Craving crispy, flavorful chicken wings but short on time? This Instant Pot Chicken Wings from Frozen recipe has you covered in less than 30 minutes with no thawing required.
When the craving for chicken wings strikes, waiting hours for thawing and prepping is simply not an option. This Instant Pot Chicken Wings recipe is a game-changer, allowing you to cook frozen wings to tender perfection in under 30 minutes. Plus, with a quick broil in the oven, you’ll get that irresistible crispy finish we all love. The Instant Pot does the heavy lifting here. Once your wings are done, toss them in with your favorite sauce, dressing to dip in, and veggies to balance the heat. These wings are a versatile and crowd-pleasing dish. Whether it’s game day or a casual family dinner, these wings are a surefire hit.
Jump to:
Why this Recipe Works
Quick and Convenient – No thawing required! The Instant Pot can safely cook frozen chicken wings in just 12 minutes, making it perfect for last-minute meals.
Tender and Crispy – Pressure cooking ensures juicy, fall-off-the-bone wings, while broiling adds that golden, crispy finish.
Customizable – Choose your favorite sauce to toss the wings in like buffalo, barbecue, teriyaki or whatever your heart desires. Serve with classic sides like ranch or bleu cheese dressing, celery, and carrot sticks for a complete meal.
Ingredients
- Frozen Chicken Wings – The star of the show, these cook beautifully straight from frozen. I always keep a bag in my freezer as an easy meal for my boys.
- Water – Essential for creating the steam needed in the Instant Pot.
- Cooking Spray – Keeps the wings from sticking during the broiling step.
- Sauce of Choice – Barbecue, buffalo, honey garlic – the options are endless!
- Optional Serving Suggestions – Ranch or bleu cheese dressing, plus celery and carrot sticks, complete the classic wing experience.
Directions
The key to making frozen chicken wings in the Instant Pot is to make sure they aren’t frozen in one big block. They need to be individually frozen. I buy a 2 pound bag from Earth Fare and they are individual pieces. Perfect for this recipe.
First, you’ll want to place the trivet that comes with your Instant Pot inside the Instant Pot. Then add water. Carefully stack the wings on top of the trivet trying to make sure that none touch the bottom. Spoiler alert: I had a few fall to the bottom and they still came out fine.
Next set your Instant Pot to cook for 12 minutes. Then, let it naturally rest for 5 minutes. While the wings rest, spray the wire rack with cooking spray then set on top of a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to a high broil. Carefully, force pressure after the 5 minutes is up.
Transfer to a bowl with sauce of choice. Mix well (carefully because they will practically fall off the bone), then, using tongs, place on to a sprayed wire rack.
Once all the wings are on the rack place in the oven for 3-5 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven, flip every wing over, and repeat until the other side is golden in color and crispy. Remove the chicken wings from the oven, plate, and serve with your favorite ranch or bleu cheese dressing, carrot and celery sticks!
Within a half hours time you’ll have the most amazing fall-off-the-bone chicken wings!
FAQ
Yes! Adjust the Instant Pot cooking time to 5 minutes on “Manual” setting for fresh wings.
You can use a steamer basket or roll up foil to create a makeshift rack.
While it’s optional, broiling adds a crispy texture that gives the chicken wings the crunch we all crave. You don’t have to broil but it’s highly recommended.
Yes, chicken wings can be keto-friendly as long as the sauce you choose is low in carbs and sugar. Opt for sauces like buffalo, garlic Parmesan, or a homemade keto-friendly barbecue sauce. Serve them with keto-approved sides like celery sticks and ranch dressing for a complete low-carb meal. Always check the ingredient labels to ensure they align with your keto goals!
Tips and Tricks
If you decide to make my chicken wing recipe in the Instant Pot I have a few helpful tips and tricks to make the cooking process a breeze!
- Crispy Wings – For extra crispy wings, pat them dry before tossing in the sauce.
- Sauce Flavors – The sky is the limit when it comes to sauce. Although my recipe calls for buffalo sauce you can experiment with different sauces to match your mood or occasion.
- Broiling – Always monitor the broiling process closely to avoid burning. A rule of thumb, whenever you broil don’t walk away. Turn the oven light on and watch the food until your desired likeness.
- Save the Sauce – Save the remaining sauce and re-coat wings after you’ve pulled them out of the oven OR serve on the side with the wings.
- Scaling up the Recipe – Double the batch by cooking in multiple rounds if needed, but avoid overcrowding the Instant Pot.
These Instant Pot Chicken Wings are a quick, delicious, and versatile recipe that’s perfect for any occasion. Get ready to impress your family or guests with minimal effort and maximum flavor!
Chicken Wing Recipes
Looking for more chicken wing inspiration? Try my other chicken wing recipes.
If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list! This recipe is available on Google Web Stories.
Instant Pot Chicken Wings from Frozen
Equipment
- Trivet for Instant Pot
- Instant Pot
- Wire Rack
- Sheet Pan
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Frozen Chicken Wings
- 1 cup Water
- Cooking Spray
- 1 cup Sauce of Choice
Instructions
- Place the trivet into the Instant Pot. Carefully stack the wings on top of the trivet trying to make sure that none touch the bottom.
- Select “Manual” and cook for 12 minutes. Then, let the IP naturally rest for 5 minutes. While the wings rest, spray the wire rack with cooking spray then set on top of a baking sheet.
- Preheat your oven to a high broil.
- Carefully, force pressure after the 5 minutes are up. Transfer to a bowl with sauce of choice. Mix well (carefully because they will practically fall off the bone), then, using tongs, place on to the sprayed wire rack.
- Once all the wings are on the rack place in the oven for 3-5 minutes until golden (watch them carefully to ensure they don’t burn). Remove from the oven, flip every wing/drum over, and repeat until the other side is golden in color and crispy (about 3-5 minutes depending on your oven).
- Remove the chicken wings from the oven, plate, and serve with your favorite ranch or bleu cheese dressing, carrot and celery sticks!
Notes
- Crispy Wings – For extra crispy wings, pat them dry before tossing in the sauce.
- Sauce Flavors – The sky is the limit when it comes to sauce. Although my recipe calls for buffalo sauce you can experiment with different sauces to match your mood or occasion.
- Broiling – Always monitor the broiling process closely to avoid burning. A rule of thumb, whenever you broil don’t walk away. Turn the oven light on and watch the food until your desired likeness.
- Save the Sauce – Save the remaining sauce and re-coat wings after you’ve pulled them out of the oven OR serve on the side with the wings.
- Scaling up the Recipe – Double the batch by cooking in multiple rounds if needed, but avoid overcrowding the Instant Pot.
Talia
About to make these but I wasn’t sure what “carefully force pressure after the five minutes is up” meant?. Are you referring to manually releasing pressure on the ip after 5 minutes or are you referring to letting them broil in the oven for 5 minutes after the 5 minutes of them resting in the ip and then tossing them in sauce then putting them back in the oven?? Thanks!
Katie
Hi Talia, I was referring to the manually releasing the pressure from the the IP. Hope you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Sara
When putting in the instant pot cook 12 mins at what temp and what setting?
Katie
Hi Sara, I have an original Instant Pot and I use the “manual” setting. If you read step 2 in the direction it reads “Select “Manual” and cook for 12 minutes. Then, let the IP naturally rest for 5 minutes.”. Hope that helps answer your question.
emk
Is the 1 cup of water for the instapot?
Maybe i missed the directions for that
Katie
Hi, yes the 1 cup of water is for the Instant Pot.
Jody
Best Ive ever made! They were just like you said – fall off the bone and I doubles the recipe!! Making a second batch tonight, not frozen so I put the instant pot on 10 min. We will see!!
Katie
Jody, thank you so much for taking the time to share that you love this recipe so much!
Sally S Wieringa
The wings turned out great! But rather than putting in the oven to crisp them up a bit, I put them on a wire rack on the gas grill for a few minutes. Perfect!!
Katie
Hi Sally, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a 5-star comment. I love the idea of grilling the wings for a little bit!
Kayla
Love it!! I’ve been looking for a convenient wing recipe and I finally found our keeper ❤️ Thank you!!
Katie
Kayla, I’m so happy to read this! I love how no fail this recipe is and the wings result in fall of the bone and not dried out!
Terry
My family really enjoyed these. 2 pounds wasn’t enough to fill them up, though. If I double the recipe to 4 pounds of wings, how do I need to adjust the cooking time in the InstantPot?
Katie
Hi Terry, I’m glad everyone loved the wings. I have never tried to double the recipe. I personally would give it a try with the current cooking times. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. If the wings don’t hit 165 then put them back in for another minute or 2. Sorry I can’t be more of an assistance to you. Let me know if you try to double them!
Mindy
My family & I love these instant pot chicken wings from frozen. My kids & I have already made the recipe twice, we can’t wait to make them again! The wings are super tasty !
Katie
Hi Mindy! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I’m so happy you and your family love this recipe so much!