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How To Reheat Wings

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Learn how to reheat wings quickly and easily with this step-by-step guide, featuring four of the best methods that guarantee delicious results every time.

How To Reheat Wings

Despite falling under the category of white meat, chicken wings boast the concentrated poultry flavor of dark meat. When cooked correctly, they are juicy on the interior and lightly crisp on the exterior. They are also versatile, whether coated with dry seasonings or tossed in a delicious sauce. However, dealing with leftover wings can be challenging because you want to restore them to their former glory. Reheating them improperly can result in over drying or, even worse, flabby rubbery skin. Another issue could be wings that are warm on the outside but cold in the middle. Fortunately, with the proper technique, you can reheat wings to achieve the same deliciousness as when they were first cooked. This guide will explore how to reheat wings while providing the knowledge needed to achieve a delicious result every time.

Chicken Wing Storage

Think of proper food storage as setting yourself up for success, especially regarding how to reheat wings. Refrigerate chicken wings as soon as possible for the best texture and taste. Just pop them in an airtight container once they’ve cooled to room temperature. Although you can leave chicken at room temperature for up to 2 hours, it’s best to get wings in the fridge within an hour. Once stored, they will keep for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. If freezing, it’s helpful to portion the wings in plastic wrap (or vacuum-sealed pouches if you have the supplies for that) and store those portions in a freezer bag.

How to Reheat Wings: Top Four Methods

Now that we’ve covered proper storage, let’s get into how to reheat wings. I’ve found that four methods work best for chicken wings, regardless of how they were initially cooked. These methods include the oven, broiler, air fryer, and stovetop.

Oven

The oven works exceptionally well, which is why it is highly recommended. Best of all, pretty much everyone has an oven of some type, including countertop convection ovens. Ovens deliver more than adequate heat circulation and even heating. Because of that, you can achieve leftover wings that are crispy on the exterior and juicy on the interior. Here’s how to reheat wings in an oven:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the wings on a baking sheet, preferably fitted with a wire rack to promote even heat circulation. Even if your sheet/rack has a nonstick coating, lightly brush the surface with oil to prevent sticking or lightly coat it with cooking spray.
  2. Lightly spritz the chicken wings with water. Water may sound counterproductive to crispy skin, but the surface moisture will evaporate while assisting with moisture balance.
  3. Place the wings into the oven for 12 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatiest portion of a wing reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the exterior is crisp. Flip the wings halfway through if you are not using a wire rack.
  4. Plate and serve.

In addition to your standard oven range, you can reheat wings in a countertop convection oven or a toaster oven with a “convection” or “bake” setting. Convection ovens are very efficient and generally cook and reheat food faster, so watch the wings closely since they will probably reheat more quickly.

Broiler

Alternatively, you can use your oven’s broiler. Here’s how to reheat wings with this method:

  1. Set the broiler to high with the rack positioned 6-8 inches from the heating element.
  2. Line a baking sheet with foil, lightly brush it with oil to prevent sticking, then arrange the wings in a single layer.
  3. Broil the wings for 5 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

Air Fryer

Reheating wings in an air fryer offers several advantages. First, air fryers use hot air circulation, resulting in a crisp exterior and tender interior as the circulating heat reaches all surfaces of each wing. In addition to positively impacting texture, air fryers reheat food quickly, and cleanup is easy. Here’s how to reheat wings in an air fryer:

  1. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
  2. Lightly spritz the wings with a neutral-flavored oil like vegetable or canola. If you don’t have an oil spray bottle, lightly brush the wings with oil.
  3. Reheat the wings in the air fryer for about 10 minutes, flipping them halfway through until the meatiest portion of a chicken wing reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Enjoy.

Stovetop (with exceptions)

Another way to reheat wings is on the stovetop, but you should only use this method if the wings were previously fried (with or without batter or dredge). Simply putting wings in a hot skillet and reheating them on the stove without the amount of oil needed to fry will result in uneven heating. If you cover the skillet, even lightly, to promote heat circulation, the wings will steam, resulting in chewy, soggy skin. To reheat previously fried wings on your stovetop:

  1. Fill a large, deep pan with ¼ inch of oil.
  2. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Carefully transfer the wings to the oil, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan.
  4. Reheat the wings for 3 minutes per side – carefully flip them halfway through.
  5. Transfer the wings to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.

Finishing Touches

If you’ve reheated sauced wings and have extra sauce reserved, toss the reheated wings in the reserved sauce. Once sauced wings are reheated, any sauce on the exterior dries on the surface and caramelizes. While this results in excellent flavor, you may miss that saucy, finger-licking aspect, so why not add more sauce?

Now that you know how to reheat wings, you’ll never have to deal with subpar results again. All the methods mentioned are quick, easy, convenient, and produce impressive results. Move over microwave!

Try These Chicken Wings Recipes!

Monique McArthur
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