The Best Ways to Reheat Sweet and Sour Chicken to Perfection

Sweet and sour chicken is a beloved Chinese takeout dish, featuring crispy breaded chicken paired with a tangy, sweet sauce. Like many takeout items, enjoying leftover sweet and sour chicken requires a bit of finesse to bring it back to its original glory. When not reheated properly, the breading can become soggy and the sauce can separate.

After polling dozens of amateur chefs and Chinese food aficionados, I’ve uncovered the best reheating methods to make leftover sweet and sour chicken taste fresh-from-the-wok. These techniques work for all kinds of breaded and fried Chinese dishes, from orange chicken to sesame chicken. Read on to learn how to resurrect refrigerated or frozen sweet and sour chicken to be lip-smackingly delicious.

The Cardinal Rules of Reheating Sweet and Sour Chicken

Before we dive into specific reheating techniques let’s go over some general guidelines to follow for the best results

• Reheat it undisturbed: The batter on sweet and sour chicken is delicate. Don’t mix it around or shake up the container too much before reheating, or the breading can fall off.

• Use the oven or stove, not the microwave: The microwave makes the breading soggy and weirdly chewy. Opt for the oven or stove to crisp it back up.

• Don’t reheat it on high heat High heat can scorch the breading before the inside is warmed through. Low and slow is key

• Don’t reheat it for too long: You want to heat it just long enough to take the chill off and make it sizzling again. Overdoing it dries out the chicken.

• Keep the sauce separate: Store the sauce in a separate container. Adding it too early in the reheating process makes the breading mushy.

Now let’s look at the best reheating methods to revive refrigerated or frozen sweet and sour chicken.

How to Reheat Refrigerated Sweet and Sour Chicken

For sweet and sour chicken stored in the fridge, you can use either the oven or the stovetop to reheat it. Here are tips for each approach:

Oven Method

• Preheat oven to 300°F.

• Place chicken pieces in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

• Heat for 10-15 minutes, until hot and sizzling. The breading should look crispy, not soggy.

• Meanwhile, warm sauce in microwave or small saucepan until heated through.

• Add sauce and toss chicken to coat before enjoying.

Stovetop Method

• Heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet over medium-low heat.

• Add chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for 4-6 minutes per side until heated through and crispy.

• Meanwhile, warm up sauce in microwave or saucepan.

• Add sauce and toss to coat chicken right before eating.

The oven and stovetop produce comparable results. The oven method is completely hands-off, while the stovetop gives you more control to get every surface evenly crisped up.

How to Reheat Frozen Sweet and Sour Chicken

To resurrect frozen sweet and sour chicken, give the oven method a try:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.

• Place frozen chicken pieces in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet.

• Bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and breading is crisped.

• Warm up sauce in microwave and add to coat chicken before serving.

Baking straight from frozen helps avoid ice crystals forming on the chicken that can make it soggy. The higher oven temp ensures the breading gets ultra crispy.

Common Sweet and Sour Chicken Reheating Mistakes

Now that you know the right way to reheat sweet and sour chicken, let’s go over some common mistakes to avoid:

• Microwaving it – makes the breading limp and chewy.

• Reheating at too high of a temperature – can burn exterior before inside is heated.

• Leaving it in too long – dries out the chicken.

• Not separating the sauce – makes the breading mushy.

• Reheating in the sauce – also makes breading soggy.

• Stirring it too much beforehand – can make batter fall off.

Follow the recommended oven and stovetop techniques above to dodge these pitfalls and enjoy delicious leftover sweet and sour chicken that tastes freshly cooked.

Reheating Tips for Other Breaded Chinese Dishes

While we focused specifically on sweet and sour chicken, these reheating guidelines work great for all kinds of breaded Chinese food, like:

• Orange chicken

• General Tso’s chicken

• Sesame chicken

• Kung pao chicken

• Chicken nuggets

• Broccoli beef

• Fried shrimp

• Crab rangoon

• Egg rolls

Any Chinese dish with a delicate crispy coating should be reheated using the oven or stovetop methods recommended above. Separate the sauce, use gentle heat, and avoid stirring excessively to maintain that scrumptious crispiness.

Enjoy Sweet and Sour Chicken Just Like Takeout

With the right reheating techniques, leftover sweet and sour chicken can taste just as delicious as it did fresh from the takeout container. Now that you know the simple tricks to crisping up the batter and bringing out the bold, balanced flavors, you can enjoy this classic Chinese dish to the last drop of sauce.

Use the oven or stovetop methods outlined above for foolproof results. And don’t be afraid to double up the order – the leftovers will be amazing. Your tastebuds and wallet will thank you.