How to Reheat Chicken Wings So They Taste Finger-Lickin’ Good (4 Quick Ways)

There’s always the possibility of stale chicken wings tasting sour and bad. Would that happen if you store the chicken wings in the refrigerator or freezer? Then you’d have to think of effective ways of reheating chicken wings so they do not have a cold center.

It’s highly unlikely that chicken wings will spoil in a refrigerator or freezer. But it’s when you reheat them that you need to follow certain rules.

Cooking cold chicken wings too much can lead to a soggy mess. Proper reheating means bringing back the crispiness of fried chicken wings combined with the saucy coating. Getting every step right can be tiresome and challenging for some. So allow me to clear things up for you, in more ways than one.

How to Reheat Chicken Wings?

Oven

This applies to a toaster oven or an oven. To make chicken wings crispy, juicy, and warm is your goal. A tough combination of textures to achieve but with a toaster oven (or oven) it is easy and quick.

Start with preheating the oven at 350-degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is perfect because it doesn’t dry out the chicken meat too much. The chicken meat will retain its juiciness but, at the same time, turn crispy from the outside.

You can reduce the temperature to 250-degrees Fahrenheit. This will take the chicken wings a bit more time to warm up nicely. But it’s just as good and yields slow but delicious results.

Here’s a tip! Do not put the chicken wings directly from the refrigerator/freezer into the oven. While the oven is preheating, or a bit sooner than that, allow the chicken wings to sit at room temperature for around 10-15 minutes or so. This should turn the chicken wings to room temperature quickly and effectively.

Now place the chicken wings on a baking pan. Sprinkle some water around and over the chicken wings using your bare hands. This will prevent burning or drying out. The water droplets contribute to making the wings saucier and juicier.

Bake the wings for 5-6 minutes on each side. Depending on the size and quantity of the chicken wings, you can increase/decrease the cooking time. Once the entire kitchen starts to smell almost as good as the chicken wings, take them out and serve!

Microwave

Not everyone has a toaster or a toaster oven. So in such cases, a microwave is the next best thing to reheat chicken wings with. It’s convenient because a microwave does offer high-temperature controls, the way a toaster oven does.

Most microwaves have a preset internal temperature that’s around 165-degrees. And you can microwave food using 30-second increments which is perfectly okay for reheating chicken wings.

To get better results, I’d suggest you use a food thermometer. You can stick the thermometer’s probe right in the middle of the chicken wing to get an accurate reading. Once all the chicken wings read 165-degrees, you’re good to devour them!

Start by microwaving the chicken wings for 1 full minute. Flip the chicken wings every 1 minute to allow even and crisp reheating. Halfway through, stick the probe in to figure out the exact temperature. You can keep microwaving the wings every 30 seconds to adjust and meet the desired warmth.

In my experience, it takes about 2 minutes (on each side) for the chicken wings to become completely warm and delicious. Don’t forget to keep flipping them over to cook on both sides, evenly.

Skillet

Yes, you can reheat chicken wings on the skillet or a frying pan. It won’t take as long as a toaster oven or a microwave. All you need is some oil and a skillet/frying pan.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to a hot skillet. Make sure you preheat the skillet for 1-2 minutes on medium heat before adding the oil.

Once the oil warms up, gently add the chicken wings one at a time. Fry the wings on each side for 2-3 minutes or until both sides look crisp and golden.

Here’s a tip! What I do to make sure the meatiest portion of the chicken wing is completely cooked is place the lid on for 1-2 minutes. The steam reheats the chicken really well. And then you can continue frying until the outside looks crunchy and crispy.

Place the chicken wings on a baking or mesh tray to let the excess oil drip out.

Grill

A grilling pan is the next best thing when you don’t have a skillet. You can either use a stovetop grilling pan or a grill-friendly dish with the whole outdoor grill setup.

If you’re doing this on a stovetop, preheat the pan for 1-2 minutes. Then follow the same steps as when you reheat chicken wings using a skillet.

For an outdoor grill, wrap the chicken wings in cooking foil. Place it on the grill-safe tray or dish and flip the foil to cook the other side after 2-4 minutes depending on the heat and quantity of the wings.

Never touch the hot foil with your bare hands. It’s best to use grilling tongs and oven mitts when dealing with hot food and plates. You can add some of the delicious chicken wings sauce inside the foil to marinate and moisten the meat. It’ll add more of a smoked flavor to the chicken if you ask me.

Plate it as soon as the temperature reads 165-degrees. And serve hot.

Final Thoughts

This is just about everything you need to know for reheating chicken wings. There’s even air frying and broiling but they’re not nearly as effective as the above-mentioned methods.

It’s inevitable to have a few leftovers – especially when cooking a versatile dish as chicken wings. Understanding the key points of reheating them is essential to avoid throwing them in the bin.

Just be careful while refrying or baking leftover chicken wings because they might just lose their juiciness and crisp texture. The last thing you need is that delicious plate of chicken wings to taste rubbery and soggy! So follow these methods and make the most of what’s left. Every piece of chicken wing counts!