How To Reheat A Fast Food Chicken Sandwich Without Ruining It

If you frequently find yourself in the Chick-fil-A drive-thru, chances are you love a good chicken sandwich. Several fast-food chains offer both fried and grilled chicken sandwiches, with crispy, seasoned filets cooked to perfection, soft, buttery buns, and a variety of special condiments and toppings. But what if you accidentally order too many, or you want to save a sammie for later when cravings strike? Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reheat chicken sandwiches to taste fresh out of the fryer.

The most tried-and-true methods for reheating chicken sandwiches are the oven and air fryer. Both thoroughly heat the meat and bread and crisp the batter. For the oven, preheat it to 375 degrees. Deconstruct the sandwich, remove any veggies and cook it straight on the rack for 10-15 minutes, until it's heated up all the way through. If you like a softer bun, after you remove the chicken, wrap the bun loosely in aluminum foil before it goes in the oven. For the air fryer, preheat to 350 degrees. Then separate the sandwich or put the entire sandwich in the tray, and cook for 3-5 minutes, checking on it halfway through. This is a faster way to heat food and will result in a drier, crispier filet. Again, consider how the air fryer might affect the bun's texture before you include it. 

For both methods, remove any veggies first, so they don't wilt, and avoid covering the chicken — a common fried chicken reheating mistake that makes it soggy. And before cooking, let it sit at room temperature outside the fridge to help it heat more evenly. Once it's done, add your favorite toppings and sauces and enjoy!

One of the biggest mistakes everyone makes when reheating food is microwaving it. Sure, it's convenient, but it often results in soggy leftovers. This applies to reheating fast-food burgers and chicken sandwiches. If you don't mind a less-crispy texture, you can wrap your sammie in a paper towel, put it on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave it on high in 30-second increments. It will more than likely be super-hot, and the bread will be fluffy, but the grilled or fried chicken filet will leave much to be desired.

Sometimes, chefs recommend reheating fried chicken in a skillet in two inches of vegetable oil. It helps replenish the batter and moistens the meat, but it can get messy. If you're not experienced with pan frying, oil can splatter up from the pan. Plus, it's time-consuming: After waiting for the oil to heat up, you'll need to cook the filets for several minutes on each side, then place them on a paper towel to dry. Not the ideal method for, let's say, reheating that one leftover McDonald's McCrispy sandwich.