The Best Ways to Reheat Chicken and Still Get Crunchy, Crispy Skin
It's a #chickensad story when your leftover fried chicken becomes soggy. What formerly had a crispy, crunchy skin on your fried chicken won't stay that way, so the best time to eat fried chicken is soon after cooking.
No need to fret though. If you have leftover fried chicken whose skin has become soft and limp, this is how you can you can get back the crunchy, crispy skin the chicken had before you stored it. These are versatile techniques, not just for fried chicken, but for any fried food that needs to become crisp again.Â
Here are three ways you can make fried chicken skin crunchy even after reheating:Â
1 Toaster oven or oven
The best way to crisp up chicken is in the oven. This is how chefs in professional kitchens keep fried chicken ready before it has even been ordered. It doesn't require more oil, and you can leave it in there, unattended, to not only stay warm, but also allows any excess oil to drip from the food.Â
To mimic their technique, place fried chicken on the toaster oven baking tray and "toast" until crispy again. Place foil on top of the chicken if its too near the heating element and is in danger of burning before its crisp. If using an oven, cook on a rack over or on a baking tray in a preheated 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) oven for around 20 to 30 minutes or until the oven has dried out the skin enough to become crisp again.Â
2 Air Fryer
An air fryer is a fantastic appliance for cooking food rapidly while browning and crisping it up, too. If you have it, the hot air that's rapidly circulating in this handy appliance can easily and effectively crisp up soggy fried chicken back to its original crispness. Let 10 minutes pass before checking (opening the air fryer will stop the hot air from circulating) and then give it another 5 minutes or so until you reach the level of crispness that you desire.
3 Frying Pan
The fastest way to return your fried chicken back to its original crispy condition is to fry it again. Pan fry in a layer of oil heated to deep-fry temperatures (350 degrees F or 180 degrees C) until the fried chicken skin is again crispy. Be careful not to burn the skin and crispy coating while reheating so you can enjoy once again your fried chicken at its crunchy best.
With these tips in mind, go ahead and make a big batch of fried chicken for the family since whether it's gobbled all up or not, you know how to reheat fried chicken back to its crispy and crunchy state again.Â
