How To Reheat Rotisserie Chicken
Rotisserie chicken is great to have previously cooked on hand, ready to just reheat and make into whatever dish you might want to make for lunch or dinner.
It can be used in so many different ways! Cut it up into slices to throw on a green salad, shred it and use it in soups or stews, or dice it and make delicious chicken salad or chicken pot pie.
The options to use up leftover rotisserie chicken are endless and depending on what you are going to do with your chicken will depend on what the best method to reheat it will be.
You can bring back the crispy skin and moist meat by reheating it in the oven, zap it in the microwave for a quick reheat for warm chicken sandwiches, or heat it up in a pan and make stirfry.
Reheat Rotisserie Chicken instructions
It doesn’t really matter what you are making with your rotisserie chicken, you can reheat it whole or debone it and reheat pieces. Either way, you can do so in the oven, microwave, or on the stove.
I am going to cover the pluses and minus’ for each method and you can choose what works best for you and your next meal.
It is important that you have stored your rotisserie chicken correctly and that when you reheat it you bring it up to at least 165°F before serving. This is to prevent you from food poisoning according to the USDA.
Oven
The oven is going to give you that crispy skin and moist mouth-watering chicken, but it does take the longest. It is well worth every minute to regain those flavors if you aren’t in a hurry.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. While the oven is preheating place your chicken in an oven-safe baking dish, preferably one that has a lid.
If you don’t have an oven-safe dish with a lid you can use heavy-duty aluminum foil to cover the chicken.
Before you cover it, add a cup of chicken broth or water to the bottom of your baking dish. Cover your rotisserie chicken and place it in the oven for 25 minutes.
If you have chicken broth on hand and you aren’t sure when you opened it or when it was made, I have a post that will tell you how to tell if the chicken broth has gone bad!
When you have about 5-10 minutes left you want to remove the baking dish from the oven using oven mitts and carefully remove the lid or foil. The steam will be very hot.
Put the chicken back into the oven to crisp up the skin for the remainder of the time. Use a food-grade thermometer and remove the rotisserie chicken once it reaches at least 165°F.
Let it sit and soak up its juices for 5 minutes before you serve it.
Summary
Stovetop
Reheating rotisserie chicken on the stove is a great way to reheat pieces of chicken off the bone. Start off by deboning your chicken making sure that you remove all of the bones in your chicken pieces.
Cut up into the size pieces you want for your dish. Typically you want bite-size pieces to put into a dish.
Heat your skillet on medium and then heat up a tablespoon of olive oil. Add in your chicken pieces stirring them around the pan so that they all get reheated evenly.
If your chicken seems dry, you can add a tablespoon of broth or water to bring that moisture back. Allow your chicken a few minutes to soak it all up.
Check the temperature of your chicken and when it reaches 165°F you can remove it and serve.
Summary
Microwave
Reheating foods in the microwave is a fast and efficient way to get your food hot again but it comes with its downfalls.
You can absolutely reheat your rotisserie chicken in the microwave but be prepared for dry chicken.
With that said, I have a tip for you that will help give you moist reheated chicken from the microwave.
On a microwave-safe plate, lay out your chicken without overlapping. My tip is to drizzle a little water or broth over the chicken before you reheat it.
Cover with a microwave-safe lid or plastic wrap and then place it in the microwave on high for 1 minute.
Flip your chicken over with a fork and cook for another minute. Continue to do this until your chicken is 165°F.
Note that every microwave cooks a little differently so times may vary. Carefully remove the plate from the microwave as it will be hot. You may want to use oven mitts.
Summary
Pros and Cons for Rotisserie Chicken Methods
| Pros | Cons | |
| Oven | Crispy skin Moist chicken | Takes time Heats up kitchen |
| Stove-top | Moist chicken | Can’t reheat the entire chicken |
| Microwave | Fast and efficient | Dries out the chicken |
I have a great recipe for a chicken salad without celery that you do not want to miss! So fresh and so delicious!
FAQ
The key to keeping rotisserie chicken moist is by cooking or reheating with chicken stock in the dish as well. This way if too much moisture is being released from the chicken it will have other juices to absorb and keep it moist.
Leaving food out for more than two hours at or below 145°F puts you at risk of foodborne illness. You can keep a rotisserie chicken warm by keeping it in a crockpot or in your oven or toaster oven on a warm setting of 145°F or more.
This can be trying as you do not want to keep your chicken cooking because it will dry out.
You need to make sure that the chicken is cooled to at least 45°F before you put it in the fridge. The best way to bring it down to temperature quickly is by removing all of the meat from the bones. Then stick it in a tightly sealed container.
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