The Fried Chicken Reheating Method You Should Try To Avoid

Whether you grabbed a bucket bigger than your stomach from KFC or just wanted to meal plan some homemade fried chicken, heating it back up to warm and crispy is no easy task. There are a dozen-plus ways you can mess it up, from drying out the chicken to ruining the crunchy crust. A great way to ruin both is to try using your broiler.

Now, using your broiler to reheat fried chicken isn't immediately wrong. It's just easy for it to go wrong because of the intense, directed heat. Most broilers operate around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and that heat usually comes from the top of the oven and points down. While this can rapidly reheat your chicken, it can also cause it to burn just as fast. Plus, the direction of the heat means the top of your chicken gets disproportionately warmed compared to the bottom. 

If you do need to use your broiler, putting your chicken on the lowest possible rack gives you a little breathing room; just don't look away for a second, or the next time you check it, it'll probably be burned. Additionally, keep to thinner pieces such as the wings so there's less risk of a hot exterior and cold interior.

Instead of the extreme, directed temperature of a broiler, the best methods for reheating fried chicken take time and use multi-directional heat for even cooking. That means using your oven in a regular manner, instead of broiling, is an excellent reheating option. For this method, make sure you place your chicken on a wire rack so hot air can circulate around the pieces for even cooking, and put a tray underneath the rack to catch all the drips. 

The downside of the oven method is it's the slowest. For faster reheating, use an air fryer if you have one. Air fryers are essentially mini convection ovens, so the reheating process is nearly identical; it's just on a much smaller scale.

The final method is the messiest and most time-consuming: Frying it again. Sure, at that point you may as well make fresh fried chicken, but there's no denying that re-fried chicken is among the crispest, most flavorful ways to enjoy your leftovers. If you go this route, a good cast iron pan on the stove is perfect.