The Best Way To Reheat That Costco Chicken Bake Sitting In Your Fridge
The warmth and texture of a fresh, hot Costco chicken bake is truly incomparable — and it's all due to the special way it's cooked.
The crispy exterior of a chicken bake is from the pizza dough crust it's made with, which is then topped with cheese, before being put into an oven of extremely high heat. The result after a few minutes is a delicious, golden brown shell that provides a nice contrast to the soft, meaty insides, which are a mixture of rotisserie chicken, bacon, and cheese, according to Reddit user and former Costco employee, @ricecracker420. For these reasons, this concoction is sometimes compared to a massive Hot Pocket.
Because it is often stuffed to the brim with its hearty fillings, some people don't finish the entire roll in one sitting, which leads to the exciting prospect of having leftovers to bring home. And while these leftovers need to be refrigerated, did you know that there was a reheating method that preserves its iconic golden brown state?
Your day-old chicken bake can be revived in an air fryer
Some people may not possess ovens that go to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, as Costco food court ovens do. But what they might have is an air fryer. This helpful kitchen utensil has become widely popular in many homes over the years, because of its compact size and ease of use.
But before even heating up your chicken bake, it is important to ensure that it is being stored properly. According to a Reddit thread started by @pogus, the general consensus was that freezing the chicken bakes is sometimes optimal for longer storage and to best maintain the texture. Once you are ready to eat your chicken bake again, a hack to quickly get the product back to its food court glow is to throw it into an air fryer. According to Table for Seven, the bakes will just need to sit in the contraption for six minutes at 320 degrees Fahrenheit, and again for eight minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Between temperature changes, the bake will need to be sprayed with oil, which also needs to be done before going into the air fryer, as also stated by Reddit users.
And that's all there is to it! At the end of this cycle, you won't be able to tell that you got this chicken bake from the previous weekend. Dig in!