How To Reheat Fried Chicken: 3 Foolproof Methods

All of the best food is deep fried. Crispy exteriors, tender, sometimes-gooey insides, deliciously rich batters: the hot oil transforms otherwise-average foods into culinary delights, often served humbly in stalls at the state fair. Often assumed to be an American invention, deep frying actually has a long history, with origins as early as 8,000 B.C., with uses that extend far beyond Twinkies and Oreos. Still, one of the most famous foods to fry is chicken, which benefits from the deep fryer's hot oil by becoming crispy on the outside and perfectly juicy on the inside. The only problem: it seems nearly impossible to reheat the golden pieces of battered chicken back to their freshly-fried form.

There are a few ways to reheat fried chicken that, when done correctly, return the soggy leftover pieces to their former glory. Especially with the invention of air fryers, which act as miniature, fast-heating countertop convection ovens, reheating your favorite fried foods has never been easier. In this guide, we outline three of the best methods for reheating fried chicken, each using a different tool or appliance. If you haven't yet jumped on the air fryer trend, don't worry: There are other methods, and they might just be even better.

Let's be honest about deep frying: It's smelly, greasy, messy, and cumbersome. It isn't exactly the easiest method of cooking in the first place, let alone for reheating a piece of already-fried food. The truth is, though, that there is no better way to return fried chicken to its original form than by deep frying it. The only liquid-based method on the list, the deep fryer surrounds the chicken with oil, penetrating the insides with moisture and crisping the exterior to the same state to which it was originally fried. Some types of chicken, like Japanese karaage, are twice-fried to begin with, the second fry ensuring an extra-crispy result.

Deep frying the chicken doesn't require a deep fryer — you can simply fry it on the stove. To do this, fill a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven with enough oil to cover two-thirds of the chicken. For a cast-iron skillet, this will be about ¼-inch from the top of the skillet. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or until a piece of flour (or a crumb of crust) sizzles immediately when added. Add the chicken and fry, rotating halfway through, for about 6 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. The chicken should be just slightly darker than it was originally, with a firm, crispy exterior and warm insides.

We've all heard the many praises sung for the air fryer and its ability to crisp foods to perfection with hardly any oil at all. What you're hearing is true, and even better is that it takes about half the time as any other method, too. Though the chicken is noticeably less juicy than when fried in the oils of a deep fryer, the air fryer is the best method for clean, easily reheated chicken that can be ready in minutes. It's far better than the microwave, which leaves the skin soggy and moist. The air fryer works by circulating dry heat around the chicken, which crisps the skin back to its original form with hardly any oil at all. The only downside? You can only reheat as many pieces as the air fryer can hold.

For the best results, first bring your chicken to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before air frying. Removing some of the chill helps ensure that the insides warm through, but in a pinch, you can skip this step and add a minute to your cooking time. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahreneheit, then add the fried chicken pieces, spray lightly with oil, and cook for 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through. With this method, the pieces will be golden and super crispy with warm and tender meat inside.

Because most kitchens have a conventional oven, this method is the most accessible, but it also takes the most time. Because this method can take up to 30 minutes, it's best to turn to it when reheating multiple pieces of chicken. Using two baking sheets, you can heat up to 20 pieces of chicken this way, making it the fastest method for bulk reheating (say you have a party to prepare for, or family coming over). The high, dry heat of the oven is useful for crisping the skin, but, done incorrectly, can inadvertently dry out the meat inside, too. That's why, when baking in the oven, you'll want to start low and crank up the heat in the final few minutes.

To bake the chicken, first preheat the oven to a low 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange a baking sheet with a wire rack so that the heat can circulate underneath the chicken, then spray the rack lightly with oil to prevent sticking. Add the chicken and bake for 20 minutes, until warm to the touch, then raise the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the skin is crispy to the touch, then remove from the oven to cool before serving. With this method, the skin will be a light golden brown and densely crispy, and the insides will be warm and tender.

The success of your reheating begins with your storage method. When storing your fried chicken, first cool it completely. If the fried chicken is sealed into a container while warm, it generates steam that moistens the skin, making it harder to crisp when reheating. Once cooled, choose your storage method based on the amount of space you have and the number of pieces. Individual pieces can be tightly wrapped in foil, while a few pieces can be stored together in a paper-towel-lined container. If your chicken came in a bucket or paper bag, keep them stored in there — the paper and cardboard absorb the grease and keep the chicken dry.

If you're on your second day of eating leftover fried chicken and are beginning to feel the burnout, try repurposing the crispy fried pieces into new recipes. Once reheated into perfectly golden-brown pieces, use a fork to shred the chicken from the bone and roll into chicken Caesar wraps, outfitted with crunchy lettuce and fresh dressing. You can also add the chicken to salads, like a chicken honey mustard salad or a kale Caesar. Try adding the pieces to a stir fry or on top of a warm bowl of ramen noodles. You can also use it for breakfast by adding it to fluffy waffles drizzled with maple syrup, or you can nestle the pulled chicken meat between biscuits and cover with gravy.