how long to cook frozen chicken wings in air fryer

If you have an air fryer, you will always be looking for more recipes to make using this amazing kitchen gadget: these air fryer chicken wings are just such a dish. Easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes, they are packed with flavor and have that classic crispy skin everybody loves.

Chicken wings on a platter with a grey napkin underneath it

I'm so vocal about loving my air fryer that I sound like an infomercial. Ask my family! I wax poetic about it without any embarrassment because I know it can make super delicious air fryer recipes like these air fried chicken wings.

That delights me.

When I air fry wings, I don't like to coat them with a flour mixture. I like the chicken skin to be crispy and coated with nothing more than my delicious mixture of spices and herbs.

My family think these are the best air fryer chicken wings they've ever had and I happen to agree. 🙂

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Helpful tips

My air fryer is the Instant Vortex Pro, which has two trays inside the oven that offer a lot of capacity. However, this recipe will also work in basket air fryers. Depending on your model and how many pounds of wings you do, you may have to cook the chicken in batches.
Even though there are only two of us in our house, I make a big batch of wings (over three pounds) because they keep for at least a week in the fridge and reheat beautifully so we can enjoy them as leftovers.
You can also freeze any leftover wings you've cooked. Just place them in an airtight container and when you're ready, take them out to reheat for a quick and delicious dinner.
The advice now from experts is don't wash your wings before cooking because it creates a higher risk of spreading bacteria around the sink, on the counters, and even on your hands. What I do is carefully remove the chicken from the packaging, pat it down with paper towels, and then discard the towels after.
Even though these chicken wings are scrumptious just the way they are, you could also drape some buffalo sauce on them, or dip them in either ranch dressing, or blue cheese dressing.

Ingredients and substitutions

Chicken wings – I buy mine at Whole Foods. They are organic and free range chicken parts and air chilled. I usually don't buy whole chicken wings as I prefer them to be cut up already.
Chipotle powder – optional – Use as much or as little as you like. I use a few shakes because hubby can't take a lot of spice. (Woe is me.)
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Tarragon – dried – if you don't have this herb, you can substitute it with extra dried parsley.
Cumin – ground.
Parsley – dried.
Smoked paprika – This gives it a nice smokey flavor.
Kosher salt – this is my preferred salt. You can use another salt, like sea salt, but use half the amount.

How to make air fryer chicken wings

Pre-step

Get out your air fryer, a mixing bowl, and a rubber spatula.

Step one

After you've patted down the chicken wings to remove moisture, place them in the mixing bowl. (A)

Step two

Gather the herbs and spices – onion powder, garlic powder, tarragon, cumin, parsley, smoked paprika, and kosher salt. (B)

Left - raw chicken wings in a glass bowl. Right - herbs and spices in a white dish in front of chicken wings in a bowl

Step three

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the chicken wings so the herbs and spices have something to stick to. (C)

This is where I sprinkle in the little bit of chipotle powder hubby can eat. You can add yours now or add it with the rest of the mixture pictured below.

Step four

Add the rest of the herbs and spices. You don't have to mix them beforehand. (D)

Left - chipotle powder and olive oil on chicken wings. Right - the herbs and spices on the chicken wings

Step five

Take a large rubber spatula and toss the ingredients together with the chicken until all the wings are covered. This is where your herbs and spices are blended.

Step six

Remove the oven trays if you have that type of air fryer. If you have the basket type, leave the basket in the fryer. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set the timer to 18 – 20 minutes. 18 minutes for small wings and 20 minutes for larger meaty wings.

I bake mine for 20 minutes.

Step seven

Line the chicken wings on the tray in a single layer while the oven is heating up. (With the basket type, wait until the oven heats up and then add the wings to the air fryer basket once it beeps that it has come to temperature.) Try not to have the wings touch each other or overlap. (E)

Step nine

After 10 minutes, carefully switch the bottom tray to the top and the top to the bottom. You don't have to flip the wings. (If you have the basket type of air fryer, you will have to flip the wings midway through cooking). (F)

Left - trays with the herbed chicken wings. Right - chicken wings in the air fryer

Remove the crispy wings and place them on a serving platter.

Close up of the chicken wings with a white plate in the background

Oh my, don't they look delicious?

I couldn't even wait to place a few on a plate. I had to pick one of the crispy chicken wings up.

A hand holding a wing drumette over a plater of wings

Chomp!

A hand holding a wing with a bite taken out of it

So moist and tasty that you don't even need a sauce. But if you LOVE sauce, you can warm some up and add it now, though I don't know why you'd want to. 🙂

Overhead view of a platter of wings with a tongs off the side

I hope you enjoyed this air fryer chicken wings recipe! We make these wings here in our house at least 2 times a month, if not more.

Thankfully Christopher loves them or I'd be eating a lot of these all by my onesies!

Favorite air fryer recipes

Pickles
Thighs
French toast
Drumsticks
Cornish hens

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you've tried thisrecipe, I'd love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

A hand holding a wing drummie over a platter of them

3 pounds chicken wings (or any poundage as the timing is the same – blotted dry with paper towels)
¼ teaspoons chipotle powder (use as much as you want)
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin (dried)
2 teaspoons tarragon (dried)
1.5 teaspoons parsley (dried)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)

Place the dried wings in a large bowl.
Dribble olive oil over the chicken and add a few shakes of chipotle powder (use as much as you like).
Add onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, tarragon, parsley and, kosher salt.
Use a spatula and mix the herbs and spices with the chicken until all the wings are covered.
If you have the tray type of air fryer like I do, remove the trays. Otherwise, leave the basket in the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
Place the wings on the trays being careful to that the wings don't overlap.
Once the air fryer has come to temperature, add the trays to the fryer. (If you have the basket type, add the wings to the basket without them overlaping – you may have to do them in batches.)
Midway through cooking, switch the lower tray to the top position and the top to the bottom. No need to flip the wings. (If you have the basket type, you need to flip the wings at this point.)
Once the wings are done, remove from the air fryer and place the chicken on a platter for serving.
Eat
Smile
Enjoy

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