The Paper Towel Hack That Keeps Chicken Nuggets Crispy All Day Long

Chicken nuggets are a favorite among people of all ages and store-bought chicken nuggets make it easy to add this nostalgic favorite to your weekly meal prepping. In addition to providing greater control over your meal's portion sizes and ingredients, meal prepping can be a gratifying and affordable alternative to stopping for fast food during a busy day. Unfortunately, many meal preppers fall victim to certain roadblocks that prevent them from getting the most out of their meal, especially when it comes to the freshness of their ingredients. 

Without a full kitchen available at your midday location, you may be forced to consume chicken nuggets that have gone cold in your lunch box. For those utilizing a thermos to keep their food warm all day, the moisture from the steaming chicken nuggets may lead to sogginess. Luckily, a viral hack may have you covered with a small tweak that will revolutionize your home-packed lunch.

In order to keep your cooked chicken nuggets crispy all day, simply pack them into your thermos on top of a paper towel. The paper towel should absorb the moisture that so often permeates the breading and makes the nuggets go limp, and the thermos should retain the internal heat of the freshly cooked tenders for hours on end. This trend has been shared around social media platforms, with a wide variety of responses from users trying it out at home. 

Despite the ringing endorsement provided by a number of meal preppers utilizing this method, others took to social media to espouse frustration with the paper towel hack. Some complained that a thermos just isn't big enough to accommodate a satisfying number of chicken nuggets unless you're packing them for your kid's lunch. Others opined that there is simply no sustainable way to keep food warm in a thermos after four or more hours or that their nuggets still got soggy.

Indeed, food safety is a big consideration. The USDA advises that hot food should be kept at least 140 degrees F to keep it out of what it calls the "danger zone" where harmful bacteria can grow. That said, if you're eating lunch within five to seven hours of arriving at your destination, a high-quality thermos that has been properly pre-heated according to the manufacturer's instructions should, theoretically, keep your nuggets hot. As for the soggy vs. crispy debate, you'll never know what works best for you if you don't experiment a bit. Give the paper towel hack a try and see if your chicken nuggets are as crispy at lunchtime as they are fresh out of the air fryer!