The Reheating Mistake To Avoid For Crispy Fried Chicken
You had ordered extra fried chicken from Jollibee's — one of the best fried chicken joints in America — for a potluck and now have leftovers. After reheating the fried chicken the next day, you notice the skin isn't as crispy as you'd like. In fact, after reheating, the fried chicken has unfortunately become a little soggy. What exactly went wrong during the reheating process?
Well, there's actually a big food reheating mistake you must avoid to ensure your leftover fried chicken remains crispy. You might have mistakenly covered the fried chicken in the oven. Covering the chicken in aluminum foil or parchment paper creates a steaming effect by trapping moisture, leading to soggy rather than crispy fried chicken.
So, here's how you should be reheating fried chicken. If you're using the oven, place it on a wire rack over a pan (not directly in a tray or on a baking sheet) and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the skin is crispy again, which takes about 15 minutes. You want to use a wire rack because it allows the heat and air circulating in the oven to touch all parts of the chicken, ensuring even the bottom of the chicken will become crispy along with the rest during the reheating process.
Always reheat fried chicken uncovered in an oven or air fryer
If you have an air fryer, you can also consider using it to reheat your fried chicken. After all, an air fryer is just a miniature convection oven, and reheating chicken in an air fryer can keep it juicy. Remember to keep the chicken uncovered in the air fryer basket. Place the chicken in a single layer and spaced apart to allow the air and heat to circulate. Cook at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes until the skin is crispy and the chicken is thoroughly reheated.
You can also consider using your stovetop to reheat fried chicken. First, let the refrigerated leftovers sit on the counter to reach room temperature. Then, shallow fry the leftover fried chicken in a skillet for a few minutes on both sides until the skin is crispy again. Finally, you should think twice before reheating chicken in the microwave. The skin will never be desirably crispy again, and the microwave can quickly dry out all the remaining juices of the chicken. Covering leftover chicken in a microwave, conversely, can lead to a soggy, unappetizing mess.