How to Reheat Chicken

Chicken makes for a delicious and economical meal, but leftover chicken often dries out when reheated. If you want to reheat leftover chicken, there are a few simple ways to do it safely and retain its moisture and tenderness without re-cooking the meat as it would when frying.

Total time (when using microwave): 2-4 minutes

Table of Contents

Warm up in the microwave

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Cut the chicken into small pieces. Chicken breasts are often dry when reheated for too long. Cutting the chicken into small pieces shortens the heating time and prevents the meat from drying out. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Place the chicken in a microwaveable dish. ^{[2] X Research Source} Arrange the meat in a single layer so that it does not overlap. Leave some space between the pieces of meat so they are evenly heated.

Do not store food in plastic when using the microwave. There is still no scientific evidence that the plastic used in the microwave can cause cancer. Even so, plastic can melt and stick to food.
Plain dishes, paper plates or glass containers are suitable for use in this method. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Cover the chicken with a wet paper towel. Using wet paper towels will keep the chicken from drying out. Do not use regular old plastic wrap to avoid letting the plastic get into the food. Also, do not use foil or the microwave will catch fire or be damaged.

You can purchase microwaveable plastic wrap, if needed.
You can also add 1 tablespoon of chicken stock or water to the plate to prevent the chicken from drying out.

Reheat the chicken for 1.5-5 minutes and flip the chicken once while reheating. How much chicken do you have to reheat? If it’s just a small amount (a serving for a meal), you only need to heat the chicken for about 1.5 minutes on your regular microwave setting – usually 1,000 watts. If you have a lot of chicken, reheating will take about 2.5-3 minutes.

When half of the reheating time is up, carefully flip the chicken so that both sides are evenly heated.
Test the temperature of the chicken by touching or biting a small piece to see if it’s hot enough. Continue to reheat the chicken in 30-second increments until the meat is at the right temperature.

Remove the chicken dish from the microwave and let it sit. The dish is very hot at this point, so you’ll need to use kitchen gloves or a pot lifter to safely remove the chicken from the microwave. Cover the chicken and let it rest for about 2 minutes before slicing or serving.

Open the chicken lid. Be careful when you do this as a large amount of heat will escape. Do not put your face and hands near the meat plate to avoid burns.

Warm up with the stove

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Heat a pan on the stove over medium or low heat. Nonstick pans are better suited for reheating chicken – especially when the skin is still on, as the fatty skin often sticks to the heated pan.

You will feel the heat radiating from the pan when you place your hand about 5cm away from the pan.
The pan doesn’t need to be as hot as it is when cooking raw chicken, as high heat will cause the chicken to dry out.

Put 1 tablespoon of oil or butter in the pan. Adding a little grease to the pan is a great way to keep the chicken from drying out. ^{[4] X Research Source} You can replace the oil or butter with water or chicken broth if you like.

Heat the chicken in the pan. Put the cold chicken in the pan and keep an eye on it. To prevent the chicken from burning, you will move the chicken around the pan to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Turn the chicken occasionally so that both sides of the meat are heated through.

Let it sit for a while before serving. Wait about 2 minutes for the gravy to soak into the meat and enjoy!

Reheat chicken in the oven

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Defrost chicken if it has been frozen. You don’t need to let frozen chicken warm to room temperature, but make sure it’s not frozen solid. Put the meat in the refrigerator for about 6-8 hours before reheating so that the temperature of the meat gradually increases. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If you want to reheat chicken right away, place frozen chicken in a waterproof plastic ziplock bag and soak in cold water to thaw gradually.
You can also defrost meat in the microwave in the “Defrost” mode.

Cut the chicken into small pieces. Here’s how to keep the chicken from drying out during the reheating process.

Place the chicken in an oven-safe dish or tray and cover. The cookie baking tray is also suitable for this. Check the bottom of the dish to make sure it’s a high-temperature plate.

Place the chicken to be reheated in the selected container so that the pieces are evenly spaced.
Drizzle excess gravy over meat, if available. Or, you would add some water or chicken broth.
Cover a plate or baking tray with foil so the chicken doesn’t dry out.

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Preheat oven to 220°C to 250°C. Each oven will heat up for a different amount of time, so make sure the oven is at the right temperature before you put the chicken in to reheat.

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Reheat until the chicken reaches 75°C. Once the oven has preheated, you will put the chicken in it. If the chicken has been cut into small pieces, reheating usually takes only a few minutes. If you are reheating large pieces of chicken, such as chicken breasts, you will have to wait longer.

Use a kitchen thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat and make sure the center of the meat is not cold. ^{[6] X Trusted Source FoodSafety.gov Go to Source}

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Remove the chicken from the oven and enjoy. Use kitchen gloves to protect your hands when you remove the chicken from the oven, and use a pot liner or rack to protect the counter from the heat of the meat tray.

If you have large pieces of meat, wait a few minutes before slicing. This way, the gravy will soak into the meat and you will feel the tenderness of the meat while eating.

Reheat pre-baked whole rotisserie chicken in the oven

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Preheat oven to 180°C. Each oven will have a different preheat time, so make sure the oven reaches the right temperature before reheating the chicken.

Place the chicken in the prepared baking tray and cover. Since the chicken is already cooked, you don’t need to use a high baking tray because the meat is no longer runny. However, the baking tray should still be the right size for reheating a whole rotisserie chicken.

Apply butter or oil to the surface of the tray, or spray a nonstick spray to keep the chicken from sticking to the tray.
Place the whole rotisserie chicken in the tray, then cover the tray with foil.

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Wait for the chicken to reach a temperature of 75°C. Place the tray in the center rack of the oven so the chicken is evenly heated. Reheating time will depend on the size of the chicken, but it will usually take about 25 minutes for the chicken to heat evenly.

Check the chicken a few minutes early, especially when you’re reheating small sized chickens.
Don’t reheat the chicken for too long or it will dry out, especially the white part.

Remove the chicken to eat after leaving the nest for about 5 minutes. Use kitchen gloves to protect your hands when removing the chicken from the oven, and use a pot liner so the heat of the tray doesn’t damage the countertop. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before slicing. This way, the gravy will soak into the meat and prevent the meat from drying out while eating.

Advice

Microwaves often heat food from the outside first, especially for “thick” foods like whole chicken. Therefore, remember to cut up any leftover chicken before you put it in the microwave.
Microwaves have a shorter warm-up time, but the oven will heat the meat more evenly.

Warning

You should be aware of the controversy surrounding the use of plastic wrap (including the microwaveable type) is not good for food because toxins leach into food when it is reheated in the microwave. Besides the worry about putting plastic containers in the microwave. The Internet will give you more information about alternatives in these two cases.
Even cooked foods can be contaminated with harmful bacteria such as Salmonella. Remember to remove the marinade from the meat and not add it to other foods.
Food surfaces are often more contaminated than the inside. Therefore, cover food before placing it in the refrigerator to prevent surface contamination. Wait for food to cool before covering it and placing it in the refrigerator; Warm or hot foods when covered can breed bacteria.
Before handling leftover chicken (or other food), be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. If you have a cold or an allergy and can cough or sneeze, avoid handling food in this case. Staphylococcus bacteria in the respiratory tract and skin are the main cause of food poisoning ^{[7] X Credible Sources Centers for Disease Contrp and Prevention Go to source} . This type of bacteria will multiply when they attach to food.
Do not put foil in the microwave!

Steps