Homemade buttermilk fried chicken , fried chicken from Popeyes, or a fried bird from some swanky restaurant makes the mouth salivate. It's crispy, savory, juicy, and utterly delicious. But if you've tried warming up leftover pieces in the microwave the next day only to find they've lost all the texture qualities that made you love it on day one, you are not alone.
But never fear: J. Kenji López-Alt shared a genius method for reheating fried chicken on Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, and it will have you falling all over again for this dish on day two. The secret: refry it.
Per the Milk Street Facebook page , López-Alt says you should heat up your frying oil of choice — he uses peanut — to a balmy 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken fry for 2 to 21⁄2 minutes, making sure you turn the chicken a couple of times as it heats through. Then, remove it from the fryer and allow the excess oil to drain and be absorbed on a paper towel.
López-Alt says it will taste better refried than the first time you ate it. Why does it work? Refrying your leftover chicken is somewhat similar to double frying. This technique requires frying the chicken just to the point that the skin's texture starts to change.
It is then removed from the frying oil for a few minutes and then dipped right back in to continue the cooking process. Frying chicken in this manner helps eliminate excess moisture from the skin to achieve that golden brown color and become crispy on the outside with juicy,.
