Chicken wings are one of the most popular snacks. They’re convenient choices for parties, quick dinners and movie nights. It all probably goes to their golden color, their crispness, and how easy they are to prepare.
Although reheating chicken wings is simple, it can get tricky. One wrong step can leave you with dry, soggy or burnt wings.
In this article, we’ll explore the 6 best ways to reheat chicken wings so you can choose one that most suits your needs and available tools.
General Tips to Consider Before Reheating Wings
To ensure that your food is safe to eat, it’s crucial that the heating temperature reaches 165 F/ 74 C. That’s because previously cooked and reheated food contains bacteria and can only be safe to eat when cooked at high temperatures.
If your chicken wings are just out of the fridge, leave them out until they reach room temperature before reheating them.
If you’re reheating frozen chicken wings, you have to leave them out to fully thaw before you start cooking them. This should take about 30 minutes.
Although reheated food may not be as tasty as food that’s served right away, adding a topping can help.
You could consider adding cheddar, mozzarella or blue cheese, parsley, a squirt of lemon juice or simply sprinkle some salt to add extra flavor. If you want to give your wings a bit more of a kick, adding some jalapeños is a great way to spice things up.
The 6 Best Ways to Reheat Chicken Wings
There are many ways to reheat chicken wings. The method you choose depends on your food cooking preferences and what kind of appliances and tools you have.
Reheat Chicken Wings in the Oven
The oven is a popular choice when it comes to reheating food. That’s because it provides the food gentle and even heating.
For chicken wings, heating in the oven will maintain the wings’ crispiness and the original taste to a great extent. It’s a very suitable choice for chicken wings with sauce as it keeps the sauce from drying.
However, if the temperature is too high or the timer is set for too long, the chicken wings may dry. To avoid that, you can use aluminum foil when reheating your wings.
What You Need
- Baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Aluminum foil
Steps
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper on the baking pan and add the chicken wings
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
- Make sure you don’t overfill the pan.
- Pop the pan in the oven and leave it for about 10 minutes.
- Check the chicken wings and make sure they’re heated and crispy from all sides.
- Once ready, allow it to cool for a few minutes and enjoy your meal.
Reheat Chicken Wings by Deep Frying
Frying is a very popular way of cooking chicken wings. If your chicken wings are fried already, reheating by re-frying would be a great way to get you back the original golden crispy wings with rich flavor.
It’s also one of the quickest methods if you’re in a hurry and you don’t have a microwave.
What You Need
- A Frying pan
- Vegetable oil
- Tongs
Steps
- Heat the pan over medium heat and once hot add enough oil to cover the wings.
- Heat the oil to a high temperature.
- Place the chicken wings one at a time and be careful because the moisture in the wings may cause some of the oil to splash.
- Fry the wings for about 5 minutes, turning them halfway to make sure they’re crispy from all sides.
- Take the wings out carefully and place them on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Allow them to cool a bit before you eat or serve.
Tip: Optional step: cover the pan, while frying the wings, if you want them to be tender.
Sauteing Chicken Wings
Sauteing your chicken wings is a good choice if you don’t want to fry them. It also allows you to add whatever spices you’d like to give your wings a fresh taste.
Sauteing may not be the best choice if your chicken wings are with sauce because the taste of the sauce might change. Also if there’s a coating on the wings it may end up sticking on the skillet.
What You Need
- A skillet
- Vegetable oil
- Tongs
Steps
- Heat a little bit of oil in your skillet over high heat.
- Add your wings and whatever spices you like.
- Toss the wings in the oil for about 5 minutes till they get a bit golden from each side.
- Remove the wings from the skillet and leave to cool then enjoy their delicious taste.
Reheat Chicken Wings Using the Microwave
We know the microwave sounds like an obvious choice as people use it to reheat all kinds of food in general. Microwaves are fast, yet they heat food unevenly and so you may end up heating your wings twice.
They don’t give the wings the crispiness so it can be a good choice for chicken wings with sauce. However, there are some tricks you can follow to keep your wings as crispy as possible after being heated in the microwave.
What You Need
- A microwave-safe container
- A microwave-safe lid
- A paper towel
Steps
- Place the chicken wings on the damp paper towel.
- Cover the wings using a microwave-safe lid so the sauce doesn’t splatter inside in the microwave.
- Place the container inside the microwave and heat for about 2 minutes.
- Check if it’s heated through by tasting one.
- Heat the chicken wings for another 30 seconds if needed.
Reheat Chicken Wings by Grilling
Grilling is a great option if you have the tools, the time, and want to enjoy some charred delicious chicken wings.
Grilling is also a great choice for dish parties when you need quickly-cooked food and huge amounts. To add some flavor to your chicken, you could always add some spices to it.
What You Need
- A grill and a tray
- Tongs
Steps
- Rub your favorite spices on the wings.
- Place the wings on the tray over medium to low heat.
- Keep an eye on the wings and make sure you turn them when they turn golden brown.
- Once ready and fully grilled on each side, take them off to cool before serving them.
Using an Air Fryer
If you happen to have an air fryer, reheating wings will be an easy process for you. It’s also considered a healthier choice compared to deep frying.
You’ll end up with crispy fried wings without excessive amounts of oil in your food.
What You Need
- Oil of choice
- Tongs
Steps
- Arrange the wings in the air fryer, making sure you don’t overfill it and leave space between them.
- Add a tbsp of oil to your wings.
- Set the temperature to 200 F.
- Set the timer for 10 minutes.
- Open the Fryer and flip the wings over.
- Set the timer for another 10 minutes.
- Allow the wings to slightly cool before serving them.
Tip: For extra crispy wings, leave them in for another 5 minutes.
For more information about reheating chicken wings in an air fryer, check out our complete guide here!