When Reheating Fried Chicken, Reach For A Kitchen Staple

When it comes time to reheat fried chicken, folks have varying opinions. Reviving the dish to its glorious moist and crispy status is somewhat of a balancing act. Too much heat dries out the meat, but an excess of moisture can leave you with a disappointingly soggy exterior. And, you can't cut the cooking time short because the chicken needs to reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be considered safe to eat. The solution? An air fryer — it gives you the perfect combination of a quick reheat maintaining both moisture and crunch.

An air fryer quickly circulates hot air around the chicken because of its small size, evenly warming the meat while eliminating moisture on the outside. Using an oven on convection works on a similar level, but since it's much larger, it takes longer to heat the chicken which can lead to dryness. Frying your chicken in an air fryer to start is a common mistake people make with fried chicken, but reheating it in one is a smart move.

If you want to experience the moist interior and crunchy coating that the fried chicken had when you first enjoyed it, pull it out of the fridge and walk away before reaching for the air fryer. Letting the poultry arrive at room temperature before reheating helps the outside get just crispy enough without burning while the inside quickly reaches a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the size of the pieces, this should take somewhere between 10 and 30 minutes.

Let the air fryer preheat to 375 degrees. When you are ready to pop the meat into the basket, make sure to give it some room to breathe. Overcrowding is a common mistake people make with air fryers, as it will cause uneven heating.

Unless you are reheating uniform McDonald's chicken nuggets, every piece will probably be a little differently sized. That makes the exact timing somewhat tricky, but somewhere in the five to eight-minute range should be sufficient to bring the chicken back to life. Heat it for two or three minutes, flip the chicken to make sure you get an even cook, then leave it in for the same time before checking the temperature with a meat thermometer. If it hasn't quite hit 165 degrees, give it another minute or two in the air fryer.