4 photos, one in each corner. Top left is a stainless steel oven. Top right is a frying pan on a stove with oil in it. Bottom left is a white microwave oven. Bottom right is an air fryer with a glass window, there are fries inside. An orange rectangle has the text, "How to Reheat Chicken Wings 4 Ways" across the center of the photo.

How to Reheat Chicken Wings 4 Ways

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Got leftover wings in the fridge? Let me show you how I like to reheat my leftover wings!

4 photos, one in each corner. Top left is a stainless steel oven. Top right is a frying pan on a stove with oil in it. Bottom left is a white microwave oven. Bottom right is an air fryer with a glass window, there are fries inside. An orange rectangle has the text, "How to Reheat Chicken Wings 4 Ways" across the center of the photo. This is a tall photo.

A Great 2nd Meal

Whether they’re fried, grilled or smoked chicken wings, rest assured I’ve got you covered.

No one wants soggy reheated chicken wings, so in this blog post I’ll show you how to reheat chicken wings the right way.

So you can rest assured knowing you’ll get a delicious 2nd meal out of your chicken.

Sauce: Enemy of Texture

If you have the chance, I recommend leaving all your chicken sauceless when you go to put it into your fridge.

Sauce is moist and will make it much harder to get that finished texture you want in your reheated chicken wings.

So tip # 1 is to store your chicken wings with the sauce on the side!

Soak Up Sogginess

Another way you can combat soggy chicken wings is by placing a paper towel under your wings when you store them in the fridge.

This will help ensure all the excess moisture gets trapped and wicked away from the chicken.

Remember that moisture is the enemy of crispiness!

How to Reheat Chicken Wings in the Oven

A silver stovefront.

The most popular, and my personal favorite method, of reheating chicken wings is to use your oven.

The oven is great at reheating chicken wings because it cooks your chicken evenly and the convection will circulate the hot air around the chicken.

If you reheat your chicken wings in your oven, you’re sure to come out with a great result!

Oven Chicken Wing Heating Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spread your wings out on a foil lined baking sheet or baking sheet rack.
  2. Bake for 10-20 minutes until your wings read 140 degrees Fahrenheit internal (assuming they were wholly cooked prior). The amount of chicken will change the length of cooking time. Be vigilant.
  3. Turn off your oven and carefully transfer your chicken to a heat safe bowl using tongs.
  4. Toss in a sauce of your choice, or make a simple one by mixing hot sauce, butter, and honey!
  5. Serve with blue cheese dressing. Enjoy!

How to Reheat Chicken Wings in the Microwave

A white microwave on a wooden shelf surrounded by colorful kitchen utensils.

Less popular than reheating chicken wings in the oven, the microwave still gets the job done!

As long as your wings aren’t too soggy from sitting in the fridge, you can certainly reheat your wings in the microwave and have them come out as crispy as ever!

The only downside is that microwaves work by heating the water within the food, so you may end up with a dryer piece of meat, and excess moisture may soften the exterior.

Microwave Chicken Wing Heating Instructions

  1. Place your chicken in reasonable batches on a microwave safe plate. I recommend placing them so they aren’t stacked or touching for best results.
  2. Microwave for 2 minutes.
  3. Check your meat with a meat thermometer. If it reads 140 degrees Fahrenheit, you’re good to go!
  4. If not good, cook in 1 minute intervals until reading 140 degrees internal.
  5. Toss with your favorite sauce, serve with blue cheese, and enjoy!

How to Reheat Chicken Wings in a Fryer

A right hand holding a frying pan handle on a black gas stovetop with oil in the pan.

An experimental way to reheat your chicken wings is to shallow or deep fry them until they reach the desired heat.

Although a little more labor intensive than popping wings in the microwave, you’ll come out with an excellent product no matter if they were grilled, baked, smoked, or fried!

Microwave Chicken Wing Heating Instructions

  1. In a deep fryer or in a shallow cast iron skillet preheat your oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Dry off excess moisture from your chicken with a paper towel before you place the chicken in the hot oil, since the oil may overflow if you do not.
  3. In small batches place your chicken in the oil for 4-5 minutes if deep frying. If pan frying, flip after 2.5 minutes and let sit for another 2.5.
  4. Once reading an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit, place your wings in a food safe bowl and toss in your favorite sauce.
  5. Sere with blue cheese and enjoy!

How to Reheat Chicken Wings in an Air Fryer

A black air fryer with stainless steel fixtures and a basket of french fries inside of a lit compartment.

Air fryers are all the craze nowadays, so it makes sense you’ll have one lying around your kitchen. They’re a wonderful way to cook and reheat food!

I highly recommend using one to reheat your chicken wings, since it acts as a convection oven does by circulating hot air around the meat with some hot oil to help crisp up the skin.

Microwave Chicken Wing Heating Instructions

  1. Heat your air fryer to 260 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Pop in your chicken wings in reasonably sized batches. Don’t overcrowd!
  3. Cook for 10 minutes and until crispy and hot again.
  4. Once done, toss in a bowl with your favorite sauce.
  5. Enjoy with blue cheese!

Conclusion

No matter how you cooked them, you can always reheat your chicken wings to close to perfection!

Some ways are better than others, but the tradeoff is time and effort.

I hope you got something out of this, and please consider subscribing for more content to your inbox weekly.


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