Chicken wings are a crowd favorite, and often you find yourself cooking a few dozen wings and are left with leftovers wings. This guide will explain how to reheat chicken wings, keeping them crispy, moist, and tasteful.
We will teach you how to reheat wings using different methods to preserve the chicken wings’ texture and flavor.
It all starts with proper storage and How You store leftover chicken wings
If you want better results when it is time to reheat chicken wings, start by properly storing them after the cook. This is how you need to store the chicken wings. Wrap cooked chicken wings in foil or plastic and place them in airtight containers to stop the growth of bacteria.
Avoid letting cooked food come in contact with uncooked foods. Keep the already-cooked wings from raw poultry.
Reheating chicken wings works best when the wings have been stored correctly and have not been left unprotected in the fridge to dry.
How long can I keep chicken wings?
Chicken wings can last for days in the refrigerator given that they are stored in airtight containers without being contaminated by other foods.
If you plan on reheating the wings days later, you can freeze the wings, but if you plan to finish eating the wings in a day or so, keeping them in the fridge will preserve the wings and the flavor.
When reheating chicken wings is important to let the wings acclimate to room temperature before applying any of the methods in this article.
How do I store leftover chicken wings?
Chicken wings should be put in the refrigerator within two hours after being cooked. By refrigerating the wings within the two-hour window, you will preserve their freshness and flavor.
I prefer to use hard plastic airtight containers to avoid squeezing the wings with other containers and foods in the refrigerator.
Leftover wings can also be stored in your refrigerator using zip lock bags.
How To Reheat Chicken Wings?
The key to enjoying wings days after being cooked is to know how to reheat them. These are six fast and easy ways to reheat chicken wings.
Reheating chicken wings is not that complicated, and most of us just throw the wings in the oven or warm up the wings in the microwave. In this article, we will focus on the best way to reheat chicken.
Here are Six Quick and Easy Ways to Reheat Chicken Wings
1. Use The Oven
To reheat chicken wings in an oven, take the wings out of the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature. Turn on the oven, preheat your oven, and set the oven’s temperature to 350 F. We recommend using a spray bottle and spraying water over the wings so they stay moist while reheating in the oven.
After you preheat your oven and set your oven to 350 degrees, place the wings on a baking tray and use baking sheets to keep the wings from sticking to the tray. Hit each side of the wings for about 5 minutes. Enjoy leftover wings.
2. Use an Air Fryer
Air fryers are amazing appliances. You can cook so many things in these little ovens, but better yet, you can make just about anything crispy.
Start by letting the wings reach room temperature. Most air fryers come with a baking pan which you can use in this process.
Straight to the point. Set the air fryer cooking temperature to 400 degrees and cook the wings for 10 minutes. Air fryers are great for reheating because they are easy to use, and unlike microwaves, air fryers can crisp the wings.
Serve and enjoy!
3. Use the microwave
Using your microwave to reheat food is quick and easy but also can make meats like chicken soggy. However, if the microwave is your choice and speed is your only requirement, here is how to reheat chicken wings in a microwave.
Remember to use a microwave safe plate to reheat your wings. Grab some paper towels and damp paper towels in a bit of water. Place the paper towel on the microwave safe plate and place the wings on the top of the napkin. Remember, we are using a moist paper towel.
As the water on the napkins evaporates, it will help keep the wings moist.
Put the wings in a microwave safe tray, spray a little bit of water on the wings and reheat for about two minutes. If you need the wings warmer, just add 30 seconds increments.
4. Use a Frying Pan on Your Stove
Using a small frying pan or cast iron skillet is a quick and easy way to reheat the chicken wings. This method is simple and yields good results.
Take the wings out of the refrigerator and let them climate to room temperature for about 20 minutes before reheating the wings. Add just a tiny amount of oil to the pan and reheat the wings for about 10 minutes until they reach the desired internal temperature.
Place the chicken on a serving plate and get ready to enjoy some good wings.
5. Use Your Grill Or Smoker
Using your grill is the most prolonged method but yields the best results. Using your grill allows you to add more flavor to the chicken wings and make them crispy. You can also use your smoker and a baking sheet in your smoker. I like to put the wings on top of aluminum foil, but it is not necessary.
Get your grill going and get the grill temperature to about 350 degrees. Reheat the wings for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Use The Microwave and the Oven
Using the microwave and your oven takes a few extra steps but will yield great results and help you keep the wings crispy. I don’t like to use the microwave to reheat food all that much. Still, microwaves are accessible and available to most of us and are easy to use.
This process uses the speed of the microwave to get the wings to temperature and then uses the oven to get crispy wings. If you just want to reheat the wings, then utilizing the microwave alone will do the trick.
It is important to let the wings reach room temperature. The process is simple, microwave the wings until hot in, and this should only take 1 to 2 minutes in the micro.
Then place the wind in a cookie baking sheet and place the ings in the oven for another 1 to two minutes until they reach the temperature and feel crisp.
Reheating traditional vs boneless chicken wings
Boneless wings, in general, tend to warm up faster but also tend to dry out easier. If you’re reheating boneless wings, it may be a good idea to reheat these wings for somewhat less than the time we suggested in this guide or to spritz them with water before reheating.
These methods generally work just as well no matter what type of wings you want to reheat, including buffalo wings. Buffalo wings with the sauce in the side reheat better.
Can I reheat chicken wings multiple times?
Eventually, the texture you feel soggy. This is, of course, given that you are storing the wings properly and are using the methods in this guide to preheat the chicken. However, you can reheat and enjoy wings for few times. You can reheat chicken wings multiple times, but keep in mind that the more you reheat meat, the less fresh it will taste.
Remember that the USDA recommends reheating leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
How do you reheat wings so they’re crispy?
Yes, follow the steps and methods in this guide, and you can reheat the wings so there are crispy. If you use an air fryer or your grill, the wings will come out crisper than using the microwave or the oven.
Can you reheat chicken wings the next day?
Absolutely. You can reheat wings the next day, given that you have taken proper steps to store the wings in the refrigerator and were not left outside for more than two hours after cooked.
How do you microwave leftover chicken wings?
The microwave option is simple. Use a microwave safe plate and spray some water on the wings to keep them from drying out.
One last word
This guide will help you reheat your chicken wings so that they keep their flavor and texture. Always try and test to find what works best for you. I recommend using a meat thermometer whenever dealing and working with food. If you are cooking wings, it is good to plan ahead and know how to store them and protect them for later.
