How to reheat chicken wings in air fryer so they get crispy chicken skin again! Easy to do in a Ninja Foodi or other brand to enjoy again the next day. Whether you have KFC leftovers or made dry rub chicken wings the night before, follow our step by step directions.
I bet you’ve wondered about reheating chicken wings in the air fryer so they became crispy again. Yes. You. Can! I mean they are pretty darn close to day one especially if they’re sauced at the end. Just one of many tips and tricks we share on our easy air fryer recipes post. (affiliate links present)
How to Reheat Chicken Wings
This is so easy to do you’re going to kick yourself that you didn’t try it earlier. There’s no day but the present though right? If you’re like us you probably bake wings at home pretty often and serve with our chicken wing sauces. Maybe you go out to Buffalo Wild Wings instead but always seem to have leftovers.
I hate wasting food too, I bet you’re the same. 😉 Next time you make them remember the tips we will share below when they are done, so you can enjoy them the next day too.
Jump to:
If you love extra crispy food and quick recipes, here are some resources to start with:
- My Favorite models are this Cosori or for a dual machine, the Foodi.
- You can find more Ninja Foodi recipes here as well; bookmark them both!
- It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. this is how to preheat air fryer first.
- Here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Best Way to Reheat Chicken Wings
Let’s talk about how to save leftover chicken wings when you are done eating. There is a method to the madness sorta’ speak as far as this is concerned.
- To start with, plan ahead of time. You probably can guess about how many pieces each person is going to eat right away.
- ONLY toss the pieces you are going to consume right then and there with your favorite barbecue or other chicken wing sauces.
- Store in a freezer bag in your fridge with ALL of the air sucked out.
- you’ll be able to get really crispy chicken wings AGAIN if they aren’t stored with sauce on the outside
- Reheat wings within 2 days for the best texture, the next day is the most ideal.
- When you’re ready to reheat leftovers take chicken wings out of the fridge and allow them to reach room temperature. 20 minutes is a good gage, or put wings in the microwave just for 1 minute to take the edge off.
- Do NOT overlap pieces in your air fryer basket. The hot air needs to circulate all the way around for the best results.
- Toss with a fresh sauce when done. Since the outside won’t quite be as crunchy as day one you can disguise that a bit by brushing or smothering that in a sauce.
Now that you have that down pat and understand how to store them properly on day one, we’re ready to move on.
Reheating Chicken Wings in Ninja Foodi
You could bake or use a frying pan for these, but reheating chicken in air fryer is SO much better. Not only does it take far less time but the texture turns out so much more appetizing for sure. It doesn’t stop there though with the smallest piece on the bird, reheating chicken tenders in air fryer is the only way to go too.
Nobody likes rubbery skin that is ready for the garbage can. Just 5 minutes to prep the basket and get it to the right temperature and then throw in your meats.
Now if you have a lot of crispy wings to heat again you’ll want a baking sheet handy. When one batch is done throw them on top and sit them in your oven (off). This will keep them warm as you do the rest.
You don’t really need a meat thermometer this time since they are precooked and the internal temperature has already been safely reached. You’re just warming your fried chicken y’all. Timing is for separated pieces, if you cooked air fryer whole chicken wings you’d need to increase the time a few min.
How to Reheat Buffalo Wild Wings in Air Fryer
Now let’s do a quick rundown of how this is done. I have a printable recipe card with cooking time and temperature below but let’s have a quick peek.
- Ideally take the bag with your precooked wings out and leave on the countertop for about 20 minutes so they get closer to room temperature.
- You’ll want to start by preheating your air fryer to 360 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Spray the inside of your air fryer basket with non stick cooking spray. Lay your leftover wings in the basket in a single layer, not overlapping.
- Air fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are warmed and skin is as crispy as you’d like it to be.
Throw them into a bowl with your favorite coating to make buffalo wings, teriyaki sauce or our Asian chicken wing sauce. Some prefer to leave them plain with just some salt and pepper.
How to Reheat Boneless Wings in Air Fryer
Do you think you got it, bone in or out works great the same way. This isn’t great just for wings though, you can follow these same steps for chicken thighs or breasts in the air fryer too. Since those are larger and surely thicker you would need to increase the timing but that would only be the real difference.
Give it a whirl when you want to finish off your last meal and let us know what you think. Do you have a favorite sauce we might want to try? Let us know below so we can give it a whirl on our next go around. 😉
You are going to use the lid that is attached to do this. This will make them crispy again after sitting in the fridge overnight. Preheat before adding your food for best results, 5 minutes is plenty. Then you will want 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on their size, or until the chicken skin is crispy again.
You would want to follow our directions here to do so in an air fryer for the best results. Whether you baked your own in the oven the night before or you are reheating KFC chicken wings the next day you will want to get the outside skins crispy again. About 2 minutes on each side usually does the trick.
Reheat Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 6-12 chicken wings, cooked
- 1 spray olive oil
Instructions
- Ideally take the bag with your precooked wings out and leave on the countertop for about 20 minutes. Preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Spray inside of air fryer basket with olive oil spray. Lay wings in the basket in a single layer, not overlapping.
- Air fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are warmed and skin is as crispy as you'd like it to be.
- Put into a bowl and drizzle sauce on top, toss to coat and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t feel it’s very helpful to fan through pages of non sense when someone is just looking for a recipe.
We did a takeout of 5 dozen wings from a popular wing place yesterday. They were not very good. Today, we reheated them in the air fryer with your “recipe,” and they were perfect! I even tossed mine with a bit of Frank’s Hot Sauce. Whooooo would have thought these could be so good?
Oh so glad it saved the day!!
The air fryer seriously gives these the right amount of crisp every time. Love it!
These wings were amazing! Loved them!