Skip The Microwave — Reheat Leftover Fried Chicken With This Appliance For 10x The Crunch

Eating crispy fried chicken is one of life's joys, but when I've tried to reheat it in the microwave, the feeling disappears because the chicken becomes soggy. Luckily, there are other foolproof ways to reheat fried chicken. These can include the oven, an air fryer, frying it on the stovetop, and one more that I recently discovered: reheating fried chicken in a toaster oven.

Using a toaster oven is really effective when heating just a couple of pieces of fried chicken, because these appliances are usually on the small side. If there's more than a couple of chicken pieces, or if they're really large, I would consider an alternate method. In addition, there are more options if cooks happen to own some of the best toaster ovens you can buy, which can be large, multi-purpose units big enough to cook more food.

I don't know why I hadn't tried the toaster oven before, but it worked well when I observed a few guidelines. For optimal results, if it's coming from the refrigerator, the chicken needs to rest for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature so the moisture dissipates and crisps up. To remain safe to eat, it shouldn't sit more than two hours. Considering safety, reheating and eating leftover fried chicken is safe when the food was originally cooked to an internal temperature of about 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature is a consideration to make the skin crispy again, and to make sure the chicken doesn't dry out from too much heat. The toaster oven can be set to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but the cooking time might vary depending on how big the chicken pieces are. Generally, about 15 minutes total works well as long as there's some foil on the baking sheet. You'll want to flip the chicken halfway through, as well, for even reheating.

For cooks who don't want to use or who don't own a toaster oven, reheating can often take place with a conventional oven or air fryer, and some may even choose a microwave despite its shortcomings. Ovens function similarly to a toaster oven; they just take longer to pre-heat. For more alternatives that don't involve getting greasy, such as frying it again, the question for some cooks might become how to choose between the microwave and air fryer to reheat food. 

For crisp food like fried chicken, an air fryer will outperform other options, as it works by convection to circulate hot air around the food, keeping it crisp. Heating wet foods, but not crispy ones, typically works well in a microwave, as it uses a magnet that causes waves to vibrate water molecules and create the heat. Despite the high-quality appliances that are available, to reheat fried chicken, I prefer the budget-friendly, space-saving convenience of a simple toaster oven to create a superb crunch.