Chicken parmesan is always a hit and our go-to for Italian night.
Pollo Alla Parmigiana originated in Italian immigrant communities in New York City and became a cuisine staple by the 1950s.
This dreamy dinner consists of juicy breaded chicken breast smothered in tomato sauce and a slice of mozzarella, parmesan, or provolone cheese.
Serve it up with a side of spaghetti or some grilled veggies if you are watching your carbs.
We all know what it feels like to go out for a big Italian dinner and leave with a doggy-bag and an overly stuffed belly.
Luckily, you can reheat that chicken parmesan and its sides from the restaurant last night without sacrificing any of the fresh flavors.
There is nothing better than getting two meals for the price of one!
In this article, we’ll go over some tips on how to reheat chicken parmesan. We’ll cover the benefits of each method as well as some downsides.
We’ll even let you in on some secrets for enhancing the flavor with added ingredients.
With these tips in mind, your next-day-meal is bound to impress the whole family!
Is Chicken Parmesan Even Reheatable?
Of course!
Like baked ziti and lasagna, this dish even tastes better the next day!
Why’s that?
The chicken will have time to mingle with its bread-crumb crust and garlicky seasoned sauce ingredients.
Once these components become intimate friends, they’ll create an explosion of flavor.
Reheating chicken parmesan can be tricky. You may want to heat the spaghetti, the sauce, and the meat separately, but this will take a lot of time.
To achieve the perfect result, you’ll want to rely mainly on your oven.
If you’re having a busy day and you need to heat up some food in a flash, the microwave may be the best option for you.
Reheating chicken Parmesan on a stove-top or in an instant pot is also possible, but you’ll want to take extra care to make sure nothing gets burnt.
No matter what reheat route you take, pay attention to all of the components to make sure everything is thoroughly cooked.
Tips for Reheating Frozen Chicken Parmesan
If you’re anything like us, chances are you like to make big batches of Italian food and stick some in the freezer for a later date.
Just like with reheating pasta with cream sauce, be sure you thaw your frozen chicken parm as soon as you decide on reheating it.
This may take more time, but it will be worth it in the long-run.
Here’s a little expert tip for you – sprinkle some drops of water on top of the Chicken Parmesan before reheat.
This will compensate for any moisture that has evaporated in the time that it was in the freezer.
Go easy with the water; you can always add later if the chicken seems dry.
How to Reheat Chicken Parm in the…
Microwave
We’re usually hesitant about using the microwave because we don’t want to lose the crisp texture and fresh flavor.
This isn’t our favorite option, but it works.
If you’re not that picky, starving, and too busy for the other appliances, this will probably be the reheating method that you end up using.
So, let’s go over the quick steps.
First, you’ll want to make sure that you put the food in a microwave-safe container or on a plate.
It’s a good idea to cover up the chicken parm, especially if there is a lot of marinara.
Saucy food items tend to explode a bit, so adding a paper towel, plastic wrap, or a lid can save you from having to clean up a huge mess.
It may be obvious, but please remember never to put foil in the microwave.
The method?
Set your microwave to medium heat and zap the dish for 1 minute. After the buzzer, check to see if it’s steaming hot.
The most crucial part is the center of the chicken, which is typically the last to get cooked.
If it isn’t hot, put it in for another 45 seconds to one minute. Once it’s finished, take it out. Allow it to cool down a bit and enjoy it!
Oven
The best place to heat up this dish is in the oven.
The dry heat will make sure that the breaded chicken has a perfectly crisp texture and that your pasta doesn’t get too soggy.
If you’re wondering how to reheat frozen chicken parmesan, then this method works for that, too.
The first thing you’ll want to do is preheat your big oven or countertop oven to 350 degrees. Temperatures that are higher than this may result in some dry chicken parm.
You can leave the food in its original dish, or transfer it to foil.
If it’s in an oven-safe container, cover it with foil to protect the top from burning.
How long to reheat?
The Chicken Parmesan should stay in the oven for fifteen to twenty minutes.
If you have a meat thermometer, check to see that the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees.
Depending on if the chicken parmesan was frozen or not, this process may take anywhere up to 50 minutes.
We know that this takes a lot of time, but you’ll undoubtedly be super satisfied with the final product.
Five minutes before you’re going to take it out of the oven, take off the foil.
This will allow the cheese to melt, and everything will become nice and crispy.
Instant Pot
Instant pots are all the rage. This innovative electric pressure cooker is one of the best ways to make chicken parmesan in the first place.
It’s so easy and quick to use this method, and the final product is delicious!
Let’s go over a few tips:
First things first. Before you add in the chicken, you’ll want to throw some sauce into the bottom of the instant pot to keep the breasts from burning and sticking.
The Instant Pot community contains some secrets of its own.
The “pot in pot” method is when you use containers inside of the cooker. You can either use large mason jars or Pyrex bowls.
If you decide to use this method, you should also use a foil sling.
The container won’t be easy to remove. It’s best to make sure that your vessel is heat-proof.
This same method applies if you’ve stored up some frozen chicken parmesan meals. Add that to your Instant Pot freezer meal repertoire!
Stove-top
Reheating chicken parm in a skillet is simple. The steps are similar to the instant pot.
Put oil in the bottom of a pan to keep the breasts from sticking to the bottom.
If you use enough oil, the bread-coated outer layer will get nice and crunchy, similar to fried chicken tenders.
Once the chicken is starting to get crispy, you can toss in the pasta.
Don’t dirty another dish, do this all in one pot.
The stovetop should be on medium heat so that the meat can be thoroughly cooked.
High heat will burn the outside and too low just won’t do the trick.
If there is cheese on the top, you’ll want to cover the pan.
If not, you can cook both sides of the chicken and then add cheese on top towards the end of the process.
How to Reheat Chicken Parm with Added Ingredients
It’s never good to waste food.
Even if you have just a small amount of chicken parmesan leftover, salvage it!
You can turn it into a full and delicious meal by knowing what to add or serve with your chicken parm.
Add some pasta and cut up the chicken into little pieces for some protein.
Toss it in the sauce, or create a brand new scrumptious concoction.
Cook up Some Extra Pasta on the Side
What do spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, and bow-tie have in common (aside from the obvious?)
They are all super easy to make!
If you have too much chicken but not enough substance to satisfy the whole family, cook up some pasta and throw it on the side!
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package while your chicken parmesan is reheating in the oven or microwave.
Make Some New Sauce
Chances are, if you make fresh pasta you’ll also need to make more tomato sauce
A marinara, or “gravy,” is essential to any Italian meal.
Sure, you can heat up a can or jar of pre-made spaghetti sauce, but there is nothing better than one that is brewed up from scratch.
There are many ways to cook the perfect tomato sauce, depending on who you ask.
They all pretty much start with the same thing – sauteed onions and garlic in olive oil.
Once you have this step-down and your kitchen is smelling delicious, you can add some canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and fragrant herbs like basil, parsley, and oregano.
Like a fine wine, a good sauce gets better with time. Cook on low and let the ingredients marry together.
An instant pot is one of the best appliances to use when making a sauce.
Mmm…
But what if your pantry is out of pasta?
A Chicken Parm Sandwich
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.
When life gives you excessive chicken parm, you make sandwiches.
A chicken parmesan sandwich can be served cold, of course, but it’s much better toasty.
As anyone will learn from the great city of Philadelphia, the key to a good sandwich is high-quality bread.
You want a hoagie roll – a really good one at that. As long as the bread is on-point, how you go about heating the cheesy, tomato, and the chicken filling won’t matter.
If you’re in a bind, you can heat the chicken in the microwave. Once it’s hot, toss it into the inside of the open sub-roll.
It may take some extra time, but wrap up the sandwich in foil and toss it in the toaster oven for a few minutes for the perfect lunch!
Turn Leftover Chicken Parmigiana Into Delicious Marsala
Chef Eliana Goldman, a winner from The Little Things blog’s “Leftover Makeover” dish, made magic and turned day-old parmigiana into a delicious chicken marsala.
She carefully reheated the chicken in the oven and the meantime, seamlessly whipped up some orzo and sauteed garlic collard greens as a side dish.
In fact, check out our list of eggplant side dishes, as many of the ideas carry over nicely to this meal!
Her Marsala sauce was made from flour, salt, pepper, Cremini mushrooms, butter, chicken stock, and wine.
If you’re not someone who enjoys eating the same thing for two days in a row, this is a delicious alternative to simply reheating chicken parmesan.
Check out how she does it!
How to Reheat Chicken Parmesan: The Verdict
Chicken parmesan should never go to waste. There are so many quick and simple ways to reheat this delicious Italian dinner; you can enjoy it for days.
Now you can be confident you know the best method for how to reheat Chicken Parmesan correctly, no matter what equipment you have in your kitchen arsenal.
Make a lot at once and throw some in the fridge for a fast meal for busy days.
Reheating chicken parmesan is so easy. With the right marinara sauce and a little bit of tender love and care in the process, your dinner is bound to taste as good as new!