How To Freeze Fried Chicken
To freeze fried chicken, first, simply follow your usual recipe for fried chicken. After that cool down each piece thoroughly. Then, pack them in an airtight container and make sure that all the pieces are separate and do not overlap. Now label them with the date and put them in the freezer.
Freezing a chicken is easy enough, and you can keep them in your freezer up to 4 months after they are packed up correctly. Yes, you absolutely can freeze fried chicken, as long as it is prepared and packaged appropriately for freezer storage. The answer is an emphatic YES, KFC Chicken freezes really well, and you can store it in your freezer up to 3 months.
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To extend your chickens storage life even longer, freeze it; either by freezing in covered, airtight containers or in a heavy-duty freezer bag, or by wrapping tightly with heavy-duty foil or cling film. Place cooked chicken/turkey in airtight containers, or tightly wrap food with freezer bags, freezer wrap, or plastic wrap, prior to freezing. Get a roasting pan and line it with plastic wrap, lay out your roasting chicken on top of the lined pan, then place in freezer for several hours.
| Temperature | Storage |
| In freezer | Up to 3 months |
| At room temperature | 2 hours |
| In refrigerator | 3-4 days |
After drained of any excess water from cooking, wrap chicken pieces in plastic, followed by foil, or place in a resealable freezer bag. Then, wrap cooked, breaded chicken breasts with heavy-duty foil or plastic wrap before placing them in the freezer bag or container with the air removed as much as possible. If you choose to freeze cooked breaded chicken in a larger, flatter form (e.g., whole breasts, cutlets), be sure to lay them flat so that they will not adhere to each other when frozen and thawed. You can also brown frozen cooked breaded chicken in the cooker before freezing, but be sure you do not overcook it, otherwise it will turn hard if you decide to roast or bake it later.
By flash-freezing them initially on a sheet pan, you keep each piece from sticking to one another, making it much easier to pick up a single or two pieces of the breaded chicken when you need it. You will be able to return any remaining chicken to the freezer using the same methods described above. Shredded chicken will defrost a lot quicker than the entire birds body, but you can freeze the entire birds body if you would like. Once it is defrosted, you can re-use chicken/turkey that was cooked before freezing as a new dish, then freeze again for eating on another day.
To learn about How To Preserve Cucumber, check out my article where I cover everything you need to know.*
If you think you are not going to make it in time, you can always freeze the chicken or turkey that is uncooked, until its use-by date. If you have just cooked a new batch of roast chicken and you are looking to freeze it, the first thing you need to do is ensure it is cooled down the right way before trying to prepare and store it in the freezer. If the chicken is one ingredient within the dish, you need to consider if other ingredients are able to freeze. If the cooked chicken is going to be used in a stir-fry, or in a dish that is being cooked on a non-stick skillet (like risotto), throwing it into the freezer is also an option.
To make things go faster, put a container or bag of cooked chicken into a bowl of lukewarm water, just as you would tothaw raw frozen chicken. It is best to split the cooked chicken into smaller portions rather than freezing large amounts into one bag. While cooked chicken can keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, if you are looking to store your birds for longer periods, freezing is a better choice. There is, however, a way that you can refreeze the chicken safely, and that is if you defrost a cooked chicken in the refrigerator, then keep it under 40F.
As long as you have placed leftovers into the refrigerator first, to eliminate any bacteria, then you will be safe freezing. I frequently forget to defrost my chicken overnight, and just let it sit on the counter for 2 hours before baking, and never had an issue. If you are curious about what state the chicken was in before cooking, rest assured the chicken is very fresh. Whether it is because you forgot to chill your food in time, or if there is some other reason, the chicken is not chilled until over two hours after being fried, only after which do we put it into a refrigerator…be prepared for it to spoil much quicker than you expected.
Let chicken cool down before grilling — This step of cooking ahead of time can also be done a day or two ahead of time, and chicken stored in the fridge. When ready to roast, allow the cooked chicken to reach room temperature, if chilled, and then go ahead and perform the usual breading or roasting. When the chicken is ready to go in the oven, place a wire rack in the pan, then place your chicken onto the rack. Sometimes, it is recommended to let the roasting chicken sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before placing it into a convection oven, to avoid losing too much moisture (you do not want to end up with completely dried out chicken, either), in which case, you may leave it in the oven for 30-45 minutes.
You can re-freeze fried chicken, provided that it has not reached temperatures above 40F. This is not recommended after it has been heated, since the bacteria will already be there by the time you get the opportunity to re-store it, aside from the ice crystals that will form and ruin texture quality. Fried floured chickens can be left in the refrigerator, where they will remain edible for as long as normal fried poultry. Then put your frozen fried floured chicken breasts in the lower part of the freezer compartment in your cooler, where they will keep longer without spoiling, before moving on to the freezer bags, where they will keep for a period of 6-9 months in the freezer, maintained at a temperature of 0 degrees F. Cooking Tip Thaw frozen chicken in the fridge slowly, or thaw faster by placing in a leak-proof baggie or plastic baggie and immersing it in cold tap water.
Can fried chicken be frozen and then reheated?
Yes. You can reheat frozen chicken that was previously frozen if you have any leftovers. Frozen fried chicken should be spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and placed in a 350°F preheated oven. It will take 30 to 40 minutes to reheat, depending on the size of the pieces.
Can you freeze and reheat KFC chicken?
You might be surprised to learn that KFC freezes exceptionally well and reheats with amazing flavor. In other words, whether you enjoy deep-fried chicken wings or popcorn chicken, you can store your KFC takeout in the freezer and enjoy it later.
Can I fry then freeze chicken?
Your chicken will freeze just fine after being fried. If you take the suggested actions, you shouldn’t have any worries about how your breading will turn out or if it will become soggy. You may freeze your fried chicken to enjoy it later when it’s crisp and tasty.