Effortless reheating: How long to reheat fried chicken in air fryer

Fried chicken is delicious, but it’s not so delicious when it gets cold. Today I’m going to share with you some tips on how to heat fried chicken in an air fryer. I hope it will be helpful to you!

How long to reheat fried chicken in air fryer?

Air fryer is a good choice for heating fried chicken, which can help keep the fried chicken crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The time required to heat fried chicken in an air fryer depends on the size and thickness of the fried chicken, as follows:

Fried chicken in small pieces (such as chicken wings, chicken nuggets): about 5-6 minutes.

Frying large pieces of chicken (such as chicken legs and chicken breasts): about 7-8 minutes.

Whole chicken (frying a whole chicken: about 12-15 minutes.

Flip over halfway: Remember to flip the fried chicken once during the heating process to allow it to be heated more evenly.

Check temperature and texture: Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature, and it should be ready when it reaches 165°F (74°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, make sure the outside is crispy and the inside is heated through.

Tips:

Spray some oil: You can lightly spray a little vegetable oil on the surface of the fried chicken to make the skin crispier.

Avoid high temperature for a long time: If the temperature is too high or the time is too long, the outer skin will become burnt and the inside will become dry and woody.

Eat promptly: Fried chicken tastes best after being heated, so it is recommended not to let it cool again.

How do you reheat fried chicken in an air fryer?

Preheat the air fryer: Before you start cooking, preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C). This step is critical because it ensures the chicken is evenly heated and the skin is crispier.

Prepare fried chicken: If the fried chicken is just out of the refrigerator, you can leave it at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to reduce the temperature difference and avoid heating it for too long, which will cause it to be burnt on the outside and cold on the inside. If the fried chicken is frozen, remember to thaw it in advance and put it in the air fryer to heat it after thawing.

Arrange the fried chicken: Place the fried chicken evenly in the air fryer basket, making sure not to stack them so that each piece of fried chicken can be fully exposed to the heat. If the quantity is large, you can heat it in batches.

Set time and temperature: Adjust the heating time according to the size of the fried chicken. My fried chicken is chicken legs, which only need to be heated for 7-8 minutes. You can adjust the time according to the size of the fried chicken.

What temperature do you reheat fried in an air fryer?

There are some requirements for the temperature setting when using an air fryer to heat fried food. I recommend 180℃-200℃.

180℃: Suitable for thin and small fried foods such as French fries, or fried foods that contain a lot of oil. Heating at 180℃ allows the heat to penetrate gently, heating the food thoroughly while avoiding scorching the surface and restoring a certain crispness to the skin.

200℃: Suitable for thick fried foods such as fried chicken and pork chops, which can be heated at 200℃. The higher temperature can quickly evaporate the moisture on the surface of the food, making the skin crispier, and can make the inside of the food reach the appropriate temperature in a shorter time to ensure the heating effect.

Of course, the specific adjustments should be made according to the amount of food, the power of the air fryer, etc. If the amount of food is large or the power of the air fryer is small, you may need to increase the temperature or extend the time appropriately.

What's the best way to reheat fried chicken?

Personally, I would recommend an air fryer and an oven.

Because the biggest purpose of heating fried chicken is to maintain its crispy taste, and the air fryer can restore the crispy taste of fried chicken to a large extent. This is because its working principle is to use hot air circulation to promote the grease of the fried chicken skin to be "forced out" again, so that the skin becomes golden and crisp again, and there will be no local overheating or not heat through. However, air fryers have a limited capacity and are only suitable for small amounts of fried chicken and for heating smaller pieces of fried chicken.

If you want to heat the whole chicken, then it is recommended to use the oven to heat, the temperature of the oven is relatively stable and the space is large, which can make the fried chicken as a whole heated evenly, and the fried chicken taste is also more crisp after heating, which can better retain the flavor of fried chicken.

Reheating fried chicken in oven

Preheat the oven: First preheat the oven to 180℃ for about 3-5 minutes.

Place the fried chicken: Place the fried chicken on a baking sheet, being careful not to pack it too closely to ensure air circulation. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil for easy cleaning.

Set time: Depending on the size and thickness of the chicken, set the cooking time. Generally speaking, the heating time is about 15-20 minutes. If the chicken is thicker, you may need to extend the cooking time.

Flip: During the cooking process, you can turn the oven halfway through and turn the fried chicken to ensure even heat.

Check doneness: In the last few minutes, you can use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken to ensure that it reaches 75 degrees Celsius (165 degrees Fahrenheit) to ensure that the chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat.

Enjoy: When the fried chicken is golden brown and crispy and the internal temperature is safe to eat, it is ready to be served.

Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer?

Generally speaking, aluminum foil can be put into an air fryer.

Aluminum foil trays or aluminum foil can be used with air fryers. They have good thermal and thermal insulation properties to help food heat evenly, lock in moisture, and prevent food from drying out or burning.

Secondly, the use of aluminum foil lunch boxes or aluminum foil in the air fryer for cooking, but also to avoid food splashing oil, reduce the amount of cleaning work. In addition, the reusability of aluminum foil lunch boxes is in line with the concept of environmental protection, which can reduce the generation of plastic waste.

However, when using aluminum foil, it is necessary to pay attention to choosing products that are resistant to high temperature and avoid long-term contact with acidic or alkaline foods to prevent the release of aluminum ions.