How to Reheat Chicken Wings
If you’re wondering how to reheat chicken wings without making them dry and tough, this article outlines several different reheating options. You’ll end up with amazing reheated chicken wings that are juicy and delicious.
Chicken Wings are a favorite around here, especially during football and basketball season! I love to make a big batch so that there is always more than enough to go around and then some!
I find comfort in knowing that I know how to reheat chicken wings easily for another round of crispy wings days later–nothing goes to waste around here!
There are many different ways to reheat crispy chicken wings. I do not think there is any perfect method, but it is a good idea to look at the best methods for the particular kind of wings you are reheating or really methods that are just quick and fast!
Start by storing your cold wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will insure freshness and quality when you go to reheat the wings whether they be boneless wings, hot wings, or store bought buffalo wild wings. You also probably want to consume within three to four days of when you first made your chicken wings.
Some of my favorite and easiest ways to reheat wings are in the oven, toaster oven, air fryer, or just on the stove top! For best results, take a peak below at some different ways using simple steps to reheat the wings!
What is the BEST Way to Reheat Chicken Wings?
Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread your room temperature wings on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper in a single layer. You will put the chicken wings in the oven and reheat for 10-20 minutes flipping half way through, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.
Reheating Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
Bring your chicken or buffalo wings out of the refrigerator and let sit for around 5 minutes to allow them to reach room temperature. You will then place the chicken wings in the air fryer basket, making sure to not overcrowd and that there is enough space in between the chicken wing pieces. Set the temperature to 400° F and reheat for 5 to 10 minutes.
How to Reheat Chicken Wings in the Oven
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and spread your wings on a baking sheet in a single layer. Put the wings in the oven and reheat for 10-20 minutes flipping half way through. You can then transfer your wings to a bowl and toss them in your favorite sauce, adding extra sauce on the side for dipping!
How to Reheat Chicken Wings in the Microwave
- Oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Line a microwave-safe plate with a damp paper towel (this will help absorb excess moisture)
- Place your chicken wings on the plate, add another layer of damp paper towel
- Place the wings in the microwave and heat for about two minutes or until they become slightly warm. You DO NOT want to overheat (This will cause them to dry out)
- Then you will take the wings out of the microwave and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil
- Cook for about one minute, then flip over and place back in oven
- Cook for another minute
- Take out and enjoy like they were freshly made
How do you Reheat Chicken Wings in the Toaster Oven?
This step is so simple! You just place your chicken wings, unwrapped, on a sheet of foil, in your toaster oven. Then heat them up at 350F for about five to ten minutes, or until they are 165 degrees inside. These wings will be so close to what they tasted like when you first cooked them!
How do you Reheat Wings the Next Day?
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Take wings from container and place on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil.
- Cooking times vary by oven or the number of wings being reheated. Using a meat thermometer, always ensure that reheated wings reach an internal temperature of 165⁰F (You don’t want any cold spots)
- Serve immediately. Remember, your wings may be very hot
Other Chicken Wing Tips
Now that we have covered different methods to reheating chicken wings, let’s talk about how to reheat them, but reheating them while keeping them tasting just as good as when we first made them! A huge key to enjoying them the second day, is making sure they taste fresh and crispy again!
Have you ever had reheated wings and found them dry or lacking that crispy skin like when you first made them? Here are a few tips have tried that that can accommodate for those things. No one likes dry skinned, unflavored, or soggy wings as leftovers, am I right?!
How do you Reheat Wings without Drying them out?
The key to reheating wings is to not over heat them. If you are using your microwave like mentioned above, you can heat for a couple of minutes on a microwave-safe plate with a damp paper towel until slightly warm. Then line them on a baking sheet, put them in a preheated oven, flipping them over after a minute or so.
How do you make Leftover Chicken wings Crispy?
One of the best parts of chicken wings is the crispy first bite, so how can we still enjoy it when we are reheating leftovers? Here is a great way I have found to make wings crispy the second time around. Heat a thin layer of oil in a pan, carefully add your wings, and turn and fry your leftover wings for 2-3 minutes per side.
How Long Can You Store Leftover Chicken Wings?
You can store your chicken wings up to three or four days in the refrigerator. You do not want to keep for a long time so the wings keep their original flavor when you go to reheat them.
I like to store my wings in an air-tight container, preferably glass. I make sure the wings come to room temperature before sealing tightly with a lid.
When we eat wings, I love to add some hearty side dishes! You can go as simple as just sliced carrots and celery, or can take it up a notch and add a spread with delicious hot sides!
What Goes Well with Wings?
- Super-Crispy Oven French Fries
- Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks
- Mac and Cheese
- A Crispy Summer Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Crispy Air-Fried Onion Ring with a dipping sauce
- Blue Cheese Mac-And-Cheese
- Grilled Sweet Potato Fries
My crew also loves the easy oven baked fried pickle recipe I posted not too long ago. These are easy to pop in the oven while you are reheating your chicken wings! The homemade Cilantro Ranch Dipping Sauce also makes a great dipping sauce for those wings!
If I have some some leftover Mason Jar Cobb Salads in the fridge from our week of lunches, they can also be easy to grab for a healthy side dish to chicken wings. The freshness of a crisp salad is always welcomed when consuming something heavier like chicken wings!
What are some of your favorite side dishes with chicken wings? Do you have a go to, or do you like to mix it up? Or maybe it is just wings for you and that’s it!
Now let’s talk about flavors and sauces. These can really make or break your chicken wing experience!
There are also so many flavors you can add to chicken wings! My crew loves my Instant Pot BBQ chicken drumsticks so much, that we usually just stick to BBQ for our wings! But I know there are other favorites like the simple butter and Frank’s hot sauce mixture, or even just baking wings rubbed in oil and seasoned with some salt and pepper.
What are the Most Popular Chicken Wings Sauces?
- Buffalo
- Honey Garlic
- Cajun
- Sweet Chili
- BBQ
As you can see there are many great options for adding flavor to chicken wings, whether it is just a dipping sauce or a rub you put on before you dip and bake them. We tend to stick to the milder versions of wings over here!
When you are reheating chicken wings that have previously had sauce on it, you can easily reheat the wings again too. Just follow any of the simple methods above, adding your desired sauce at the end. It also helps to warm up the sauce separately before tossing the warmed wings in–or you can easily toss them in the sauce before placing in the oven for your final warm up!
Above all do not forget to enjoy your chicken wings whether they are freshly made or reheated! Here are a few last tips to enjoying those wings! Did you know there are generally two parts to a chicken wing–the drumette and the wingette. Which part do you enjoy best?
If you enjoy the wingette part be sure to pull the bones apart so you do not have to figure out how to get all the meat off of that small wing. You do not want any of that juicy meat left behind! It is also easier for kids to eat, though mine normally just go for the drumette part!
If you come across spicy wing, just dip it in some ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing to help cut the heat– or have a glass of milk by your side! But, if your wings are not spicy enough, you can always rely on Franks, either the regular or the buffalo sauce!
And remember you can always use your leftover chicken bones and save them to make homemade chicken broth or bone broth! I am sure you will have a collection of them after your chicken wing feast!
As you have read above, the reheating process of chicken wings is not hard, and there are many good methods to enjoying chicken wings again the next day. It just takes the right temperature and an easy method of your choice! You can even use your leftover delicious wings as easy side dishes to add to any meal!
The next time you go to make a big ol’ batch of chicken wings, even if you do not invite a large party, you can successfully enjoy your reheated chicken wings for days to come! So, do not be shy when you buy that big bag of chicken wings! Bake them, grill them, air fry them, deep fry them, anything you want, but be sure to cook them all!