How To Reheat Rotisserie Chicken To Keep The Skin Nice And Crispy

A rotisserie chicken is one of those wholesome and cost-effective purchases that guarantees a good dinner, without the need to cook a whole bird on a busy weeknight. While rotisserie chicken will last in the fridge for up to four days, it's not likely to wind up nice and crisp once you reheat it, if you're not choosy with your method. To give your chicken the same delicious texture as when it was freshly-cooked, you only need to pick the right appliance and follow a few other tips.

Reheating rotisserie chicken can be done via several methods, from a quick stint in the microwave to a more lengthy affair in the slow cooker. But to get the skin deliciously crispy, you'll have to follow the same gist for reheating fried chicken so it stays crunchy: Use the oven.

The best technique here turns out to be the most traditional. Reheating rotisserie chicken in the oven isn't the speediest method out there, as it takes around half an hour, but that's still much quicker than cooking a whole raw bird. The process is mainly hands-off, too, meaning you can get on with preparing the rest of dinner while the chicken crisps up. Following some extra steps means you can achieve a tasty, bronzed skin on your poultry, in addition to succulent flesh within.

The dry heat of the oven is what helps a rotisserie chicken's skin crisp up, but for the perfect texture, you also need to add extra moisture and cover the bird for part of the cooking time. This way, the meat will remain moist. Try adding a cup of water to the bottom of a baking pan before resting the chicken on top, which will keep it juicy. For a richer, more chicken-y flavor, switch out the water for chicken broth or even a thin gravy.

Cover the chicken in a loose tent of foil, then move the pan into an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and let the bird cook for around 25 minutes. After the 25 minutes are up, remove the foil and put the tray back in the oven for another five minutes or so, to fully crisp up the skin.

Fancy the skin even crispier? Turn the oven to the broil setting, and heat the chicken uncovered in 15-second intervals until it's crisped to your liking. Just keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it's fully heated (via the USDA). And bear in mind that chicken should only be reheated once, so if you're only looking to eat part of the bird, reheat the portions that you're planning to consume right away.

If you want to reheat rotisserie chicken in a faster way than the oven method, it's worth considering the air fryer. It only takes a few minutes to cook the chicken, and it's a guaranteed way to recreate that fresh-from-the-grocery-store feel. After all, an air fryer works like a mini convection oven, delivering fast, even heating, with no need to add any additional oil.

If you're reheating a whole chicken in a larger air fryer, try cooking it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for four minutes, or until it's heated through and the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If your appliance can only fit individual pieces of poultry, arrange them in a single layer in the basket and try cooking between five and 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until crisp and heated through.

Beyond enjoying it hot and crisp, there are so many ways to use any leftover chicken, whether it's in soups, salads, sandwich fillings, or a homemade buffalo chicken dip. The next time you hear the bell chime in a Costco, meaning the fresh rotisserie chicken has been restocked, feel confident making your purchase. If you can't eat it all right away, there are plenty of treats to enjoy in the near future.