What Makes This Recipe So Good
What makes air fryer frozen chicken wings better than air fryer chicken wings? Well, there’s one key difference – they’re frozen! With this method, you can fry up your chicken wings straight from the freezer, no thawing required. Perfect if you’re someone who likes to stock up on sale days, you forgot to thaw your wings last night (been there), or you just don’t like messing with raw chicken. These frozen chicken wings come out of the air fryer with a PERFECT texture and taste. They’re crispy outside and tender & juicy inside. Plus the easy homemade buffalo sauce is INCREDIBLE. All of the cooking happens right in the air fryer. No need to transfer the wings to the oven to crisp them up under the broiler – just crank up the heat on the air fryer for a few minutes toward the end! This method works whether you have a basket-style air fryer (like me) or an air fryer oven with racks. If your air fryer has racks, you’ll want to rotate the racks every 6 to 7 minutes during cooking, making sure with each rotation that the wings aren’t stuck to the racks or each other.
Key Ingredients
Frozen Chicken Wings – YUP! Bone-in, skin-on, rock-hard frozen chicken wings. No need to thaw them first! You can take them straight out of the freezer, season them with a little salt, and pop them right into the preheated air fryer.Butter – The base of my easy buffalo sauce! If you’re dairy free, you can use a dairy-free butter, no problem.Hot Sauce – Any brand and any flavor of hot sauce will work. If buffalo sauce isn’t your thing, you can totally use whatever you like best! Lemon pepper sauce, BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, whatever! Just keep in mind that you can’t really brine or marinate the wings while they’re frozen, so any sauce has to be added after cooking.
Chef’s Tips
The cook time may vary slightly depending on the size and number of wings you’re cooking, how frozen the wings are, your specific size and type of air fryer, etc. Check your wings whenever you shake the basket and add a few extra minutes at 360°F if needed. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F for food safety. For really, really crispy air fryer frozen chicken wings, follow all the directions below as written. Then, after you’ve tossed the wings in the buffalo sauce, pop them back into the air fryer for just a couple of minutes. This step is totally optional and I personally don’t even think you really need it, which is why it’s not part of the instructions from the beginning. Be sure to use a spray oil that’s safe for air fryers! Basic aerosol cooking sprays can damage the non-stick coating on the air fryer basket. It’s best to fill an oil sprayer with your favorite neutral cooking oil and give the basket a few spritzes whenever you need it.
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