Cold fried chicken is exactly what it sounds like: fried chicken that’s been refrigerated. Before anyone asks “Do you mean eating it while still cold?,” yes, that’s the premise of the question.
Eating cold fried chicken seems fairly common in the South. I had it as a kid, usually on picnics or as a quick lunch. I like it. The question was prompted by my Minnesotan girlfriend getting an “Ew, gross!” look on her face when I mentioned it, and she confirmed that she found the concept off-putting.
38 comments
Common picnic food. Fried chicken was never my favorite, but its fine. I might actually prefer it cold, come to think about it. Maybe its nostalgia, because my mom would pack it when we took long driving vacations. We usally had it for lunch until it ran out.
I’ll eat it, like if I’ve packed fried chicken for lunch. But I still find hot, crispy fried chicken superior.
why would I let it get cold? I’m gonna eat it!
Good fried chicken is good regardless of the temperature it is served at.
With hot sauce, please. Texas Pete is nice.
It’s not my favorite fried chicken but I wouldn’t kick it out of bed.
If it’s like, a hot 80°F and I’m melting, then there’s nothing better than cold chicken with some coleslaw or potato salad.
But when it’s winter, the last thing I want is to eat something cold.
I’m a fan.
I would never get involved in a couple’s disagreement
. 🙂
That said, there’s nothing wrong with cold fried chicken. It’s leftovers, basically.
I’ve always thought cold chicken straight from the refrigerator was unpleasant and a bit soggy. I don’t usually eat it unless it’s fresh/crisp.
I prefer fresh, hot fried chicken, but I find cold chicken preferable to lukewarm chicken. Same for pizza.
It’s one of the only foods I like cold that’s traditionally served warm. Leftover fried chicken straight from the fridge is bomb.
It’s delicious.
It’s fried chicken in a different format.
I like it a lot. Maybe even more than hot in some cases.
It’s great if you debone/shred it and mix it with mayonnaise, a little season salt and pepper and make sandwiches.
Hell yes.
I like chicken tenders cold, but not chicken on the bone.
It’s okay when it’s made right, but it’s not quite as good as when it’s warm.
Best kind of cold fried chicken is leftover Buffalo wings.
I personally love it. Sometimes more than hot fried chicken
Chicken teriyaki is also great cold during a heat wave.
If it’s crispy, it’s fine. Not crispy? Not fine.
I had it for lunch!
We always used to eat leftover chicken cold. After the microwave was invented, we started warming that stuff up. Today though, I enjoyed my leftover chicken legs straight from the fridge, and they were great.
Y.U.M! That’s my one and only thought
Gotta microwave it at least. Room temperature may be okay for picnics, and if there’s no other option one could bear cold fried chicken, but if something to warm it up is accessible it should be done.
Nah. I love it hot but if I’m eating cold food I’d rather have a dope Italian grinder.
It’s excellent as far as leftovers go but if I’m having fried chicken, especially good friend chicken, then there’s not likely to be leftovers.
Great for breakfast
I’m not a fan of it *cold*, but room temperature is good. That’s how I grew up eating my grandma’s fried chicken. She never made it right before the meal, she would make it in the cool of the morning and sit it in a basket wrapped in a cloth until it was time for dinner. There’s a reason fried chicken is a traditional picnic staple – it used to be something you made for picnic luncheons, day trips, and such because it keeps longer than just a piece of meat. It can sit in a warm environment for many hours and still be safe to eat, because the oily breading is a less inviting place for nasty bacteria to roost than the surface of cooked meat, and everything inside the breaded surface should be sealed off and still sterile from the high-heat cooking. So when you took a long train trip, were going to be working in the fields all day and wouldn’t have time to come home for a midday meal, or if you were going to a covered dish social and wanted to bring a meat, fried chicken was a practical (and tasty) choice.
Like many things that are historically exclusive to the South, or a lot more popular traditionally in the South, it has a special practical relevance to the subtropical climate.
That used to be the best way to eat KFC.
Just like pizza, fried chicken should be eaten one of two ways. Either freshly cooked, or cold from the fridge. Rehearing either is a complete waste, it could be done but why would you want to when the cold product is so good.
Cold weather people have huge problems eating cold food for some reason. My wife’s whole family will absolutely not eat leftovers cold. Cold fried chicken is great, especially for sandwiches.
Cold fried chicken fucks
Bruh.
Cold, leftover fried chicken with some garlic salt and red hot was a staple growing up
Second best only to hot fried chicken.
Same as sex and sushi. Even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.
I never got the appeal of cold pizza, but cold fried chicken rules.
I’ve never heard of this before.