Delicious, crispy wings are a favorite dinner or lunch item for lots of people. Wings have a lot of variety, from crispy and crunchy to soft and melty, from Buffalo Wild Wings to teriaki-flavored wings, the diversity is endless. This fantastic chicken dish can be thoroughly enjoyed by all.
But, after cooking, it can be a struggle to figure out the best way to reheat wings while maintaining their taste, color, and texture. There are numerous methods. Which way is the best way to reheat wings?
One rule of thumb is to consider reheating the wings the exact way that you cooked them in the first place. For example, if you grilled the wings originally, use your grill to reheat them. If you fried them, refry the wings to bring out their original flavor and texture.
How to Reheat Chicken Wings – Top 8 Best Ways
1. Reheating Them in the Oven
This is a popular method to use for reheating wings. As one of the reliable methods that will work almost every time, reheating wings in the oven regularly produces excellent results.
Luckily, this way to reheat wings is also fast and easy. It’s the perfect combination of effectiveness and efficiency.
To reheat wings in the oven, you’ll need:
1) An oven safe baking pan large enough for your chicken wings
2) An oven
3) Aluminum foil
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheating, line the baking pan with aluminum foil, and remove the chicken wings from the fridge to allow them to cool to room temperature.
When the oven is preheated, place the chicken wings in the oven for approximately 15 minutes. Watch the wings carefully. They can be removed when they’re golden brown or thoroughly heated (use your best judgment). Some wings may need more or less time reheating.
Reheating wings in the oven will ensure crispy, evenly heated chicken wings that everyone will love. Using the oven to reheat leftover wings is a surefire way to have fantastic results!
2. Reheating Them in the Microwave
This reheating method makes the list for its ease and simplicity. For individuals who have a microwave at their disposable, this can be an excellent and speedy choice to use for reheating wings.
There are two ways to use the microwave to reheat wings. The first method is easy: put the wings in a microwave-safe dish lined with a few damp paper towel, and turn on the microwave for approximately 5 minutes (or longer in certain cases).
Although using only the microwave to reheat wings is extremely straightforward, it’s important to note that this method alone can produce soggy wings. However, using the microwave in the reheating process can be very useful.
The second way to use the microwave to reheat wings involves the use of both the oven and the microwave.
First, place the wings on a microwave-safe plate that has been lined with damp paper towels. The damp paper towels will help absorb excess oil and grease as the chicken wings are warming. Before placing in the microwave, cover the wings with another damp paper towel.
Put the plate (and the wings) in the microwave for about 2 minutes on a medium heat setting. The wings should be warm when you remove them, not hot.
After removing from the microwave, transfer the wings to an aluminum-foil lined baking pan. Place the baking pan in the oven for about 1 minute at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then remove the wings, flip them, and bake for another minute.
After this process, the wings will be crispy, hot, and ready for eating!
3. Reheating the Wings by Refrying
Although this method is quite a bit different than the previous two, it’s a viable and superb option that can yield tasty reheated wings.
To reheat wings by refrying, you’ll need a frying pan, oil, a stovetop, and the chicken wings.
Like always, the first step is to remove the wings from the refrigerator and let them sit so that they can warm to room temperature. This will take approximately 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, you can get started on the next step.
Heat the frying pan on high heat on the stovetop. Add the oil to the pan after turning on the stove, and then wait until the oil has gotten hot to start adding the chicken wings.
Once the oil is hot, carefully place the chicken wings in the frying pan one-by-one using a pair of tongs. Allow each wing to fry for about 2-3 minutes total, turning them over every so often to ensure even cooking. The wings should be a golden brown and crispy.
When removing the wings from the pan, place them on a plate that has been lined with a few paper towels. This well help to absorb the extra oil that’s present on the outside of the chicken wings so as to avoid sogginess.
Make sure to let the wings cool after you remove them from the oil before enjoying them with your meal.
4. Don’t Reheat Them at All!
Of course, this an obvious choice, but it’s a choice that most people look over as not being an option. Although not a way to reheat wings, it’s good to note that wings can still be enjoyed at room temperature without being reheated at all.
This is by far the fastest option on this list. All that you need to do is remove the wings from the fridge, allow them to warm to room temperature, and then enjoy as normal. Wings can be tasty straight out of the fridge too if there just isn’t enough time to reheat them.
5. Reheat in a Toaster Oven
This is the fastest and simplest way to reheat wings. It’s the perfect option for people who are low on time and/or energy.
To reheat wings in a toaster oven, simply place the wings on a piece of aluminum foil in the toaster oven and turn the toaster oven up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat them for approximately 5-10 minutes, then remove the wings from the oven.
Let the wings cool before serving.
6. Reheat Under a Broiler
Reheating wings under a broiler is an excellent alternative to the toaster oven method mentioned above and is also a perfect way to reheat grilled wings.
To start, preheat the oven by putting the broiler on high heat. Let the oven preheat for 10-15 minutes and situate the oven rack approximately 10 inches from the broiler. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the chicken wings on the sheet.
When the oven is preheated, put the baking sheet with the wings into the oven under the broiler. The wings should be in the oven for approximately 10-12 minutes, and they should be flipped at least once during this time.
An additional trick to make this technique even more effective is to place a cooling rack on the baking sheet under the wings to allow the excess oil and grease to drip off the wings onto the aluminum foil. This will recreate perfect, crispy wings without any of the sogginess of leftover oil.
7. Reheat Them Back on the Grill
A super easy reheating technique, putting wings on the grill to reheat them can result in an extra layer of flavor and delicious results.
Reheating wings on the grill can take more time, and of course you must have access to a grill, but this is a particularly good method for wings that were originally cooked on a grill. Grilled wings thrive when reheated the same way they were cooked.
If you have access to a grill, simply fire it up and place the wings on the grill to reheat them until they’re hot and the meat is tender. Always wait until the wings have cooled before serving.
8. Reheat by Sauteing
Sauteing wings can be a fabulous way to reheat them, and it can even make an improvement on their flavor and texture! Sauteed wings are extremely tender and flavorful, and so are wings that have been reheated by sauteing.
To reheat wings by sauteing, pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a saute pan and put the stovetop on medium heat. When the pan is hot, place the wings in the pan to allow them to cook for 5-8 minutes on each side.
Some people may prefer crispier wings, in which case you may cook the wings for 5 minutes on medium-low before turning up the temperature to medium-high for another 5 minutes. During this time, continually flip and move the wings to ensure that they cook evenly.
There are so many different ways to reheat wings, it’s an adventure to decide which way is the best way for the occasion. Some readers may develop a personal preference for certain reheating methods, while other readers may choose to experiment with different techniques.
The next time you have leftover chicken wings, try out a few of these ways to reheat wings to discover your favorite reheating techniques!