How to Reheat Mcdonald’s Nuggets Without Making It Soggy

The best time to eat fast food items such as Mcdonald’s nuggets is to eat them right away. Wait too long and they will become limp and soggy. While you often eat everything you order in one seating, there are a few exceptions.

Perhaps you ordered too much. Or you just wanted to buy some extra nuggets to munch on later.

Reheating fast food items can be tricky. But we have discovered hacks on how to reheat Mcdonald’s nuggets and still make ‘em crispy.

How to Reheat Mcnuggets: 6 Easy Ways

We have enslaved ourselves in the kitchen to prove these methods. And they work!

It can be tricky, yes. But these hacks will help you get ‘em crispy leftover Mcdonald’s nuggets.

Reheating Mcdonald’s nuggets in the oven

You can use a conventional oven for this method. But hold your nuggets, you need some kitchen tools to help make those Mcdonald’s nuggets crispy. 

Just tossing them in the baking tray will make them soggy and limp.

1. So first, prepare all the kitchen tools that you’ll be needing for this one. We’ll need a wire rack and a cooking oil sprayer.
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
3. Spray the nuggets with a little oil. While this step is optional, this levels up the crispness of the nuggets. So if you are trying to cut down on fat calories, you can skip this step.
4. Grab your wire rack and place each nugget on it. Remember, never place the nuggets directly on the baking tray. Otherwise, you’ll end up with limp and soggy nuggets that you might not even eat.
5. Place the wire rack in the oven and heat the nuggets for 8-10 minutes.
6. Allow to cool down before chomping ‘em down

Protip

If you don’t have a wire rack, you can make use of crumpled aluminum foil. Place the nuggets on the crumpled aluminum foil. The key here is never to allow the nuggets to sit flat on the baking tray. The aluminum foil hack will just be as good as using the wire rack.

Reheating Mcdonald’s Chicken Nuggets in the Microwave

Can you microwave chicken nuggets?

Well, yes. This is often asked as a microwave is notorious for making reheated foods limp and soggy. 

This method that we’ll show you will still make crispy nuggets, but not as crisp as you could get from the oven method. 

1. To make e the most crispy microwave oven preheated nuggets, make use of a microwave crisper. Otherwise available, you may still use any microwave-safe dish. Just note that it might not be that crispy.
2. If you stored the nuggets in the fridge, wait for them to come to room temperature first before reheating. This will ensure that the nuggets will be reheated evenly. We’re trying to avoid cold spots.
3. Place the Mcdonalds chicken nuggets on the microwave crisper or any microwave-safe dish
4. Turn on the microwave on high heat. And check the nuggets every 15 seconds.
5. This is where the challenge comes. You have to keep on heating the nuggets until they become piping hot. And you have to check them every 15 seconds to prevent burning.  
6. Once reheated all the way through, remove from the microwave and let sit for 60 seconds before devouring.

Reheating McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets on the Stovetop

We are going to use a medium skillet for reheating the chicken nuggets on the stovetop. 

1. Fill the skillet with oil and heat it. The temperature of the oil should reach 350°F (180°C). This will ensure that we get them very crispy.
2. Once the oil sizzles toss in the chicken nuggets one by one. Do not overcrowd the pan. Doing so can lower the pan’s temperature. And this can result in soggy limp nuggets.
3. Fry nuggets 20-30 minutes on each side.
4. Remove from the pan and drain excess oil using paper towels.

Protip

This method involves the use of a significant amount of oil. Thus, it might not be suitable if you’re trying to cut down on fat. Alternatingly, you can try the flash-frying method.

The flash-frying method will only entail the use of minimal oil. Instead of deep-frying, you will need to get the oil to a higher temperature.

And while the skillet is a very easy method, it’s also the easiest way to burn your leftover nuggets. So you have to be very mindful when using this method. 

Make sure to drop the nuggets only when the oil has reached the ideal temperature, Otherwise, they can turn soggy. The nugget will just absorb a lot of oil. 

Reheating McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer

The air fryer has become one of your favorite kitchen tools since the pandemic. And it’s not hard to see why. 

If you are trying to skimp on fat calories, the air fryer is the next best thing in reheating leftover food items.

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (180°C)
2. Place the nuggets one by one in the air fryer. Do not overcrowd the air fryer as this can result in uneven heating. Make sure there is a bit of space between each nugget.
3. You may spray the nuggets lightly with oil to amp up the crispiness meter. But if you are on a low-calorie diet, you can skip this step.
4. Reheat the nuggets for 5-7 minutes. You may check halfway through and flip it to reheat the other side.
5. Allow cooling for 60 seconds before chomping down.

Reheating Mcdonalds Chicken Nuggets in the Toaster 

Unless you have a toaster bag, do not attempt to reheat the nuggets in the toaster. This food item is rather small and can be a fire hazard if it gets stuck in between. Unless you have a toaster/convection oven, then feel free to use them.

Others use wooden skewers to get the stucked nuggets. But this also poses some hazards. So opt to invest in toaster bags or use other methods to reheat your Mcdonald’s chicken nuggets. 

Reheating McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets in the Griller

You may also use the griller, but this may be an inconvenient method.

Unless you don’t have an air fryer or an oven, this can make crispy reheated Mcdonald’s nuggets.

1. Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat

2. Spray the nuggets lightly with oil to enhance the taste and texture.

3. Place each nugget on top of the wire rack and reheat for 4-6 minutes.

4. Turn halfway through to reheat the other side. 

How Do You Store Leftover Nuggets?

Properly storing your leftover nuggets will make it easier to come up with a crispier nugget once they are reheated.

You can store them in the freezer and they can last up to 2 months. But better consume it in 3 weeks. 

It’s still safe to eat in three months, but it may lose flavor and the texture might be compromised.

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Here’s how to store the nuggets properly in the freezer.

1. We’ll be needing a baking tray and a freezer bag.
2. The best method is to flash freeze the nuggets. So place each nugget on the baking tray and toss in the freezer for one hour
3. Then remove the nuggets from the baking tray. And toss them in an airtight freezer bag. Make sure to remove as much air as you can.

How Long Can McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets Stand at Room Temperature?

As with any other food items, McDonald’s chicken nuggets should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. 

After this time frame, bacteria can start to thrive on the food and make a home out of it. 

Though it may have a longer shelf life because of the preservatives. Thus it can keep longer compared to fresh meat, but the risk of food poisoning is still there. 

To prevent the risk of food-borne illnesses, store the nuggets in the fridge or freezer as soon as possible.

Is Reheating Mcdonalds Nuggets Healthy?

Well, we can’t necessarily call it healthy. 

Reheating fast food items does not add to the nutritional value of the food. And fast food items are not the healthiest choice for your plate. 

But in terms of safety, it is safe to reheat Mcdonald’s chicken nuggets.

What is the Best Way to Reheat Mcdonalds Nuggets?

We have to give it to the oven and the air fryer.

Of all the methods that we’ve tried, these two kitchen tools help us come up with crispier nuggets that taste like you just bought them. 

They are also more convenient to use and require less if no oil at all. 

And what is the least recommended method? Well, you guessed it right, the microwave. 

We don’t recommend reheating your nuggets in the microwave unless you have a microwave crisper. And even with the microwave crisper, the nuggets still did not come out as crispy as they did in the oven and the air fryer method.