How to Reheat Chicken Wings in air fryer
Reheating chicken wings is as easy as air frying wings fresh, only difference is, wings must ideally be wrapped in parchment paper.
Reheat whole, flats or drummies of Chicken Wings at 160°C / 320°F for a time of 14 minutes in the air fryer. You will want to wrap all wings together in a parchment paper wrap, for one; to prevent drying out, and two; to allow the skin to remain a little crispy - of which, use of foil will steam wings too much.
DIRECTIONS:
Certainly a big decision to make whether to eat your leftover chicken wings cold, or quickly reheat them so they can be eaten hot.
Before, it was too much hassle to reheat chicken wings in the oven, and while the microwave offers convenience - unfortunately cooking wings in the microwave will always result in soggy skin.
Reheating chicken wings in the air fryer on the other hand is quick and easy.
Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes, and whilst that's happening, wrap the wings intended to be reheated, in a parchment paper parcel. Foil can be used, but I have found these days, parchment paper is good at allowing steam to escape, thus less soggy skin.
Air fry the wrapped chicken wings at 160°C/320°F for a full 14 minutes. Like me, you can unravel the parcel for the final 4 minutes, to allow the skin to crisp up a little whilst air frying under direct heat.
In addition, this would be a good time to flip the chicken wings over once, to allow the other side - or skin side up - to air fry for the remaining minutes.
Reheating chicken wings in an air fryer can include previously air fried chicken wings; wings brought home or delivered from a takeaway - plus you can air fry whole chicken wings, or a mix of drummies and flats... as I demonstrate with in the directions below.
With just 14 minutes of air fry time, this should be enough to reheat all size chicken wings. With wings that are exceptionally large, reheat for 16 minutes in total. To be safe, always cut open the meatiest chicken wing, to check if the centre is piping hot.
Prepare Chicken Wings
Preparation for reheating these chicken wings apply to plain raw roasted wings which can be marinated or seasoned, or they could be breaded wings.
- STEP 1: Sit at room temperature for 30 Minutes - Chicken wings ready for reheating will likely be refrigerated beforehand, thus thawing them out for 30 minutes will ensure you get the chill out of the centre
- STEP 2: Wrap Wings in loose parcel - Use a big long sheet of parchment paper which must cover the wings in a minimum of one layer, into a secure parcel wrap
- STEP 3: Place in basket with opening-fold facing down - Take your chicken wing parchment wrap, and position it with the fold facing down; to ensure the parcel doesn't unravel as it air fries - or it risks burning on the heating element above
- STEP 4: Ensure Wings are spread out in single layer - With the parcel placed in your air fryer basket, flatten down the packaging so the wings are hopefully spread out in a single layer
NOTE: It isn't all that important to flatten out the chicken wings completely, but it does help. In the meantime, ensure there is no visible openings in your parchment paper parcel, which could result in the wings drying out.
How to reheat Chicken Wings
Handling the chicken wings whilst wrapped up in their parchment paper parcel can be tricky, so ensure you use plenty of parchment paper to begin with. With that, re-adjust the chicken wings if you need to, once they've been placed in the air fryer.
- STEP 1: Set time to 160°C / 320°F; time to 14 Minutes - Medium heat is needed to gently reheat chicken wings, with a time of 14 minutes to bring the internal temperature up to a safe one
- STEP 2: Air fry for full 10 Minutes - Reheat the chicken wings whilst wrapped up in their parchment paper wrap, for a full 10 minutes undisturbed
- STEP 3: Unravel parcel; turn over each wing - Now gently unravel the parcel to reveal the chicken wings, turning over each wing with tongs
- STEP 4: Air fry uncovered for final 4 Minutes - With 10 minutes up and 4 minutes remaining, use this time to reheat the chicken wings uncovered to crisp up the skin a little, which isn't always possible
NOTE: Once you unravel the parchment paper to air fry the reheated chicken wings for the final 4 minutes, you will need to cut off the unneeded paper fold to make sure it doesn't flip up into the heating element, once you close the air fryer drawer.
How long to reheat Chicken Wings in air fryer
While you can't go wrong by air frying chicken wings fresh to the best time and temperature you know how, reheating chicken wings is equally easy and hassle-free.
Unlike freshly cooked chicken wings though, its possible to air fry chicken wings for 14 minute - regardless of size of wings - so they're reheated to a hot and steamy centre.
On the other hand, I will say extra large wings will need an additional 2 minutes, so a full 16 minutes for large chicken wings should be considered.
How many chicken wings you air fry at any one time can effort the cooking time as well, thus a single layer of wings - be it 8 wings or 14 - can be air fried for 14 minutes, with a double layer worth of wings needed possibly 18 minutes.
Over stuffing the air frying with many chicken wings will require you to toss them over several times as they air fry.
Air fryers do an amazing job at cooking chicken wings, and will do a great job at reheating.
WARNING: Always check the middle of the chicken wings are piping hot, which is a genuine way to tell if the wings are properly cooked or reheated.
Wrap Chicken Wings to delay drying out
One thing I've learnt about reheating chicken in the air fryer, is that they will benefit when wrapped firmly in a parchment paper wrap.
Parchment paper is used because the direct heat will scorch the paper - as oppose to the wings - which can lead to super dry chicken wings.
I do believe parchment paper does allow enough heat in to keep the skin at a reasonable texture, but not necessary crispy... because you'll have to air fry for a few minutes to crisp up reheated chicken wing skin.
Foil is an option, but as parchment paper allows steam to escape, the texture, and even the taste, I found to be better when reheating chicken wings in a parchment paper wrap.
With that, parchment paper won't stick to the chicken wing skin unlike foil. Which should be oiled in the inside if that's all you have to wrap the wings in. In addition, parchment paper will allow any marinade to slide off the paper and back on your wings when done.
When wrapping wings in a parchment paper wrap, do so with the intention of flattening out the ball of wings, but only once you placed them in the air fryer. To add to that, make sure the parcel doesn't unravel itself whilst cooking; place the fold facing down so the weight of the wings will keep the parcel firmly sealed.
Summarise
Without burying the lead, set your air fryer temperature to 160°C/320°F, and time to 14 minutes to reheat most size chicken wings.
Extra large wings will probably need 16 minutes in total with the temperate perfectly set to reheat wings gently. And that's crucial because you don't want to air fry wings quickly, because the skin will burn before the centre is piping hot.
To prevent drying out of chicken wings, or any chicken portions really, I recommend wrapping the wings firmly as a group in a big cut off of parchment paper, ensuring the wings are spread out in a single layer in your preheated air fryer basket.
Parchment paper will ensure the chicken wing skin won't stick to the wrap, which is possible with foil.
With that, if you insist on using foil, do lightly oil the inside to prevent sticking.
Parchment paper is also good at retaining marinades if your wings are covered in one, thus the none-stick parchment paper will allow you to pour the marinade, or sauce, back over your wings once they're done reheating.
My 14 minute time is based on fewer than twelve chicken wing flatties and drummies - even though I air fried just eight wing portions - which should be evenly spread flat - unlike whole wings which make it difficult.
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