How to keep fried chicken warm? Do you love to eat fried chicken with nice crispy skin? How about when it is fresh from the pan, and you still get to taste the hot crispy fried chicken, not soggy at all by the time you manage to sit down at your table.
It is very important to know how to keep fried chicken warm because the minute you put it on your plate, you ideally want to see the fried chicken’s nice hot crispy skin. You don’t want to get a soggy, oily-looking fried chicken, do you?
The best way is to use a chaffer when keeping your fried chicken warm after frying. When you take your fried chicken out from the hot oil, immediately shake off excess oil and place it into a chaffer. This way, the paper towel will absorb all the crispy skin to prevent it from getting soggy.
Another tip is to make sure to use a plate with a rim instead of using a flat plate. The reason behind this is to prevent oil or any sauce from spilling over. If you use a flat plate, all the juice and sauce will end up at the bottom of the plate, and your crispy fried chicken skin will become soggy!
Here I will share some tips on keeping your fried chicken warm while waiting for everyone in your family or friends to arrive.
How to Keep Fried Chicken Warm?
If you are frying your chicken, it takes roughly 5-7 minutes to fry, depending on the size of the pieces. So basically, approximately 10 minutes is enough time for everyone to gather and sit around the table ready to eat!
- Prepare a chaffer near the stove where you will be frying your chicken.
- Make sure you have a plate with a rim ready to place your fried chicken. Also, have a stack of paper towels ready near the chaffer.
- When your oil or fat is hot enough, deep fry or pan fry for 5-7 minutes, depending on the pieces of the chicken you are frying. Shake off excess oil and immediately place it in a chaffer.
- Shake off extra oil on each piece of fried chicken one more time before placing them on a plate with a rim. Let the chicken sit in the chaffer for 1-2 minutes. You will notice all the excess oil is gone, and it no longer looks soggy.
- Repeat step 4 if necessary to remove any excess oil.
- Serve immediately onto a plate with a rim!
How to Keep Fried Chicken Warm: 5 Perfect Tips
If you want to keep your fried chicken warm while you are frying, here are some tips for you:
1. Chaffer and Paper Towels
Keep the chaffer and paper towels within easy reach near the stove where you will be deep frying or pan frying your chicken.
Make sure they are not too far that it would waste time walking back and forth from the stove to get one whenever needed.
2. The perfect plate
Make sure you have a plate with a rim ready to place your fried chicken. Also, make sure to use a stack of paper towels near the chaffer to place the fried chicken after frying.
This way, it is easy for you to grab one whenever needed without wasting time walking back and forth from the stove again.
3. Don’t overcrowd the oil
This is what I do when I want to keep my fried chicken warm while frying. NEVER crowd your pan or pot with too many pieces of chicken because all the juices and sauce will end up in the bottom, and your crispy fried chicken skin will become soggy!
4. Keep a lid nearby
If you notice that the oil is bubbling too much while frying your chicken. Just put a lid on top of your pan or pot. This will help reduce the oil splashing onto the stovetop, which can be dangerous if it catches fire!
5. If possible, use two pots at once
When keeping the fried chicken warm for a big family or a party, use 2 pots simultaneously. This way, it will only take less than 5 minutes to fry one batch, and you can keep another batch in a chaffer while frying the next batch!
Don’t place fried chicken in a chaffer or any container without checking for excess oil first. This is because you do not want your fried chicken to get soggy from the juices that have been absorbed by the paper towels, right?
The same rule applies when frying your chicken. It is ready to absorb any excess oil produced. Take out each piece of fried chicken, shake off excess oil and immediately place it in a chaffer or container with paper towels.
Can I keep fried chicken warm in the oven?
You can keep fried chicken warm in the oven, but you need a wire rack to place it on. Never use a plate or a tray without a wire rack because all the juices and sauce will drain into the bottom, and your crispy fried chicken skin will become soggy!
If you have no choice but to place your fried chicken on a plate without a wire rack, just put it on top of oven-proof paper or aluminium foil.
This will help protect your plate from the excess juice drains into the bottom while keeping your fried chicken crisp and fresh!
How do restaurants keep fried chicken warm?
Restaurants have special ovens for this kind of purpose. There is a wire rack on top and under the tray where they place their fried chicken.
The oven has controlled settings like low, medium or high heat. They will keep the fried chicken warm at a specific setting without drying it out!
The Bottom Line
Hope you enjoy this article on how to keep fried chicken warm, have a nice day ahead, everyone!
Do you have any other ideas about keeping the fried chicken warm? If you have any, please let me know in the comment section below. I will reply to you! I will be glad to know more ideas, also if you have any question let me know.
