How to Reheat Fried Chicken So It's Crispy Again

To reheat fried chicken and keep it crispy, put it on a wire rack set over a sheet pan and bake it at 400°F: about 15 to 20 minutes for bone-in pieces and 8 to 10 for tenders. An air fryer at 375°F is faster, about 8 to 12 minutes for bone-in. Either way, the meat should reach 165°F in the thickest part. Skip the microwave unless you have no choice. It heats the water in the coating, and wet breading cannot crisp.

These times are typical starting points for fridge-cold, home-sized pieces, not lab figures, so check with a thermometer the first time and adjust.

Why reheated fried chicken goes soggy

The crust was crisp because frying drove the water out of it. In the fridge, the moist meat underneath slowly hands some of that water back, and a sealed container traps the rest. That is why day-two chicken has a soft, slightly leathery coat.

Reheating can only fix it if the heat dries the coating while it warms the meat. That means:

• Air all the way around. A piece sitting flat on a pan steams in its own moisture and comes out with a soggy bottom. On a rack, hot air reaches the underside too.
• Dry heat, high enough to drive off water. 375 to 400°F does it. A low oven warms the chicken through but leaves the crust soft.
• No covering. Foil holds the steam against the crust you are trying to dry.

The oven method, step by step

This is the best method for a family-size batch, and the one to use for big breasts and thighs.

1. Take the chicken out of the fridge while the oven heats, about 10 to 15 minutes. Slightly less cold meat warms through before the crust overbrowns. Do not leave it out longer than that.
2. Heat the oven to 400°F. Set a wire cooling rack inside a rimmed sheet pan.
3. Pat off any surface moisture with a paper towel. Beads of condensation on the coating become steam in the oven.
4. Arrange the pieces skin-side up on the rack, not touching, with the biggest pieces at the edges where the oven runs hottest.
5. Bake until the thickest piece reads 165°F, roughly 15 to 20 minutes for bone-in. Start checking tenders and wings at 8.
6. Rest 2 to 3 minutes on the rack. The crust firms up as it stops steaming.

Air fryer: fastest for a few pieces

Heat the air fryer to 375°F. Lay the chicken in a single layer with space between pieces, because a crowded basket steams instead of crisps. Cook bone-in pieces 8 to 12 minutes, turning once halfway, and tenders or wings 4 to 6. The fan dries the coating faster than an oven, so this gives the crispest result of any method. Its only weakness is capacity: a whole bucket is three or four rounds.

Skillet, if you do not have an oven free

A heavy dry skillet over medium-low heat works for one or two pieces. Put the chicken in skin-side down for 3 to 4 minutes to re-crisp that side, then turn it, cover the pan for 5 to 8 minutes so the meat heats through, and uncover for the last minute. Covering softens the crust a little, which is why this comes third. Do not add oil. The coating has plenty already.

Microwave, as a last resort

If the microwave is the only option, heat the chicken on a plate at 50% power in 1-minute bursts, turning the piece each time, until it reaches 165°F. Expect a soft coating. Ninety seconds in a hot dry skillet or air fryer afterwards brings some of the crunch back.

Times by piece

Fridge-cold chicken, reheated until the thickest part reaches 165°F. Our times, so check the first batch.

Piece	Oven, 400°F on a rack	Air fryer, 375°F	Where to check the temperature
Breast, bone-in	18–22 min	10–12 min	Thickest part, away from the bone
Thigh, bone-in	15–18 min	9–11 min	Center of the thickest part
Drumstick	15–18 min	8–10 min	Thickest part near the middle
Wing	10–12 min	6–8 min	The meatiest section
Tenders or strips	8–10 min	4–6 min	Center of the thickest strip
Popcorn chicken	6–8 min	3–5 min	Cut one open; small pieces heat fast

An instant-read meat thermometer settles it in a second. Keep the tip off the bone, which reads hotter than the meat around it.

Keeping it safe

Fried chicken is cooked poultry, so the leftover rules apply in full. Illinois Extension says leftovers should be refrigerated or frozen within two hours of serving, eaten within 3 to 4 days, and reheated to a minimum of 165°F. NC State’s Safe Plates program cuts the two hours to one when it is above 90°F, which matters for a bucket that sat out at a picnic. It also advises reheating leftovers only once.

That last rule decides how much to reheat. Warm only the pieces you will eat now and leave the rest in the fridge, because a second round of reheating is both a food-safety problem and the end of the crust.

Storing it so it crisps again

Let the chicken cool, but get it into the fridge inside that two-hour window. Line a shallow container with a paper towel, add the pieces in a single layer and cover it. The towel soaks up moisture that would otherwise sit against the coating.

To keep it longer, freeze it. Our guide to freezing cooked chicken covers how long it keeps and how to thaw it. Reheat thawed pieces exactly as above. For working out how much to buy in the first place, see how much chicken per person. And for the rest of the leftovers in the fridge, the meal-prep reheating chart has a method for each.

FAQ

What is the best way to reheat fried chicken?

On a wire rack over a sheet pan in a 400°F oven, uncovered, for about 15 to 20 minutes for bone-in pieces, until the thickest piece reaches 165°F. The rack lets hot air dry the underside, which is what keeps the coating crisp.

How long do you reheat fried chicken in the air fryer?

At 375°F, about 8 to 12 minutes for bone-in pieces and 4 to 6 for tenders or wings, turning once. Cook in a single layer and check the thickest piece with a thermometer.

Can you reheat fried chicken in the microwave?

You can, safely, as long as it reaches 165°F. Use 50% power in short bursts and turn the pieces. The coating will be soft, so finish it in a hot skillet or air fryer for a minute if you can.

How long is leftover fried chicken good for?

Three to 4 days in the fridge, by Illinois Extension’s rule for leftovers, as long as it went in within two hours of serving. Freeze it if you need longer.

Should you let fried chicken come to room temperature before reheating?

Only briefly. Taking it out while the oven heats, about 10 to 15 minutes, helps the meat warm evenly. Do not leave it out for hours; cooked chicken belongs in the fridge within two hours of serving.