The Best Way To Reheat McDonald's Nuggets (And Salvage The Goodness)

For fans of McDonald's famous chicken McNuggets, wharfing them down all in one go is usually the only way to eat them. If, for whatever reason, your eyes are bigger than your stomach and you find you can't inhale nearly as many nuggets as you thought you could, you may be tempted to trash your leftovers instead of trying to salvage them. While this is an understandable route to take if you've lost faith that they can ever be restored to their former glory, you may want to rethink that.

When your go-to reheating method is the microwave, you're probably going to get chewy lumps of food more often than not. The reason microwaved bread gets soggy is that the water turns into steam, which is absorbed by the bread. That's why, when reheating your leftover McNuggets, you should skip the microwave altogether and opt for the oven or air fryer instead. These options will require you to muster up some additional patience as you wait for them to finish and might make your future self rather hangry. But at least you'll know it will be worth it in the end.

It's worth noting that the quickest way to reheat McDonald's nuggets is the air fryer, which you can set to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to achieve crispiness in a matter of mere minutes. However, not everyone has one, so using an oven is a reliable option.

When it comes to sticking your McDonald's leftover nuggets in the air fryer versus the oven, you're going to get similar results, especially if using a convection oven since both circulate hot air. The main difference is that there's a little more prep work that goes into oven reheating, as well as waiting for it to preheat to the temperature you'll need. Simply set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then whip out a sturdy baking tray and line it with aluminum foil. Hit the pan with some cooking oil, preferably low-fat if you've got it, so the McNuggets don't stick to the pan and leave you peeling bits of foil off your food. You can even lightly spray the nuggets themselves if you want them to crisp up just a tad more as they're being reheated. Be sure not to stack them so they can heat up evenly.

To make the end result even more worth it, you could try upping the flavor of your McDonald's nuggets by sprinkling some chicken seasoning or adding a touch of spice to them with some Old Bay seasoning. To be doubly sure they're ready to eat, you can check their internal temperature, ensuring it's at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Without a soggy morsel of breaded chicken in sight, you've now successfully reheated your fast food leftovers. Plus, being at home gives you access to all your condiments, so go wild.