Reheating Chicken In Microwave – All You Need To Know To Make A Perfect Dish

Introduction

Is reheating chicken in microwave good for your health? How can you reheat the chicken to retain its nutrients and flavor? Our article will help you find the answer and provide many handy tips to do this easily.

Reheating food is a common way to have a hot and quick dish, especially when you’re hurrying to get your meal done. Reheating meat, like chicken, requires some methods and hacks to keep its freshness and tastiness.

For example, if you reheat chicken for a long time, the moisture in the meat will be lost, making it dry and tough. So, it’s time for you to scroll down and explore the right way to reheat chicken with this interesting advice!

Is Reheating Chicken In Microwave Possible?

People often consider reheating chicken in the microwave because this method is convenient and saves time. So, you can reheat chicken in a microwave. Watching the time and temperature is vital since overcooking can make the chicken tough and dry.

Besides, even when you initially cook the chicken well, it should not be microwaved more than twice due to safety. Using the microwave too often will prevent the development of microorganisms and contaminate food and cause foodborne diseases.

Furthermore, since reheating chicken more than twice is not always safe, you must eat it all at once. The chicken will also be extremely dry at that stage and will lack softness in its fiber.

Is Reheating Chicken In Microwave Safe For Your Health?

According to the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), food is not exposed to radioactivity by the microwave’s non-ionizing radiation does not expose food to radioactivity. Hence, your health will not be affected when you microwave chicken.

Chicken can be reheated in the microwave without risk, but only when you reheat it once. If you reheat chicken frequently, bacteria that cause food-related diseases are more likely to develop. Focus on the time and temperature while reheating in the microwave since overheating and overtime will affect the meat quality, such as drying the chicken and making it chewy.

The safety also depends on whether your chicken is properly preserved after cooking and before reheating. When you can ensure these two stages are completely correct, it is safe to reheat chicken in the microwave.

In detail, you must store chicken in the fridge or freezer for two hours before cooking. This is the first standard you must follow to ensure chicken is safe to reheat later.

If you take the chicken out of the fridge longer, foodborne bacteria, like salmonella and campylobacter, can grow and multiply significantly and cause poison to the meat.

Furthermore, in terms of food processing practices, while cooking the meat, the beginning temperature must be gradually lowered to 90°F so that bacteria and other harmful factors can be eliminated and the meat cannot emit toxic substances.

Reheating Chicken In Microwave – How To Do It Right?

Place Chicken On A Plate

Use a microwave-safe plate containing your chicken and arrange it orderly on the plate. Larger pieces of chicken should be placed closer to the plate edges and smaller portions in the middle. This is the key to using a microwave effectively.

Add Water and Oil

Add one or two teaspoons of water and a small amount of olive oil to the chicken to stay moist during the reheating. Oil also makes the reheating process occur faster and helps the meat to reheat evenly. If the meat tastes better, mix chicken broth or soy sauce with water and drizzle on the chicken.

Cover The Plate and Start Reheating

Use a microwave cover or plastic wrap made for microwaves to cover the plate. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, depending on the quantity, and check to see if it’s done.

You should flip, rotate, and reheat it for 30 seconds on both sides until the thermometer reaches 165°F or the chicken smells good.

Tips For Reheating Chicken In Microwave

Cut Chicken Into Pieces

If you slice the chicken into smaller pieces, the reheating procedure will occur more quickly and become considerably simpler. The meat is also reheated evenly, especially when the chicken layers are thick.

Moreover, it prevents the chicken from drying out when reheated at medium to high temperatures.

Let Chicken Rest At Temperature Room

When you let the chicken cool down at room temperature before reheating, temperature variation has less possibility to happen. When you take the chicken out of the fridge that is under 40°F, it will take more time to reach 165°F in the microwave.

This is also the same as frozen chicken, which is stored at 0°F or even below. The meat needs a longer time to be completely reheated, so it is crucial to defrost the frozen chicken or wait for it to come to room temperature.

Avoid Overheating

Leaving the chicken in your microwave for a long cooking period at a high temperature is not recommended since the chicken will overcook, dry up, and turn rubbery. Its taste also becomes bad and loses its fiber quality. Most importantly, high temperatures can decrease nutrients in the chicken and turn it into useless food.

Moreover, reheating chicken more than once affects the flavor and may cause many health problems. Therefore, you must avoid continuously reheating the chicken to keep its quality and nutrients.

Use A Microwave-Safe Plate

To ensure the heat spreads over the chicken evenly, place all pieces in a single layer on a ceramic or glass dish. Plastic containers are not advisable, except plastic only made for microwave use.

Because when interacting with high temperatures, plastic items can melt and release dangerous chemical substances into your food and contaminate it. When storing and reheating cooked chicken, using microwave-safe plates will ensure your health at high temperatures.

If you choose a plastic plate made for microwave use, consider the brand’s commitment to the customer’s health in the long term.

Use A Lid To Cover The Plate

Using a microwave-safe cover is a great choice to protect the chicken from drying up while reheating in the microwave. A lid helps preserve moisture in the meat and reduces the chance that the chicken may dry out by keeping steam inside.

When steam vaporizes evenly, the chicken will be reheated quickly, and you will not have to wait long to finish your meal.

Flip And Rotate The Chicken

Depending on how much chicken you cook and the power and weight of your microwave, reheat it in 2-3 minutes per pound. After every minute, check the meat and turn it over so that the dry heat can equally spread on both sides.

Overcooking often occurs when you leave the meat in the microwave for too long, so you should check whether it’s done after three minutes. If the chicken is not hot enough, continue reheating for 30 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long To Reheat Chicken In Microwave?

Typically, reheating chicken in the microwave can take about 2-3 minutes when placed on a plate with a microwave cover. Time also depends on the wattage and the weight of your device.

A microwave with a higher wattage will take less time to reheat chicken and vice versa. The thickness of the chicken is also a factor that affects how long it can be reheated.

If you’re not sure whether your chicken is ready to eat, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature.

When the temperature reaches about 165°F, the chicken is perfect to be served. Remember to flip the chicken so that it can be reheated evenly on all sides.

How To Store Cooked Chicken?

Within two hours of cooking, you need to let the chicken reduce the heat and then tightly wrap it. You should eat it for a maximum of four days and keep it and raw meat in different boxes.

Freezing cooked chicken is advisable in case you want to keep it for up to six months. To reduce freezer burn, preserve it in an airtight container or freezer bag.

When all preparations are clean and safe, you can reheat the chicken in the microwave without any health concerns. Before reheating frozen chicken, remember to defrost it.

Conclusion

Reheating chicken in microwave is a great way to make your chicken ready to savor. With all the above guidelines, we’re sure that you know how to reheat chicken properly to keep its freshness, nutrients, and original taste.

Besides, you can follow some useful tips to make the meat moist and delicious, such as cutting it into small pieces, using a lid to cover the plate to keep moisture inside, flipping each side of the chicken, etc.

After consulting our advice, you will find it easier to reheat chicken and make a perfect dish for your meal.