How to Reheat General Tso Chicken + Recipe (2024)

Have you ever been curious as to how to reheat General Tso chicken? For busy people like me, who want a quick and hot meal after a tiring day, it's either pizza, a TV dinner, or Chinese food. I would rather eat Chinese food. Among the three options I gave, Chinese food is more satisfying and a bit healthier.

If I order too much, I have leftovers the following day. Even if I eat cold leftover Chinese, the flavors are still intact and still mouth-watering. If you're like me and want to reheat your leftover Chinese food, it's a bad idea to use your microwave.

This is not an exaggeration. In all honesty, using a microwave to reheat your Chinese takeout seems to be convenient. But there are many reasons for not taking advantage of this technological wonder when it comes to reheating Chinese food.

Look at your Chinese takeout container. It may not be microwavable-safe at all according to Live Science. Chinese food is usually packed in a paper carton. This is not ideal for the microwave because it will cause a fire (via Today). Make sure you take it away from the microwave.

Using a microwave to reheat your Chinese takeout is risky. Keep in mind that microwaving Chinese food to reheat it will only make it taste horrible. The rice will get hard, and the noodles will be soggy.

Reheating Chinese Food Favorites

I found out that Americans usually order sweet and sour chicken, crab Rangoon, fried rice, and General Tso’s chicken because they are the most popular Chinese takeout dishes. If you want to keep these all-time favorites tasty the next day when you reheat then, you need to make some necessary changes.

By now, you must be ready to know about the details of how you can reheat your Chinese chicken takeout. Let us start by discussing the advantages and disadvantages you can go through to see what you should expect.

The upsides

• • Do not toss your leftovers. Save them.
  • You just reheat your orange chicken straight from your freezer or fridge.
  • More than one way can be used to heat your orange chicken again.
  • The deliciousness of orange chicken is the same when you reheat it.
  • The flavors of the dish can become better and more robust when you reheat it. Because the sauce's spices have rested and seeped into the chicken more, the dish becomes tastier.

The downsides

• • The breading and chicken might be soft because it was stored.
  • If you froze the chicken, you should consider the thawing time.
  • Now that you are aware of the good and the bad aspects of reheating, we can start talking about storing your leftover General Tso’s chicken. Proper storing is a vital element in getting good results after reheating.

Storing leftovers

Storing is simple, whether you use a refrigerator or a freezer. When you do it properly, you will be happier after reheating your dish.

Fridge storage. Get a Ziploc bag or an airtight food container. Place your leftovers in there and let them cool completely before placing it in the fridge.

That way, there will be no excess moisture inside your container. Consume the leftovers within four to five days.

Freezer storage. Place your leftover dish in an airtight, freezer-safe container or dish. It would help if you allowed it to cool down before freezing. You can store it in the freezer for about six months if being sealed the right way.

Due to its coated sauce, the chicken will freeze well, while the spices and herbs in the sauce preserve the chicken.

How to reheat General Tso Chicken

It is common knowledge that reheated Chinese food is disgusting and rubbery. The flavors you tasted the first time you ate it disappear. The noodles stick together; all you eat is a clump of many things that have no flavor.

You might have some Chinese food in your fridge right now.

Below are easy techniques to reheat your General Tso’s chicken and still make it taste like the first time you ordered it:

1 The stovetop method

Fortunately, it is no rocket science at all to reheat takeout. Yet, instead of sliding everything in your microwave, use your stovetop. Get a pan and heat some oil.

Then place your shrimp lo mein or your General Tso’s chicken in it. This is the best way to save the texture of the dish. A hot, oiled pan will make your leftovers crispy and delicious.

• • Place your wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add some oil.
  • Add in the leftovers when the pan is warm enough.
  • You can add a bit of soy sauce and some vegetables to make it more delicious (this is optional).
  • Keep stirring for two to three minutes until the food is warm to your liking.
  • Take the dish from the heat. Enjoy!

Extra tips in reheating the rice:

• If you have a small tub of cold, bland, and hard white rice in the fridge, you have many options available. You can fry the rice on a hot wok with sesame oil and soy sauce.
• You can also simmer the leftover rice in some milk, and you will have a good base for some soft and yummy rice pudding.
• Perhaps you’re thinking of heating the white rice in your microwave. If this is the case, you can cover the bowl of rice with a wet paper towel. This will create steam. You will then enjoy moist, fluffy rice.

2 The Oven Technique

When you use the microwave, there is always a possibility that the food will be cooked again. This usually results in extremely chewy or dry rice.

Crispy foods always end up soggy in the microwave as well. If you don’t want this picture, you should use your trusty oven.

Experts recommend that you should use a low temperature in reheating leftovers in your oven. According to the USDA, the food should reach 165° F internal temperature after reheating.

This is the most optimal technique for reheating General Tso’s chicken, egg rolls, shrimp fried rice, crab Rangoon, and other fried leftovers you may have in storage.

• • Turn on your oven and preheat it to 325 degrees F.
  • Get an oven-safe container and in it, place your leftovers. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
  • For reheating shrimp fried rice: Make sure you fold the edges to form an airtight seal around the food container.
  • Place the setup in the oven. Reheat your food for two to ten minutes until it’s reheated completely.
  • Crispy Chinese dishes like spring rolls, fried wontons, egg rolls, General Tso's chicken wings should be wrapped loosely in foil.
  • Make sure to open the sealed foil when you reach the last minutes of reheating. This allows the food to become crispy.

3 The amazing rice cooker trick

You are mistaken if you think that your rice cooker can only cook rice; it is not designed that way. A rice cooker is versatile for cooking and reheating a lot of foods.

• • You can reheat your leftover General Tso chicken, congee, soup, or noodles in your rice cooker. Just leave the lid open.
  • When the food is warm enough, press the keep warm button until you are ready to serve.

This small appliance can also reheat other foods such as porridge, meat, and rice. Be sure to add a little water to the food so it won’t get dry.

Go ahead and steam anything in your rice cooker, too. You can steam dumplings, tofu, and even fish in your rice cooker.

Rice cooker works wonders

Be confident that your rice cooker can keep food warm effectively. It can even boil and summer. It is a great appliance to have in your kitchen.

Play with your rice cooker’s settings if it has more than two. You can do a lot of things with just a small kitchen appliance.

4 The easy microwave tactic

It is incredibly convenient and quick to reheat leftovers in your microwave. Even so, it is not always reliable in reheating leftovers, including Chinese food.

The uneven heating of the appliance can undercook or overcook your dish. Your conventional oven is more efficient in reheating Chinese food because of its even heating.

Sadly, it’s not ideal for reheating crispy foods like breaded chicken. But it does work for other Chinese foods such as stews, stir-fries, soups, noodles, and steamed vegetables.

• • Put your leftovers in a microwavable container.
  • To ensure even reheating, spread your General Tso dish evenly. Cover the container with a damp paper towel. The moisture from your damp towel creates steam as the food heats up, preventing dryness.
  • Place the setup in the microwave. Reheat in short blasts that last for a minute each. Stir the dish every 30 – 60 seconds. This will ensure the even reheating of your General Tso’s chicken.
  • After one minute, check your food and stir to make sure the heat is distributed properly. You can repeat the given steps until you reach 165° F.

Keeping Leftovers Safe

The CDC says that almost 48 million people become sick each year because of improperly cooked or handled food. If you’re not careful, your leftover Chinese takeout can make you downright sick.

To support this, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that you should also take more precautions in reheating food, other than reaching 165 degrees F internal temperature:

• • Be sure to refrigerate your leftovers within two hours.
  • Use a clean and airtight food-grade container for storage.
  • Maintain a fridge temperature of 40° Fahrenheit or below.
  • Having a fridge thermometer inside your fridge can help keep your food safe. Even if the manufacturer has set the fridge’s temperature at 40° F or less, the temperature may fluctuate.
  • To make sure all your food is safe, including your leftovers, use a fridge thermometer to monitor the temperature. Your fridge may be set at 40° F or less, but that may not be an accurate indication of the actual temperature.

It would be best if you did not wait very long before eating your leftovers.

According to the Mayo Clinic, you should eat your leftovers in three to four days. This prevents food poisoning. If in doubt, or if you forgot when you got your leftovers, throw them out.

General Tso Chicken recipe

The SAUCE is the essential component of a perfectly tasty General Tso’s chicken. I can show you a more excellent way to create your General Tso’s in your kitchen. You can even make your chicken crispier.

General Tso’s chicken is easy to make, like other Chinese takeout dishes. Making your own may even be better than the one you order at restaurants. After all, everyone is familiar with General Tso’s chicken, although the general is a made-up person.

I firmly believe that Chinese takeout is the type of fast food created to compete with Colonel Sander’s KFC. The Colonel is not a true colonel as well.

I have eaten General Tso’s in NYC many times as I grew up. My experience and knowledge of the taste combined with the best recipe I found resulted in this General Tso’s chicken recipe. If you ever have any leftovers after this recipe, now you know how to reheat General Tso chicken.

Get these ingredients

For Chicken Marinade:

• • chicken (thighs with skin on)
  • Shao Xing wine
  • Soy sauce (light)
  • sesame oil
  • egg yolk
  • white pepper

For Dry Mix:

• • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoon salt

For General Tso Sauce:

• • sugar
  • raw honey
  • rice wine vinegar ( I used Chinese Mijiu or 米酒)
  • Shao Xing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
  • oyster sauce
  • light soy sauce
  • dark soy sauce

Cornstarch Slurry:

• • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoon water

Step by step instructions

Prep Chicken for Marinade:

• • Cut the chicken thighs (with skin on) into desired sizes. Mix the marinade ingredients.
    Pour the marinade into the chicken cuts and give them a little massage until well coated. Set aside the chicken or store in the fridge.

Mix the Dry Ingredients:

• • Mix the dry ingredients. Take a piece of chicken and coat really well. Make sure that all the chicken pieces are well covered with flour. Shake off the excess batter.
  • You don't want too much excess flour because that might change the flavor of the oil. It could be a bit time-consuming but if you spend a bit of extra time to coat the chicken, it's all worth it.
  • After coating the chicken with flour, set aside for frying.

Prep the Sauce:

• Just mix the sauce ingredients. Mix them well and put aside.

Frying the Chicken:

• • Heat the oil up at 375°F. There's a little cool trick when you know your oil is hot enough or is ready to fry. Take a wooden spatula or a wooden chopstick and put it in the hot oil. Once you see the oil starts fizzing near the surface of the wood, it signals that the oil is hot enough.
  • Now, you can put the chicken pieces into the hot oil. Don't overcrowd the wok. Let the chicken cook for about 2-3 minutes, move them around so they are not sticking to each other. Take the chicken off the heat and let them drain and dry.
  • If you want tastier chicken, it's best to double fry them. Start for the second fry. What we are looking for is to turn the chicken one shade darker and a bit crispy. Then, you can take them out and drain them.

Mix the sauce ingredients

• • Heat the pan in medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Put the minced garlic, dried chilies, and the grated ginger. Give them a good stir. It's going to smell really fragrant.
  • Turn the heat to medium-high and pour the sauce. Let the little liquid cooks off first and then, you add the cornstarch & water slurry.
  • Don't add all the slurry, I just eyeball it (like 2 tbsp) while stirring. You will see the sauce starts to thicken up and that's what we are looking for.
  • Once the sauce thickens, we can now add the chicken back in. Turn the heat into low to avoid the sauce evaporates too fast. It may look like the sauce is not enough but it's plenty.
  • Keep stirring to get all the chicken all covered. As you can see, the amount of sauce is just perfect.
  • Now the chicken pieces are well coated with sauce, turn off the heat and sprinkle the sesame seeds or you can top it off with scallions.
  • Plate the chicken and serve on top with Jasmine rice.

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Full Recipe