Learn how to easily cook chicken wings from frozen with all of our tips. Less than an hour from freezer to plate!
These chicken wings from frozen can be ready in 50, unfussy minutes. It’s mostly just place them in the oven, set the timer, and in less than an hour you’re enjoying delicious chicken wings!
Video: Baking Frozen Chicken Wings
What Kind Of Wings Can I Cook From Frozen?
I recommend fresh wings from the meat counter/meat section of the store that you then cut and freeze at home. They work better than the wings from the freezer section because they aren’t coated in frozen water.
If the wings are frozen solid and can’t be pulled apart, pop them into the microwave for 1-2 minutes. The outside will thaw just enough so you can pull them apart and place them on the sheet pan in a single layer.
Do I Need To Cut My Chicken Wings?
If the wings are only sold whole in your area (drum, flat, and wing tip together), and you don’t want to cut them, the recipe will still work well with whole wings. Just add 10 minutes to the cook time if you’re leaving them whole.
However, you can find detailed instructions with step by step photos on how to cut chicken wings here. We’ll use the drumette and flat to make our chicken wings.
How To Cook Chicken Wings From Frozen
Set oven to 425° and place frozen wings in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. No need to wait for the oven to pre-heat, place them in immediately and they will start to thaw as the oven heats up.
If you don’t have parchment paper, you can use aluminum foil, but I recommend spraying it with cooking spray or rubbing some oil over it. The fatty juices from the chicken as it cooks can cause the skin to stick, but the extra bit of oil should minimize that.
Bake for 50 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 160°F. While it’s best to keep the oven door closed for the full 50 minutes during baking and then season afterward, halfway through baking, you could add salt and your favorite seasonings to the wings, making sure the oven door is quickly closed so that the oven temperature doesn’t drastically change. The wings will be thawed and cooked enough that the seasonings will cling.
Oven temperatures can fluctuate greatly. If the wings aren’t as crispy as you’d like after the 50 minutes in the oven, switch the oven to broiling, and cook for another 6-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and let wings rest 5 minutes. Then, toss them in your favorite sauce (like this Smoky BBQ Sauce) and enjoy!
Can get enough chicken wings? I hear you. I’ve got a whole series devoted to them over on TheCookful! Plus, find out how to brine chicken wings for tender, flavorful meat with crispy skin on the outside. So so good.
More Chicken From Frozen Recipes
- Poached Chicken From Frozen
- How to Cook A Whole Frozen Chicken
- Chicken Breasts from Frozen Recipe
- Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
Plus, you can browse my complete collection of Cooking from Frozen recipes so you’re always ready to save the day with a great dinner.
Podcast Episode: Cooking Wings From Frozen
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make these wings, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
How To Cook Chicken Wings From Frozen
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Rest Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Don’t panic! You can bake delicious wings from frozen with these instructions.
Ingredients
- 20 frozen, split chicken wings (drumettes and flats)
Instructions
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Set oven temperature to 425°F.
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On a parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange wings in a single layer.
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Immediately place pan in oven. Do not wait for oven to preheat.
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Bake for 50 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 160°F. when inserted into the thickest part of the wing.
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Remove pan from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
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Toss wings in barbecue or buffalo sauce and serve.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
- It’s important to let the wings rest after removing the pan from the oven; carryover cooking will bring the wings to the proper temperature, without overcooking them.
- If wings are stuck together in a package, microwave for 1-2 minutes, which will be just enough to pry them apart and place in a single layer on sheet pan.
- If wings are not already cut into flats and drums, add 10 minutes to cook time.
- Do not open the oven door until the 50 minutes are up. Use the oven light to check the wings. If you want to season them, you can quickly add salt and seasoning half-way through, but best to wait till the end.
- Because the wings do not have seasoning yet, be sure to use a well-seasoned sauce.
- If your wings are producing excess liquid while cooking, you can transfer them to a rack on the baking sheet and then return them to the oven.
Is it normal for the wings to produce a lot of liquid while baking? Half way through I noticed the wings were sitting in so much liquid so I pulled the wings out and transferred them to a rack on top of a baking sheet and then put them back in the oven. They turned out great but was just wondering if it is normal to have so much liquid and what would have happened if I had just left it as is. Maybe the liquid bakes off?
Peony, I haven’t had that happen before. I wonder if there were more ice crystals on yours. It’s good to know that pouring it off worked. And the rack is a great idea! I’m going to add a note about it to the article above so that others will know what to do if it happens to them.
Also, I’m planning to do another round of testing for cooking frozen wings because I’ve had some ideas to make the skin even crispier. Maybe one of those batches will recreate your issue so I can try to figure out what’s going on!
Just tried this with some modifications, and it turned out great! Before I put the wings in, I tossed them with some olive oil and salt, and I baked them on a rack instead of directly on parchment paper. The wings were perfect at the end, nicely browned and crispy! Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re welcome, Marian! Thanks for sharing your adjustments with us.
Love not having to preheat oven
Thanks, Bridgette! I love how easy this method is.
Works great this way
Great recipe ! I’ll tell my girlfriend to cook this.
Absolutely delicious. Best wings ever!! Perfectly crispy skin. Thank you for your recipe.
You’re welcome, Gina! So glad you loved it.
Tonight I was craving chicken wings..Used my air fryer and put the frozen wings in, 390 degrees and Voila, 35 minutes later, had wonderful crisp, tasy wings…Hit the spot and used homemade bar q que sauce..Just didn’t use the oven method as you suggested. Love my air fryer….
Thanks for sharing with us, Emma!
Cooked frozen wings using your recipe, and they turned out great! Getting ready for another batch for tonight’s dinner! Delicious!!
Yum! Thanks for letting me know, Carol.
thank you for the recipe
You’re welcome!
Came out perfectly.
Thrilled to hear that, Brian!
Great way to cook frozen wings. Worked like a charm with little grease.
So happy to hear that, Mark!
Question- do I cook them for 50 minutes once the oven comes to temperature or do I cook them for 50 minutes total?
50 minutes total in the oven, Shelly. Enjoy!
Love this easy receipt.
Thx Christine.
You’re welcome, Barbara!
Where have I been all your life?! I love your presentation and clearly stated explanations. This now my go to recipe site. Now I’m going to thaw the wings and try the baking powder trick.
Thanks Christine
Thank you so much, Gary! I’m sure you’ll love the wings.
Do you need to flip the wings at all?
No, it’s not necessary to flip them, Kim. I prefer to not even open the oven at all while they cook. You can toss them in sauce after they cook. Enjoy!
I followed the directions and finished them off under the broiler. They were crispy and delicious. I dipped them in buffalo sauce and served them! So easy so good will always make them like this!! Parchment paper made clean-up a breeze !!!
Fantastic! I’m so happy you liked them, Deborah. Thank you for the comment and rating. I appreciate it!
Best wings I have ever had. Wow! After they baked and rested, I made a Buffalo garlic Parmesan to toss them in.
I’ll be making these again, I was skeptical at first on putting frozen wings from the freezer section in the oven.
They are seriously like “no fail” wings. Delicious without tossing them in any sauce just plain they were absolutely crispy and perfect..
I’m delighted that you liked them so much. I love this method of cooking them too! and, that sauce sounds delicious!
This worked! My frozen wings turned out crispy and tasty. I didn’t open the oven to season them halfway through. But to serve them I sprinkled salt and lemon pepper on them.
Great idea, Shannon, I’m glad you enjoyed!
If I don’t have parchment paper
Can I use the non shiny side of Reynolds wrap?
Sue, yes you can, but I would also spray it with cooking spray or rub it down with some oil. The fattier juices from the chicken can cause the skin to stick to the foil and make it hard to come off. The extra touch of oil will stop that from happening.
One part says remove the wings halfway through to season, but the note at the bottom says not to open the oven at all for 50 minutes — which do you recommend?
Sorry for the confusion, Gwen! You can quickly season them halfway through, but I think it’s better to wait till the end and season or toss in a sauce then. Enjoy!