Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Wings

Cook frozen chicken wings in the Instant Pot! Chicken Wings from frozen chicken are simple to make and taste amazing. These frozen wings cook in the pressure cooker for 11 minutes then get basted with more sauce and broiled to crispy perfection!

I don’t know about your family but my kids LOVE chicken wings. My son got to the point where he would only order chicken wings at restaurants and it would be his top request for dinner…every night. I finally decided it was time to create a tasty wing recipe that would satisfy his taste buds. 

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Wings are ready to be dipped in your favorite dipping sauce in 16 minutes – crazy right?! My son now says this is his new favorite recipe because I am “quicker than the drive-thru”.

Related: A Beginners Guide To Everything You Need To Know About Your Instant Pot  & How To Use An Instant Pot

It is a winner in my book because I don’t have to defrost the chicken prior to cooking. Plus, I get to use my Instant Pot, which if you have been following the site, you know that it’s my new favorite kitchen tool.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this flavor bursting frozen chicken wings recipe!

I highly recommend this recipe whether you are an Instant Pot pro or yours is still sealed in the box.

If you are a new Instant Pot user, check out this guide to get started. Trust me – once you start using the Instant Pot to make meals, there is no turning back 🙂 

INSTANT POT BEGINNER GUIDE:

1. First, place the bowl into the base of the Instant Pot. After that, add the ingredients (it is important that there is at least a cup of liquid as an ingredient).
2. Next, check the lid of your Instant Pot to make sure the sealing ring is in place.
3. Then, secure the lid onto the base.
4. Turn the valve on the lid to “SEALING”.
5. The next step will differ for each model so check your manual! For my Instant Pot, I press “PRESSURE” but other models require you to press “MANUAL”.
6. Press the PLUS or MINUS signs to set the cooking time.
7. The Instant Pot should say “ON“. When the machine first turns on, it is building pressure. The time that it takes for this pressure to build does NOT count toward the cooking time. On my machine, I know the pressure is built when the silver pin on top is raised. 
8. Once the pressure is built, the cooking time will start counting down.
9. After the cooking time is complete, release the pressure. To release the pressure, you can wait for the natural pressure release (NPR) OR release the pressure manually by turning the valve to “VENTING“.
10. Lastly, take off the lid once it is unlocked.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. frozen wings
• 1 cup BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp Sriracha (more for extra spice)
• Salt & pepper to taste

HOW TO COOK FROZEN CHICKEN WINGS IN THE INSTANT POT:

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. In a medium-sized bowl combine bbq sauce, honey, sriracha, and water. Mix until well combined.
3. Place frozen chicken wings into a large bowl. Pour about 3/4 of the bbq sauce mixture over the chicken wings, set aside the remaining 1/4th of sauce for after the chicken is cooked.
4. Stir chicken wings to coat with sauce.
5. Place a wire rack into the instant pot.
6. Arrange chicken wings onto a wire rack in the instant pot. Pour the remaining sauce from the bottom of the bowl the chicken was in into the instant pot.
7. Cover, set to sealing, and cook high pressure for 11 minutes. Once cooked, turn to venting to release the pressure.
8. Once the valve goes down, remove the lid and carefully place chicken wings onto a baking pan with a wire rack.
9. Baste chicken wings with the reserved 1/4 BBQ sauce mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Broil for 3-5 minutes or until the chicken wings start to brown.

This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker if you do not currently have an Instant Pot. 

HOW TO COOK IN THE CROCKPOT:

1. In a medium-sized bowl combine bbq sauce, honey, sriracha, and water. Mix until well combined.
2. Place frozen chicken wings into the crockpot. Pour about 3/4 of the bbq sauce mixture over the chicken wings, set aside the remaining 1/4th of sauce for after the chicken is cooked. Stir chicken wings to coat with sauce.
3. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
4. Heat broiler. Place wings onto a baking sheet with a wire rack.
5. Baste chicken wings with the reserved 1/4 BBQ sauce mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Broil for 3-5 minutes or until the chicken wings start to brown.

To get started, combine bbq sauce, honey, sriracha, and water in a medium-sized bowl. I typically use Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce. However, feel free to use whatever brand you have at home. 

Using a whisk, mix until well combined (~30 seconds). 

Once mixed, set the sauce to the side and grab a large bowl. 

PRO TIP: If you or your family likes spicy food, add another 1-2 tsp of sriracha to the frozen hot wings.

Next, place the frozen chicken wings into the large bowl.

Pour about 3/4 of the bbq sauce mixture into the large bowl over the chicken wings (set the remaining 1/4th of bbq sauce mixture to the side to use after the chicken is cooked)

Using tongs, toss the chicken with the sauce until each wing is coated with the bbq mixture. 

HOW TO BAKE FROZEN WINGS:

I use to think frozen breaded chicken wings were the only way to enjoy a crispy wing. Boy, was I wrong. The wire rack is the key to crispy chicken wings. 

Place on the bottom of the Instant Pot before adding the chicken. The purpose of the rack is to elevate the chicken in the Instant Pot so that it does not touch the bottom of the pot. This prevents the wings from soaking in the sauce and getting soggy. 

INSTANT POT TIP: Use the wire rack in your Instant Pot if you are steaming vegetables to prevent the veggies from soaking in the water and becoming soggy.

Arrange chicken wings onto the wire rack in the instant pot.

I will buy fresh chicken wings when they are on sale and separate the wings before placing in the freezer. This allows me to arrange the wings in the instant pot so they can look “prettier” when cooked.

However, the recipe will work perfectly fine if you buy your chicken wings pre-frozen or do not feel like separating the wings. 

If you had remaining sauce in the bottom of the large bowl with the chicken, pour into the instant pot. Remember to keep the other 1/4 of the sauce to the side. 

Cover the Instant Pot with the lid, set to sealing, and cook on high pressure.

HOW LONG TO COOK FROZEN CHICKEN WINGS:

It only takes 11 minutes to cook frozen chicken wings. Once cooked, turn to venting to release the pressure.
Once the valve goes down, remove the lid and carefully place chicken wings onto a baking pan with a wire rack.

The wire rack on the baking sheet is just as important as in the Instant Pot if you are aiming for crispy chicken wings.

HOW TO MAKE FROZEN CHICKEN WINGS CRISPY IN THE OVEN:

Baste chicken wings with the reserved 1/4 BBQ sauce mixture with a basting brush. Season with salt and pepper.

HOW LONG to bake FROZEN CHICKEN WINGS IN OVEN TO CRISP:

Broil for 3-5 minutes or until the chicken wings start to brown.

Enjoy your crispy chicken wings with your favorite dipping sauces. Serve hot with ranch, buffalo sauce, sriracha, or blue cheese. You could even try one of these 10 Best Wing Sauce Recipes. 

Interested in more recipes for your instant pot? Here are some of my favorites!

More INSTANT POT RECIPES:

• Instant Pot Meatloaf
• Instant Pot Chicken Stew
• Pulled Pork Roast
• Instant Pot Bone In Chicken Thighs
• Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
• Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs
• Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup