Here's How To Reheat Grilled Chicken So That It Doesn't Dry Out

A platter laden with grilled chicken that didn't get eaten is a common post-cookout conundrum. Rather than let it go to waste, make it taste fresh from the grill for lunch or dinner the next day by covering it with a moist paper towel and heating it in the microwave at three-quarters power. The moisture of the slightly dampened paper towel keeps the chicken from becoming jerky-like, and setting the microwave to less than its max prevents the meat from becoming rubbery.

While juicy grilled chicken is tempting, no one likes a protein that feels hammered. Set yourself up for immediate (and leftover) success by only originally grilling your chicken to a temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, pull it from the grill and let it rest until it gets to the ideal 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you leave the pieces on until they hit 165 degrees, you're bound to end up with overcooked chicken, which doesn't bode well for your dinner or for any chance of appealing leftovers.

Unlike a rotisserie chicken, which can be reheated nicely using a few different methods, including steaming, or fried chicken, which benefits from crisping back up in the air fryer, grilled chicken perks up at a medium-high temp in the microwave. Rather than an aggressive zap, a slightly lower temperature warms the meat without overdoing it. Depending on the number and size of the pieces, a minute or two ought to do the trick.

By draping the chicken with a wet paper towel, you create a bit of welcome steam that coddles the meat with extra moisture. This same technique also works wonders when reheating steamed or fried rice. What's more, the paper towel hack also helps you avoid common microwave mistakes, like creating food splatter.

Once your grilled chicken is lovingly brought back up to temp, the options are endless. You can top a freshly made salad with the leftover sliced meat, add it to a pasta salad, or top with a zesty homemade three-ingredient sauce made of avocado, jalapeño, and cilantro for a grilled chicken sandwich that may make you forget you're eating leftovers in the first place.