One of the most popular Chinese cuisines is orange chicken. Orange chicken has a perfect mixture of savory and sweet sauce that is mixed with boneless chicken cubes. If you love Chinese dishes very well, you will be familiar with orange chicken. Orange chicken has a sauce that is made up of mixing orange zest, sugar, red chili flakes, ginger, soy sauce, and garlic. This makes it very delicious.
Orange chicken (either fried or steamed) can be served with rice, in case you are yet to try the orange chicken, consider putting it a wish list. Orange chicken is commonly associated with leftovers and it could also be that you want to make them ahead of an occasion, thus, you result to freeze them. After freezing, you will want to reheat them, the question now is how you can reheat the orange chicken without jeopardizing the texture or taste.
It is quite simple to store and reheat the orange chicken. Orange chicken can be reheated in an oven, stovetop, or microwave. You can select the option that best works for you. You can also get some other reheating options of your own. What we have for you in this article is to tell you how you can reheat your orange chicken. You have to continue reading to grasp all the information you need to know.
Storing and Reheating Delicious Orange Chicken
Cooking orange chicken for the first time isn’t stressful and it doesn’t take too long, all you need is to cook the chicken and make the sauce before tossing both of them together. This could be served with noodles or rice. It is quite easy to freeze or store your orange chicken if you made some ahead of when you will need them. It can also be considered a dish that could stretch far with a lot of leftovers which can be simply refrigerated or frozen and can be reused whenever you want to. All you need to have is an airtight container.
Reheating orange chicken is also quite simple, you don’t need to add any ingredient or use any special trick when you want to reheat your orange chicken. It is very simple if you can follow the instructions provided below. As we mentioned earlier, you can reheat orange chicken in a variety of ways. Use the microwave option whenever you are rushing, use the oven if what you want is a savory and crisp orange chicken. The good thing about having various options is to select any of them that you could best work with and also get the method you will prefer to get the best result. Always remember that everyone has his/her preferences and varying tastes, it means one person’s favorite method may not go well with you and that’s very much okay.
Before we proceed to how to reheat the orange chicken, we will like to share with you some of the pros and cons of reheating orange do that you will get the general overview of the process as a whole.
The Pros of Reheating Orange Chicken
Check below for some of the upsides of reheating the orange chicken:
- Reheating the orange chicken is quite simple and it doesn’t take too much time.
- The flavor could become better and bolder when you reheat because it has had a resting time. The flavor will be better and bolder thanks to the sauce and spices.
- The orange chicken will taste as delicious as it was first cooked in the second time.
- You can reheat orange chicken using a variety of options.
- The orange chicken can be reheated out of your refrigerator or freezer.
- You can use the orange chicken leftovers instead of throwing them away.
The Cons of Reheating Orange Chicken
Check below for some downsides of reheating the orange chicken:
- Reheating orange chicken may get you addicted to this method of cooking and as a result, make it a staple meal.
- At times, you may have to use two steps to get the best results though most times, one step could be enough.
- If you store the orange chicken by freezing, you might consider the thawing time.
- The chicken or breading may become soft due to storage.
Those are the normal things you could expect when you want to consider reheating orange chicken. We are going to move straight to the main business of this article which is to show you how you can perfectly store and reheat the orange chicken as it ought to be.
A Detailed Guide to Reheating Orange Chicken
You will have to store the orange chicken properly if the end result will be appealing after reheating it. This is why we want to fully discuss how you can best store orange chicken. Check below for the details:
Storing Your Orange Chicken
It is very simple to store orange chicken whether you choose to store them in your refrigerator or your freezer. You will get a desirable result when you eventually reheat them if you store them properly.
- You can store the orange chicken inside your fridge by using a good airtight bag or container. You have to make sure your orange chicken has completely cool before you store them. This is to prevent any excess moisture in the storage ware. Orange chicken can stay in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- You can also store the orange chicken in a freezer by using a high-quality freezer-friendly dish or a very good airtight freezer container or bag. The scope is to make sure the bag is airtight. Ensure that the orange chicken is cooled completely before you store them to stop excess moisture from the storage ware. The orange chicken can stay in your freezer for about six months if you sealed them properly.
- You could make the orange chicken ahead of time where you will freeze them. Leftovers can also be frozen. Irrespective of how the orange chicken is made or the purpose it was made for, the storage and reheat tips are still the same unless it is specified.
- Orange chicken can freeze quite well thanks to its sauce coating. The sauce could serve as a form of preservatives.
How To Reheat Orange Chicken
The next thing we need to check out is how to reheat your frozen orange chicken by using any of the three methods; an oven, stovetop, or microwave. Ride with us to get the instructions that you will need.
For frozen orange chicken, allow the chicken to thaw between two and three hours before your reheat. Thawing will make reheating more effective without worrying about any side effects. In case you forgot to allow the thaw time, you will have to compensate it by extending the time to reheat it. If you want to reheat on a stove, the frozen chicken will take a longer time to warm.
Oven
Using an oven to reheat the orange chicken works greatly though it can take longer than all the other options. The oven is the best-recommended method when the orange chicken is frozen. The oven allows the chicken to warm slowly and prevents it from becoming soggy or drying out.
Allow the oven to preheat to a temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit, put the orange chicken inside your oven-safe dish using aluminum foil to cover your dish, and tightly seal the foil. Allow it to heat for 10 to 12 minutes removing or opening the aluminum foil in the last four minutes. Remember to stir it at intervals.
Microwave
A microwave best to use whenever you are rushing, it reheats Chinese dishes quite well. The only downside of using a microwave is that the texture could be affected. Put your orange chicken inside your microwave-safe container when you want to microwave and dampen your paper towel, laying it on the top of the dish. The function of the dampened paper towel is to prevent the chicken from being soggy. Allow it to microwave for three to four minutes doing it in a minute interval ensuring to stir it and checking it to know whether it is done. Enjoy the orange chicken, once you have reached the temperature you want.
Stovetop
The best-recommended option to reheat the orange chicken is to use a stovetop because the result will be like orange chicken that has just been freshly made. Under medium heat, slightly heat the pan for up to two minutes and then proceed with the addition of approximately two tablespoons of oil to your warm pan. Allow the oil to warm for about two minutes and add the orange chicken. Allow it to heat until you are satisfied, stirring it frequently. If you like to, you can proceed to add some other soy sauce. You can add water in a small amount to prevent your chicken from getting dry as the reheating process go on. You can also get the orange sauce that will help you with flavor and moisture.
Related Questions
Is It Safe to Reheat Orange Chicken?
You are allowed to reheat orange chicken if you can follow the proper storage process and the reheating instructions. Ensure that the orange chicken is reheated to a 165 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature.
Can I Follow These Steps for My Rice or Noodles Also?
Lo-mein or fried rice is commonly served together with the orange chicken and it should be stored and reheated the same way as orange chicken.
