The best fried chicken isn’t just covered in a supremely well-seasoned coating and pan-fried or completely submerged in hot oil: It’s eaten right out of the fryer. “Every minute the chicken spends out of the fryer, it fights a losing battle against sogginess,” says Brian Morris, the executive chef of Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, a Southern fast-casual chicken restaurant with 10 locations. Typically, when you drop a piece of chicken into the fryer, flash evaporation, or the process of moisture escaping from the surface of the skin in the presence of hot oil, creates a blanket that prevents fat from soaking into the meat. The result is a texture that’s moist, tender, and juicy on the inside yet shatteringly crispy on the inside. “The duality is what makes fried chicken so craveable for so many people,” Morris says. The thing is? It’s not everlasting. That’s because cooked proteins are fragile, he says: “Realistically, you’re not going to be able to get back to what you were able to achieve right after the initial cooking.” One exception is reviving frozen fried chicken; when cooled correctly—that is, quickly—you can reheat with similar results. Otherwise, frying can cause oils to seep into the chicken, making it greasier and heavier than grilled or baked chicken when you dig in the second time, according to Millie Peartree, community chef and founder of Full Heart Full Bellies. What’s more, chilling the chicken can cause the crust to lose its crunch—a shame if crispiness is what you’re after. For this reason, both Peartree and Morris agree that the best way to eat leftover fried chicken is cold. “Break it out of the fridge, hit it with a sprinkle of flake salt to bring the flavors back to life, and eat it right off the bone,” Morris says, explaining that cold temperatures blunt seasoning so salt really is a must. If you’d prefer to revive the hot fried chicken you so enjoyed the first time around, don’t even think about using your microwave. “Microwaves and proteins don’t mix,” Morris says, explaining that proteins like to be cooked close to their ideal final temperatures—that’s 165 degrees Fahrenheit for chicken—while microwaves blast food with temperatures over 1000 degrees. Get lazy or impatient and disregard these directions, and you’ll be sorry: “Microwaving will dry it out and make it chewy,” Peartree warns.
How to Make Fried Chicken
A basic fried chicken recipe calls for chicken pieces being coated in a combination of eggs and flour, or a coating of bread crumbs and then fried in a neutral oil. The oil should have a high smoke point in order to accommodate high temperatures. Canola or peanut oils are good choices for frying food. Be sure and season every step along the way. We like to coat our chicken pieces in crushed cornflakes, for the added crunch it adds to the exterior. It’s also important to work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan and end up lowering the temperature of the oil. There are other ingredients you can use to make variations of the classic fried chicken recipe.
Storing Leftover Fried Chicken in the Fridge
You’ve made the fried chicken and now there are leftovers you want to save. When properly stored in the refrigerator, that leftover fried chicken will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days. You want to place the chicken in shallow airtight containers, or wrap the pieces in heavy-duty aluminum foil. This keeps the chicken refrigerated and ready to be a part of another meal.
How to Reheat Fried Chicken
Remove your leftover chicken from the fridge for up to 30 minutes to bring it to room temperature and heat your oven to 350, Morris says. Arrange the chicken on a wire rack set on a baking tray, which will allow air to circulate around each piece to recrisp the coating and let excess oils drip, according to Peartree. When the heat is on, bake for 10 to 15 minutes, jacking the heat up to 400 or 425 F for the last few minutes for extra crispiness. The chicken is done when the surface has got that crisp back and the meat is warm throughout. It’s safe to eat when an instant-read thermometer inserted through the thickest part of the meat reaches 165F. (Why bother measuring precooked meat when you’d have been just as happy eating it cold? Bacteria proliferate between the temperatures of 45 and 145 degrees, Morris says—especially if you were slow to chill leftovers after your first round.) If you happen to have an air fryer, it can work just as well: Air-fry for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results. While this all sounds pretty simple, there’s just one more caveat: The process above works best for fried chicken served on the bone with skin on. “The skin gives the chicken an opportunity to recrisps on the outside while the bone is a safe place for juices to hide to keep things moist on the inside,” Morris explains, insisting that leftover boneless skinless chicken should just be eaten cold.
A Warning to the Wise
When reheating leftover chicken, only warm what you’re planning to eat. “Never reheat food twice as bacteria grows in the reheating process,” Peartree says. Another thing: Say your leftovers spent several hours in transit from a restaurant before they made their way to your fridge. While wasting delicious chicken is a real shame, you’re better off tossing it if it spent too much time in what Morris calls the danger zone, temperatures warmer than your fridge but cooler than just-out-of-the-fryer or oven. “Bacteria can run wild, so you’d really be rolling the dice and playing games with food safety,” he says of the risk. Otherwise, Morris urges you to turn up the music and crack a cold beverage while you wait for your chicken to warm. “Set the mood for better results,” he suggests. Next, Pickle-Juice and Buttermilk-Brined Fried Chicken
