Chicken Fried Steak is a Southern thing, but still many people enjoy this dish.
This style of deep-frying steak leaves off a crunchy but oozing delight on the palate. It’s tricky to do, but it can be a household favorite once you get the hang of it. That crispy outside and soft inside meat will make you crave for more.
When cooking in big batches, you can store leftovers for 3-4 days in the fridge. The leftover fried chicken can be reheated.
Whatever cooker you have, we’ve got you covered with this guide on how to reheat Chicken Fried Steak, the proper way. If done right, the steak can still retain its outer crunchiness and inner tenderness.
How to Avoid Overcooking Chicken Fried Steak
Reheating the food can overcook it, as it has already been cooked and only needs to be hot again. To avoid this mishap, you should be carefully attentive to the instruction and procedure.
The biggest issue with reheating food is the food quality after reheating. The challenge here is to keep the crunchiness of the breading and the softness and juiciness of the meat.
When you reheat the steak, you should thaw it first. Reheating any cooked meat straight out of the freezer calls for uneven heating. The outside might be hot, but the insides aren’t hot enough, which can be viable for pathogens to grow. Many cooks suggest that you need to heat food at least 165F to keep germs at bay.
Heating time depends upon the cooking equipment and technique used. But a good rule of thumb in reheating leftover Chicken Fried Steak is to heat low, heat dry, and heat slow.
6 Sizzling Ways to Reheat Chicken Fried Steak
Using a Stove
If every kitchen has one, it has to be a stove. Initially, Chicken Fried Steaks are usually fried in a deep fryer, over a stovetop or in a cast-iron skillet. The heat should be set to medium-high heat. When it gets to 400 degrees fahrenheit, you can start frying the steak.
To reheat them using the same way, heat them on low or medium heat (about 250F). Drizzle a little olive oil or butter on the pan first and warm it up enough before you reheat the steak.
Slow heating on low maintains the crispiness of the breading while keeping it moist and soft. To keep it extra moist, cover the steak with foil while reheating.
Using an Oven
It is my preferred method. Reheating in an oven is the ideal way to reheat a crispy steak and gives the best results. The dryer the method, the better it is for the crust to keep it from being soggy. Another thing is that an oven cooks evenly, so there’s no worry about undercooked or overcooked areas.
Worried about how long to reheat chicken-fried steak in the oven? Fret not. If preheated at 250F, it’ll only take about 10-15 minutes.
Place foil on a baking tray, then put the steak on the foiled tray. Loosely cover the steak with another foil.
Place the tray in the hot oven and heat for 10-15 minutes. Make sure it heats thoroughly. If the insides haven’t reached at least 165F, heat for a few more minutes. Cool for 3-4 minutes and serve.
Using a Microwave Oven
Curious on how to reheat chicken fried steak in microwave? It’s similar to using an oven, but the cooking time is way less and there’s no foil involved. Though you still need to heat it through the toaster oven afterward.
Preheat a toaster oven to 350F. Place the steak in a microwavable container in a single layer and microwave for about 45 seconds. The juice of the cut of meat will heat up the insides of the steak.
Place the microwaved leftover steak in the lined toaster oven and heat for 2-3 minutes. It will heat the surface of the steak. Serve after cooling for 5 minutes.
Using a Toaster Oven
This method, by far, takes the least amount of effort to reheat Chicken Fried Steak.
An oven toaster is smaller, so heating it up takes less time than a conventional oven. It is also a gentle and safe way to warm up food because there’s no direct fire or harmful radiation involved.
Line the tray with oil or butter and bake the steak for about 2-4 minutes in a pre-heated toaster oven (350F). Place on a wire rack with baking sheet, and cool for about 5 minutes.
Using an Air Fryer
There’s a trick on how to reheat chicken fried steak in air fryer. It involves setting the air fryer on for about 2 minutes and then turning it off. You then repeat this method until the internal temperature reaches 100-130F.
You still need to preheat the air fryer at 350F, a low heat for cooking food. Adding to this is a light cooking spray of canola oil on the steak in the air fryer basket. Then dry on a cooling rack for 5 minutes after heating.
Using a Grill
You need good timing and grilling skills should you want to reheat Chicken Fried Steak on a grill. This is heating over direct fire, so there’s a technique for it to heat evenly, especially the insides.
The rule of thumb doesn’t apply to reheating a steak using a grill. It should be set to high, and it should be heated fast.
While thawing the steak at room temperature, set the grill to 400F. Heat each side of the steak for a minute and a half, then remove from fire. Basting with light oil or butter is necessary for it not to dry out.
Wrap Up
Reheating food is not only for one’s eating convenience. It also destroys bacteria that have been already bred inside it. In reheating meat, it must still have a crusty exterior and a juicy and chewy interior afterwards.
To achieve this, there are different ways on how to reheat Chicken Fried Steak properly. The best way to rewarm a crispy steak is by a long, slow, and dry method. The oven, toaster oven, and microwave oven can fully achieve this reheating technique.
The stove, air fryer, and grill can also be used to rewarm the steak. Though not as effective as the former methods, they still do the job of reheating breaded steak.
For a soft core and crispy crust at the start, marinating in buttermilk is a crucial thing to do. It chemically tenderizes the meat while making the breading crispy. Quality food prepping is as important because reheating is useless if you’ve got a soggy steak from the get-go.
Hi, I’m Julie, the passionate foodie and founder of Juliesfamilykitchen.com. I created this blog out of a drive to prove someone wrong, and then I realized how much I truly enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. In my free time, when I’m not running around after my kids or spending quality time with my partner, you can usually find me in the kitchen experimenting with new dishes.