Can I Use Thawed Wings?

Yes! You can use thawed wings for this recipe. Our testing showed that thawed wingettes and drummettes can be air fried as directed in the recipe except they only need about 15 minutes to achieve that optimum temperature of 180°F. Wings will brown more evenly if you turn them halfway through air frying.

Kitchen Tested

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Name: Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 2 lb frozen chicken wingettes and drummettes; Favorite dipping sauces, such as ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, Buffalo sauce, or honey-mustard sauce, if desired; Celery sticks, if desired

Prep time:15 min
Total time:55 min
Ingredients:7
Servings:4
Calories per serving:230

By Pillsbury Kitchens(Opens in a new tab)Updated 12/30/2024

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Prep time:15 min
Total time:55 min
Ingredients:7
Servings:4
Calories per serving:230

Chicken wings in the air fryer, you ask? Pillsbury™ delivers with this easy recipe. Forget using a deep fryer or the oven to get a crispy wing; the air fryer will take care of the job. No need thaw the chicken, heat a vat of oil or wait for the oven to preheat, this recipe takes the wings from freezer to plate with ease.

Whether it is game day or an appetizer party, air fryer chicken wings are a great choice. Because the wings cook in batches in the air fryer, it’s easy to keep hot and crisp wings coming out to guests. Quick to make, you will have the first batch ready to eat in about 25 minutes. It’s party time!

Pillsbury and your air fryer have you covered. Check out the details below to learn all about how to cook chicken wings in an air fryer. Then, save this recipe because you will want to come back to it again and again.

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Our recipe below tells you all you need to know about getting crispy wings, but here is an overview.

Coat Chicken in Oil and Seasoning

Start by tossing frozen chicken wingettes and drummettes with a bit of vegetable oil, paprika, salt, and pepper. Paprika adds flavor and helps achieve a golden color on the wings. Add your own favorite seasonings as well, like lemon pepper, barbecue seasoning, or garlic powder.

Arrange in Air Fryer

Next, arrange the wings in a single layer in the air fryer (no need to grease or spray the basket). You will be working in batches, so refrigerate any wings that don’t fit in the air fryer. This also gives you a chance to serve hot wings throughout the game or party.

Set the Time and Temp on the Air Fryer

Set the air fryer’s time and temp, and walk away. Come back in 10 minutes to turn the chicken wings halfway through cooking. Set the timer for another 10 minutes and come back to piping hot and crispy air fryer chicken wings. Cook another batch to keep the party going.

Tips for Getting Crispy Air Fryer Wings

Our chicken wings recipe for the air fryer gives you what you need to know for crispy wings. Keep the wings separated and in a single layer so air can circulate around the wings during cooking. The number of wings you can cook at one time will depend on the size of your air fryer.

Be patient. The dark meat of the wings should get to a higher temp than white meat to deliver perfectly cooked meat with a crispy skin. The inside of the chicken will get to 180°F or more, and that helps the skin get golden brown and crispy.

Seasoning and Sauce Variations

Dipping sauce inspiration can be found many places and can take you around the globe.

Already on Hand: Look to the refrigerator for condiment ideas to customize your air fryer wings. Salad dressings, like ranch, blue cheese, and honey-mustard make perfect dipping sauces for the wings. Barbecue sauce or steak sauce also add a savory variation.

Grocery Shelf: There is also a shelf-load of wing sauces to find at the grocery store. Some interesting flavors include Buffalo (of course!), Parmesan-garlic, bourbon-peach, and Nashville hot. The bottle doesn’t need to say “wing sauce” to work. Think sweet and sour, teriyaki, specialty mustards, or Thai peanut sauce.

DIY: If you want to elevate the wing experience, make your own dipping sauce. Check out these recipes from Pillsbury.com.

Chipotle Mayonnaise takes 2 ingredients you may have on hand and elevates the sauce to smoky, smooth goodness.

Pistachio Pesto may seem like an odd combo, but the rich herb flavor pairs perfectly with the crispy wings.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Wings

If you have leftover air fryer chicken wings, place in an airtight container, and refrigerate up to 3 days. To reheat the wings, air fry in a single layer in the air fryer at 375°F for 6 minutes, turning halfway through heating. The inside of the wings should reach 165°F. Air frying the leftover wings will recrisp the wings, which wouldn’t happen if you reheated them in the microwave. However, watch the temperature closely so you can avoid overheating and drying out the wings. For food safety and quality reasons, we do not recommend freezing already cooked air fried chicken wings.

Sides for Air Fryer Wings

Wings in the air fryer make a great weeknight meal, too. Serve with a green salad and a slice of watermelon. Then add one of these family-friendly sides.

Boiled Corn on the Cob keeps the fun of finger food in the meal. As the water heats to cook the corn, start air frying the wings.

One-Pot Mac and Cheese is an easy 3-ingredient recipe to put together while the wings are in the air fryer.

If you are serving the air fryer wings for an appetizer party, here are a couple of ideas to add to the buffet.

Slow-Cooker Elote Dip combines the flavors of Mexican street corn in a easy to make dip.

Stuffed Pretzel Dippers with cheesy mustard dip are another crowd-pleasing app. It’s likely the mustard dip will do triple duty as a favorite dip for fries and wings as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

The recipe can easily be doubled by doubling all the ingredients. Since the size of the air fryer basket will determine how many wings can be air fried at one time, it will take longer to cook all the wings. Be sure to refrigerate the uncooked wings while waiting for each batch to be done cooking. It is also helpful to wipe out the air fryer basket with a paper towel between batches.

If you only want a few wings, the recipe can be halved as well. Most likely the package of wings you buy will be individually quick frozen, so it should be easy to remove a few wings at a time from the larger bag of frozen wings.

Air fryers vary in size, shape, and function. This recipe was tested in a Ninja® Max XL air fryer. Ones with larger capacity will cook more wings at a time, which is a nice feature. Each air fryer model is different, so it is a good idea to test food for doneness according to the recipe. In this case, the chicken wings should reach 180°F to 190°F. Wings cooked to 165°F are still safe to eat, but our testing showed that the texture of the meat and the crispy exterior is achieved at the higher temperatures.

If you are looking for more air fryer inspiration, take a look at these kitchen-tested air fryer recipes.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Prep time:15 min
Total time:55 min
Ingredients:7
Servings:4
Calories per serving:230

Ingredient

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 lb frozen chicken wingettes and drummettes
Favorite dipping sauces, such as ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, Buffalo sauce, or honey-mustard sauce, if desired
Celery sticks, if desired

Instructions

Step 1
In 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix vegetable oil, salt, paprika, and pepper.

Step 2
Add frozen chicken; seal bag. Turn bag several times to coat chicken evenly in oil mixture.

Step 3
Working in batches, arrange chicken pieces in single layer in air fryer basket, leaving space between pieces to allow air to circulate.

Step 4
Set air fryer to 400°F. Cook 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (180°F).

Step 5
Serve with dipping sauces and fresh vegetables.

Recipe Tips

Leftover air fried wings can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat by placing wings in single layer in air fryer basket. Reheat at 375°F for 5 to 6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
If frozen chicken is surrounded by ice crystals, gently brush ice from chicken before adding to the oil mixture.
If you buy whole chicken wings, you can easily divide the chicken into wingettes and drummettes. Start with thawed wings. Then remove the tip of the wing, and discard. Next separate the drummettes from the wingettes by cutting through the joint with a sharp knife. Reduce air frying time to 15 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Calories
230
Total Fat
17g
Protein
19g
Total Carbohydrate
0g
Sugars
0g

Servings: 4

Serving Size: About 3 Wings

Amount Per Serving Calories : 230

Nutrition Facts
Food Component / Nutrient	Amount	% , Daily Value*
Total Fat	17g	26%
Saturated Fat	4&½g	23%
Trans Fat	0g	% Value Not Available
Monounsaturated Fat	7g	% Value Not Available
Polyunsaturated Fat	5g	% Value Not Available
Omega-3	0g	% Value Not Available
Cholesterol	115mg	38%
Sodium	370mg	16%
Total Carbohydrate	0g	0%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Soluble Fiber	0g	% Value Not Available
Insoluble Fiber	0g	% Value Not Available
Sugars	0g	% Value Not Available
Protein	19g	% Value Not Available
Vitamin D	Value Not Available	0%
Calcium	Value Not Available	0%
Iron	Value Not Available	4%
Potassium	190mg	5%
Vitamin A	Value Not Available	6%
Vitamin C	Value Not Available	0%
Vitamin E	Value Not Available	6%
Thiamin	Value Not Available	4%
Riboflavin	Value Not Available	8%
Niacin	Value Not Available	25%
Vitamin B6	Value Not Available	25%
Folic Acid	Value Not Available	0%
Vitamin B12	Value Not Available	4%
Pantothenic Acid	Value Not Available	8%
Phosphorus	Value Not Available	10%
Magnesium	Value Not Available	4%
Zinc	Value Not Available	10%
Manganese	Value Not Available	0%
Selenium	Value Not Available	30%
Copper	Value Not Available	2%
Beta-Carotene	Value Not Available	% Value Not Available
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Exchanges

Starch 0,
Fruit 0,
Other Carbohydrate 0,
Skim Milk 0,
Low-Fat Milk 0,
Milk 0,
Vegetable 0,
Very Lean Meat 0,
Lean Meat 2&½,
Medium-Fat Meat 0,
High-Fat Meat 0,
Fat 2,
Fruits 0c,
Vegetables 0c,
Grains 0oz-eq,
Meat & Beans 3oz-eq,
Dairy 0c,
Fats & Oils 1tsp

Carbohydrate Choice

Carbohydrate Choice0

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