The flavor is variously described as "rancid," "stale," and like "cardboard," and even compared to "damp dog hair." Warmed-over flavor is caused by the oxidative decomposition of lipids (fatty substances) in the meat into chemicals (short-chain aldehydes or ketones) which have an unpleasant taste or odor.
So, if you roasted chicken and put it in the fridge after, the best place to heat it back up would be the oven. Don't turn your oven on full blast, though. Instead, reheat food on a lower heat around 200 to 250°F (93 to 121°C) and add a dash of oil or butter to keep the meat moist.
Best ways to avoid warmed-over flavor with chicken
Because chicken has higher amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids than beef or lamb, it's more susceptible to this warmed-over flavor. Fish is also high in polyunsaturated acids, which can explain why you may have had a similar experience if you've ever reheated fish.
Though it's especially obvious in leftover fish and poultry, discerning connoisseurs can pick out the WOF bouquet in most reheated meats. These flavors are the result of a series of chemical reactions that begins with the deterioration of specific kinds of fats known as polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs.
Reheating Chicken
Reheating perfectly cooked chicken can result in rubbery chicken the next day. That's because it's drying it out as it reheats. Whenever you're reheating, use low temperatures and add more moisture if possible. Add a bit of chicken broth in the bottom of the bowl to keep it juicy.
Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil and a teaspoon or two of water over the chicken. This will help keep the meat moist. (You can also use water and salsa or chicken broth for extra flavor.)
Add water or chicken broth to a baking dish — just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken breasts in the baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until heated through, at least 10 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165˚F.
Chicken is no different from other meats, and you can reheat it safely two or more times. When you reheat chicken, it is important that you properly heat it the whole way through. Pieces of chicken must be steaming in the middle.
Lydia Buchtmann, spokesperson for the Food Safety Information Council, told SBS that it's technically OK to reheat chicken. However, you need to make sure that every single part of the chicken has reached a temperature of at least 175 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure dangerous bacteria are killed.
"The principal source of off-flavors is unsaturated fatty acids, which are damaged by oxygen and iron from myoglobin. --- Meats with a greater proportion of unsaturated fat in their fat tissue — poultry (!!) and pork — are more susceptible to warmed-over flavor than beef and lamb."
Reheating chicken is not advisable more generally because it has a higher density of protein than red meat - when reheated, proteins break down differently and can upset the stomach.
The main reason for the bad smell is chicken fat. Cooking in a pan, or oven, boiled, broiled, or fried, the fat is released. When left to cook inside the microwave, it gets rancid. That's what you smell, the concentrated odor from the fat.
BBC Good Food advises that you shouldn't reheat food more than once because repeatedly changing temperatures provide more opportunities for bacteria to grow and cause food poisoning.
"It means a stronger, wilder flavor," Toups added. "If you're used to eating domesticated animals, then you can taste the difference right away. The animal is often stronger, and the protein leaner in fat.
It is safe to reheat chicken in the microwave but not more than once. If you reheat your chicken repeatedly, it will become prone to the growth of bacteria that can lead to food borne illnesses.
While it's usually enjoyed hot, it can also be enjoyed cold. In a nutshell, if you have cooked chicken that has been properly refrigerated, then it is safe to eat cold. Chicken that has been sitting out at room temperature for more than two hours should not be consumed. When in doubt, throw it out!
In short, yes. Reheating leftover fried chicken is safe, provided that it was fully cooked the first time and was well wrapped and refrigerated promptly (within a couple hours) after it was originally cooked.
Cold-cooked chicken can harbor bacteria that can cause food poisoning, so it is important to ensure that it is heated thoroughly before eating.
Remember, reheating means cooking again, not just warming up. To make sure that cooked or reheated food is safe to eat, always check it is very hot (steaming) all the way through and then, if you need to, let it cool a little before serving it to a child. You should only reheat food once.
– Here's your answer: It means that you have overcooked the chicken breast. This has caused the protein fibers to lose their elasticity, resulting in a rubbery texture. The two biggest reasons for overcooking is that you either forgot your dish was on the fire or you were afraid of undercooked meat.
The easiest way to reheat chicken is by using your microwave. Cut the chicken into smaller pieces, put the pieces on a microwave-safe plate, then heat the chicken at 1 minute intervals until the internal temperature reaches 165 °F.
To help prevent your chicken from overdrying or becoming rubbery in the microwave, PureWow suggests moistening it with a bit of water and olive oil beforehand and covering it with plastic wrap.
Place the chicken pieces into a baking dish, add about 1 cup chicken broth or water to the dish and cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes before removing the foil and baking for another 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F and the skin has a little crisp to it.
Oven: Loosely wrap the leftover chicken in aluminum foil and cook at a low temperature, about 325 degrees F. If there are juices, drizzle them over the chicken to help keep the meat moist. Stovetop: A quick sear on the stovetop will keep the chicken breast meat moist.
If food has been hygienically prepared, cooled quickly after cooking (or reheating) and stored cold, reheating more than once should not increase the risk of illness.