes.

Can you cook chicken wings from frozen in an air fryer?

Yes – this recipe will help you cook chicken wings in the air fryer from frozen.

Do I need to thaw chicken wings before air frying?

No – you don’t have to thaw chicken wings before air frying. But, for crispy air fryer fried chicken wings, you will have thaw them out first.

Juicy golden-brown air-fried frozen chicken wings served on a platter with a creamy ranch dip on the side, garnished with fresh herbs for added flavor.

More Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Recipes

Want more easy chicken recipes that cook from frozen? Try these: