How to Reheat Chicken Breast in air fryer
Reheating chicken breast in an air fryer is how you would for any cut of chicken really, which relies on wrapping in a parcel to stop direct heat drying out the chicken.
You can reheat a regular size chicken breast at 340°F/170°C with the time set to 15 minutes, to reheat in the air frying. Chicken breast, skin-on or skinless, will dry out unless its first wrapped in parchment paper, which will help to steam the chicken whilst at the same time, prevent direct heat drying out the surface.
CONTENTS:
Chicken breast was original cooked in the air fryer at 340°F/170°C, for a time of just 20 minutes. Reheating a chicken breast would require reducing the time by 5 minutes - with reheating taking approximately 15 minutes.
What that meant is, I knew what the original temperature was to cook from raw, of which I was able to use the exact same temperature for reheating the chicken breast.
I could cook a typical chicken breast at 340°F/170°C, and reheat it at the same temp; which will apply to any chicken breast you have to hand - with 2-3 chicken breasts reheated at the same time - with no change in time and temp.
Its just reassuring to know the original time and temperature this chicken breast cooked at, which I could replicate for reheating.
You can't reheat a chicken breast whilst its freezing cold, thus a refrigerated chicken breast must be allowed to thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, prior to placing in a preheated air fryer - which is also important for accurate timing.
Before you do that, you must wrap the chicken breast firmly in a parchment paper parcel, which will cause the exposed heating element to burn the outside of the paper - rather than the chicken breast itself - which does risk drying out.
Bonus of reheating a prone to drying out chicken breast whilst wrapped in a parcel is, any seasoning will remain on the chicken. With that, you can be sure any marinade on the chicken breast doesn't dry out further in the process of reheating.
Similarly, you could think about placing your chicken breast to reheat in a roasting bag, like those belonging to Nando's Bag & Bake and Maggi.
Air fry any whole small or large chicken breast, including any butterfly chicken breast, with the exact temperature and time for reheating.
Preparation
If you fail to allow your chicken breast to sit at room temperature for some time, the timing I have here will not apply to your cooking time. Unfortunately, the air fryer will need additional time to thaw out the chilly centre, thus risk drying out the chicken surface.
- STEP 1: Sit Breasts at room temperature - Pull back any clingfilm or bag your chicken breast may be refrigerated in, and sit out of the fridge for 20-30 minutes
- STEP 2: PREHEAT air fryer: 5 Minutes - I like to preheat the air fryer which is important this time, because failing to preheat before reheating will put the time out
- STEP 3: Wrap Chicken Breasts into individual parcels - Surely you can find a way to securely wrap an individual chicken breast in a sheet of parchment paper
- STEP 4: Position Crease/Fold down in air fryer - When you position the chicken breast parcel in the air fryer basket, make sure the folded part is facing downwards to ensure the wrap doesn't unravel as it air fries
NOTE: Any marinade or seasoning will be contained inside the parchment paper wrap, which can be returned back over the chicken breast once its ready to serve.
How to Reheat directions
As the chicken breast reheats whilst locked inside the firmly wrapped parchment paper, moisture will begin to show on the paper, which is a good sign the chicken is steaming.
- STEP 1: Set temp to 340°F/170°C; time to 15 Minutes - Time and temp is a good start for reheating a typical size chicken breast, weighing approximately 180-200g
- STEP 2: Air fry until full time - No need to turn or feel the air frying parcel, just set the time and temp, and let it air fry for a full 15 minutes
- STEP 3: Unravel parcel; check internal temperature - When times up, you can either probe the chicken breast with a food thermometer, or why not cut the chicken breast open, to ensure the centre is piping hot
- STEP 4: Serve immediately - You won't want to reheat a chicken breast for a second time, thus its important to eat as soon as possible
NOTE: Internal temperature of fully cooked chicken breast must reach 165°F/74°C, which is what you'll be aiming for when reheating the same chicken breast.
How long to reheat chicken breast in air fryer
Cooked chicken which was originally air fried at a temperature you original set it to, can be the same temp for reheating the chicken breast.
How long you air fried the chicken breast for, in my case 20 minutes, can be reheated at a reduced time of 5 minutes - chicken breast can therefore be reheated for 15 minutes.
Air fry for an additional 1-2 minutes if need be, whilst bearing in mind, you will begin to dry out the centre of the breast if unnecessary time is added.
Reheat a typical size chicken breast at 340°F/170°C for no longer than 15 minutes, unless you know for sure, the chicken breast isn't cooked fully. A fully air fried reheated chicken breast will have a piping hot centre.
Reheat a chicken breast or two in an air fryer at the time I've suggested, but do so by preheating the air fryer every time.
If you forget the preheating stage, then you risk undercooking the chicken breast due to the air frying being cold from the beginning.
Summary
You'll have no trouble reheating a chicken breast if you follow my air frying instructions exactly, which involves wrapping the chicken breast in parchment paper; which must be wrapped in individual parcels if reheating more than one breast.
First preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes whilst the chicken breast itself, must stand out of the fridge for 20-30 minutes, to thaw out the breasts which will be extremely cold internally.
Reheating cold chicken breast will effect the suggested cooking time, which is why the chicken breast must be kept at room temperature for a while.
You will need to wrap the chicken breast firmly in a parchment paper wrap, which will do well to steam the chicken - thus cooking it thoroughly in the middle - while at the same time will starve off direct heat from drying out the surface of the chicken breast.
In addition, a parchment paper wrap will do well to contain any marinade, which can be returned back over your chicken breast once its done reheating.
Now its matter of setting your air fryer temperature to 340°F/170°C along with the time set to 15 minutes, to properly reheat a typical size chicken breast in an air fryer.
Share this article:
