There are multiple ways to reheat General Tso chicken. You can use a skillet, an oven, or even a microwave. Like other leftover food items, any method will work better for your dish than the others.
As you go through the methods below, choose the best solution to reheating General Tso’s chicken. You can still find a few tricks and tips to get it right.
Best method
Stovetop
The best way to reheat this dish is to use a skillet over a stovetop. Using a skillet prevents your food from being overcooked while reheating and helps you avoid that rubbery texture associated with reheated Chinese food.
Steps
- Place your pan on the stove and set your heat on medium-high.
- Add oil to your pan and add your leftover General Tso’s Chicken.
- Switch to high temperatures to reheat, but make sure you do not burn your food.
- Keep stirring.
- Add some water to your wok pan if you want. What reheats your food is the steam from the water.
- Leave it for an additional 4-5 minutes. Be prepared to eat your General Tso’s Chicken.
- You can add some soy sauce or sesame seed to your oil to add flavor to your leftover chicken and a garnish of fresh spring onions.
Oven
Another option to reheat your leftover General Tso’s Chicken is to put it in the oven. That is what differentiates the stovetop from a microwave. If you are looking forward to preserving the original texture of the food, use the oven.
Since the chicken will be in the oven for quite long, the foil helps prevent drying out. When using the broiler method, be careful not to burn your chicken. If you do not remove it at the end, the batter will be soggy.
Grilling the chicken pieces under the broiler helps solve this, but they might not be as crispy as when you heat them separately from the sauce. The method is convenient for reheating large quantities of General Tso chicken.
Steps
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place your leftover chicken in an oven-safe or casserole dish. Spread it out to avoid burning it.
- Cover your dish with aluminum foil, and seal the edges so that no heat escapes the dish.
- Reheat your food for 5-10 minutes. Check the internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, not to exceed.
- In the last minute of your oven timer, remove the oven foil, exposing your chicken to direct heat under the oven to make the chicken crispy.
- Allow the dish to cool down on a rack for 2-3 minutes. Get ready to enjoy your General Tso’s Chicken.
Microwave
You can reheat your food in the microwave, but when it comes to fried items tossed in gravy, the microwave makes them soggy and rubbery and sometimes overcook them too much.
Keep a glass of water along with your dish in the microwave. The water absorbs any excess heat radiation and keeps your food from overcooking. However, you can still choose to try it out for yourself, using the tips below to optimize your results.
Steps
- Spread out your chicken evenly on your dish to avoid unevenly heating your chicken.
- Put a damp paper towel over your dish, or sprinkle little water in your dish to help your chicken from becoming too dry.
- Heat your food at short intervals of 30 seconds.
- Lightly stir it. Repeat the procedure until your General Tso’s Chicken is warm.
Air Fryer
Using an air fryer to reheat the chicken is easy. An air fryer is like a convection oven (Simply recipes.com).
Steps
- Preheat your AirFryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray your AirFryer-safe container with oil or line the basket with AirFryer-safe parchment paper.
- Lower the temperature to 380F and heat for about 4 minutes, flipping it halfway through.
- Let it rest for a minute. Your chicken should be tender and crispy like the original.
Rice Cooker
Rice cookers are not only for slow-cooked rice, but it also reheats chicken. Rice cookers reheat the most versatile dishes. Unlike the microwave, its slow cooking technology preserves its original taste and texture.
Do not worry about the temperature or heating time when using the rice cooker for reheating. Cook a bit lower than the max temperature of your fryer. Add a little water to the food so it will not get dry. Use parchment paper to avoid mess. Lining a rice cooker with parchment acts as a layer of insulation between the pan and the food to keep it from burning or sticking (washingtonpost.com).
Steps
- Just place your chicken in your rice cooker and cover it with a lid.
- When you feel like the chicken is warm enough, place it in the ‘keep warm’ setting.
Storage
Follow one rule of thumb while storing the general tso chicken. Separate your meat from any sauce it comes with. Store the sauce in a small air-tight container and keep it in your refrigerator. Store your chicken separately in another air-tight container.
Choose the best way between refrigerating or freezing it. Freeze for up to three months. While reheating, microwave your sauce. Add it to an already reheated chicken.
Allow your leftovers to reach room temperature. Transfer them into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and store the components separately. Refrigerate your leftovers within two hours.
Safe Temperatures
Use a low temperature in reheating leftovers in your oven. The food should reach 165° F internal temperature after reheating. Maintain a fridge temperature of 40° Fahrenheit or below. Even if the manufacturer has set the fridge’s temperature at 40° F or less, the temperature may fluctuate. Use a fridge thermometer to keep your food safe.
FAQs
Can you reheat leftover Chinese chicken?
Yes, you can reheat the leftover chicken. Be cautious and not store meat items for more than 4-5 days.
Can you freeze leftover General Tso’s Chicken?
Yes, but it has to be done right. Your leftover chicken may last for 3-4 months. Homemade General Tso is safer to freeze than a takeaway. Freeze it within two hours of making it.
Is General Tso’s chicken healthy?
If you are watching over your weight, avoid the dish. However, you can still make a healthy one at home with far fewer calories and fat content.