Can You Air-Fry Frozen Chicken Wings?

We've all had that moment where we forgot to thaw frozen chicken — or worse — remembered, but the food didn't thaw all the way. Back in the day, there wasn't much you could do about that situation, but now mankind has the air fryer, which can heat up certain cuts of chicken without thawing them first. If you need to cook frozen chicken wings in a pinch, heat 10 to 12 wings in the air fryer at 400 Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

The halfway mark is when you'll want to gently pat the chicken dry and add any seasonings or marinades. The meat will be tender enough to start absorbing the flavors at this point. Just don't overcrowd the fryer basket, otherwise you risk the meat not cooking evenly (one of the many mistakes you can make with your air fryer). You might need to adjust the timing based on the power of your machine and the thickness of the chicken meat. Check doneness with a meat thermometer to ensure the wings are cooked all the way.

The main drawback of heating food from the freezer is that there's a slightly higher risk of receiving an uneven cook, with some parts being over or underdone. Air fryers sometimes have a habit of drying out food as well. If the food is starting to look dry, adding extra sauce and wrapping the wings in tin foil while they heat can help trap steam for more moisture. If the wings are looking more soggy, draining some of the moisture and sprinkling a little salt and some extra cooking time can help get them up to par.

Saucy and marinated foods should be kept away from the air fryer in most situations, but half the joy of eating wings is appreciating the flavors of buffalo, lemon pepper, or honey garlic. To prevent these liquids from burning onto the fryer basket, it's a good idea to place a layer of aluminum foil or parchment paper underneath the wings. You can even use this air fryer method with our easy buffalo chicken wings recipe for the perfect wings and dipping sauce.