Vent: Frozen store-bought wings vs homemade and it's not even close

I did a side by side test last Wednesday with my air fryer. The frozen bagged ones from the grocery store came out soggy and bland. I spent maybe 10 minutes tossing fresh wings in oil and seasoning and they were way crispier and actually had flavor. The bagged ones took just as long too so there's no time savings. Has anyone else ditched the frozen bags for fresh?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscarw831mo ago

Man those frozen bags are such a disappointment... tried a bag of the "buffalo style" ones last month and they were just sad. All that breading got soft and the sauce was barely there. Fresh wings in the air fryer with a dry rub are like a totally different meal. Way better crunch and you can actually taste the seasonings.

miles9461mo ago

Is it just me or does anyone else notice the price on those frozen bags keeps going up too? Like you're paying $8 for a bag of disappointment when a couple bucks more gets you fresh wings. My trick is to pat the fresh wings dry with paper towels, toss them in a mix of baking powder and my dry rub, then let them sit in the fridge uncovered for a few hours before the air fryer. That little extra step makes the skin way crispier than anything frozen can do. And the seasoning actually stays on the wing instead of sliding off in that weird jelly sauce. Fresh wings are cheaper per pound too if you buy them on sale and freeze them yourself.

wyatt_green311mo ago

bro i read somewhere that those frozen wing companies actually blanch the chicken before freezing it which messes up the texture no matter what you do. that explains why every bag i've tried turns into a soggy mess in the oven or air fryer. plus the sauce is always this weird gelatinous goo instead of something that actually sticks to the wing. fresh is just the way to go, dry rub and a hot air fryer gives you that real crunch that frozen can't touch.