I don't like wrapping cooked meats in foil...I think it gives them an odd flavor. You might try wrapping them in plastic wrap instead.

ummm better seasoning..I love cold leftover chicken, pork and even beef...

I agree about wrapping first in plastic wrap then foil or a larger container.

No one probably dislikes leftovers more than I do. Most of mine get tossed out. But one of the exceptions to that is leftover chicken. I often roast two chickens at a time just to have leftover chicken breast for sandwiches. Hot or cold. I don't cook with the leftover chicken again though to make a stew or a pot pie.

But you aren't wrong that it does taste like leftovers, because that is what it is . Very few things in my opinion taste as good or maybe I should say the same as when they are first cooked. And that applies to chili, stews, etc... Just a matter of personal taste or preference.

I also agree with Rachellen, I wrap with plastic wrap or use zip lock bags rather than foil.

Ann

terri_pacnw, I've never cared for cold chicken. I like mine warm. What kind of seasoning do you use? These frozen chicken breasts are already pre-seasoned. I thought the coating mix would keep them from drying out while baking. Rachelellen and ann_t, I'll try the plastic wrap next time I bake them.

Donna, I use a variety of seasonings depends on what I'm doing with the "planned" leftovers.
I don't buy anything preseasoned anymore, but that's a personal choice.
I love to use Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle (mixture of salt, rosemary, garlic and onion powder with a few more things in it I'm sure.) on my boneless skinless breasts and sometimes my bone in skin on..just enough flavor, but doesn't seem to react to whatever else I decided to dress the chicken with later.

Sometimes I just use kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and garlic powder. Other times I rub them with my favorite smokey rub.

For me a busy mom of 3, I have to often think beyond one meal and make it stretch to a second. It's easiest that way. :o)

I don't eat alot of flour based carbs, so cold meat is often a staple for meat for "boxed" lunches.

Here is a link that might be useful: Smokey BBQ sauce, rub and butter

so you're talking about adding more seasoning of some kind to the left-over chicken. I would have never thought of doing that. I just pop my left-overs in the oven the way I first fixed them, not adding anything. I copied the Smokey BBQ Sauce recipe...thanks!!!

I think reheating in the oven may create a problem too. I'd think the chicken breasts would get rather dry and that might make them seem unpalatable to you. I'm with Ann on using them cold, as salad ingredient. That way they aren't subjected to more heat. Heating them up quickly in a tasty sauce would work out too -- barbecue, curry, stir Fry, gravy, etc. That way the chicken heats up but doesn't dry out.

I detest most leftovers, especially warmed over chicken or pork of any kind. I don't mind cold fried chicken.

One thing I did learn about warming up sliced chicken or turkey is to put it in a dish and pour a little broth over it. Cover and warm on the very lowest oven setting that you have. This prevents a certain amount of the leftover taste.

One of the reasons we eat lunch out so much is because I refuse to eat leftovers.

I love leftover chicken! And often cook a couple of extra boneless skinless breasts just to have leftovers.
I think part of your problem is the store bought coating mix...I think that has an "off" taste and it would only be exaggerated by being a leftover..
Coat with your own ground up stale bread...mix with a bit of dry parsley, garlic powder, dried red pepper, salt, celery salt, oregano,...be inventive...but just parsley, salt, pepper and bread crumbs will be better than a packaged crumb mix.
Then when you have cooked the meat, wrap as soon as possible, preferably while warm and refrigerate quickly.
I like leftover chicken cold as on a salad or sliced for sandwiches or chopped for a chicken salad...but if you want to reheat it, do it very gently and in a sauce...
AND...if you are cooking those bagged chicken breasts, DO NOT over cook or they will be stringy and tasteless.
Linda C

I love leftovers! Anything that reduces the number of days a week I have to cook is ok in my book! Unfortunately, I can only get my dh to eat leftovers once, where I could make one thing and eat it all week if I had to. :) I think the suggestion of not using the preseasoned chicken is a good one. I tend to buy either the frozen chicken breasts (when that's all that's available) or fresh and cook 6 or so at a time. If you just use salt, pepper and garlic on them in the initial cooking, you can put them to any number of uses the next day. Salads, sandwiches, tossed in a pasta dish for some added protein, the list goes on and on. Depending on how you want to use them as leftovers, you can always add more flavors, the first set act as a nice backdrop for a lot of other things.

Bri

Donnas, I couldn't agree with you more! Plain, unadulterated chicken just doesn't taste very good the next day. But, I've found - and this is regarding most cooked meats, poultry, etc., that IF it's been prepared in a saucy type of dish or one is poured over it after cooking, that seems to make a big difference the next day. Maybe try a dish with a sauce and see if you like it better.

arline

I agree with whomever above said it could be your "start" that makes it not so palatable on day 2. :o)

Donna, I don't reseason on the second cooking..But I do use new sauces or put the chicken in things.

Donnas - you said you purchase boneless pre-seasoned chicken breast, what kind of seasonings do they come with and how long do you bake in the oven for?

Just a shot in the dark here, but could part of the problem be starting with frozen chicken breasts? To me, they already taste a little "off" when compared to fresh chicken breasts [which just seem juicier and more tender). So maybe that slight freezer flavor is exaggerated after cooking and reheating. Just a thought.

I've never noticed any off flavor in chicken the next day. When fresh chicken breasts are on sale I like to make my own chicken fillets for sandwiches etc. Just yesterday I pounded twelve breasts out to uniform thickness and cut each in half. Dipped each in egg wash and coated with my own mixture of corn flour, flour, S+P and garlic powder. Fried in a big frying pan then froze them all soon as I was done. I do this every so often so that we have a supply on hand for quick dinners or lunch. Frozen in freezer zipper type bags they come in very handy.

Nancy

We are fine with nearly all leftovers and don't mind reheating some things which often taste better to us the next day .....soups, stews or curries, after the flavours have had time to deepen. And we also enjoy cold deli chicken the next day too. (That's what we're having today.)

I wouldn't care too much though for frozen chicken pieces covered in a purchased coating mix. I think it wouldn't have as good a flavour even on the first day as would non-frozen chicken covered in a chopped fresh herb and crumb mixture. I think it would taste like a leftover just because it was previously frozen and the coating was also something that came in a box and wasn't fresh.

SharonCb

I just pop my left-overs in the oven the way I first fixed them, not adding anything

I agree that this is probably your problem. I would never do that. I love love love leftovers because I take them in my lunch to work for a hot homemade lunch. But, what I like to do is repurpose them. For example, if dinner tonight is baked chicken, rice and broccoli, I cube the leftover chicken, combine it with the rice and broccoli, and add some kind of liquid, bbq sauce or juice the chicken made, etc.

Then I divide them into individual servings and freeze in rubbermaid containers. When I defrost them and take them to work, then microwave them, they taste fine. Now, it's never the same as eating it right out of the oven the first time out. But it doesn't have any off taste and it's so much better than buying my lunch every day or doing sandwiches every day.

Another idea is, if you've spiced the chicken but not breaded it, shred it and make chicken salad out of it for sandwiches. There are lots of recipes that call for cubed or shredded chicken, and leftover chicken is perfect for those since the chicken is already cooked.

Like Terri and May I try to think ahead and find another purpose the next time around. If it's already seasoned, I think of ways to use what is on it + whatever will enhance it. Leftover bbq chicken (from Saturday) sure added flavor to jambalaya last night. That probably wouldn't work with sherried chicken. If nothing (except S/P) is, as is often the case in roasting, then I season it with whatever I want to the next time around, like shred it and make enchiladas (still spicy enough to cover up anything it might lack from being cooked before). It's not uncommon for me to think of a "nice" meal and an "it's food" meal. One is good they other is great (or if I'm really lucky, great and outta this world), but leftovers are leftovers and I don't want to waste a thing.

I don't mind leftover chicken but with store bought coating, I might have a problem. You can make some really good coating of your own and it would probably taste a lot better. I love to grill chicken very simply with just some garlic, salt, pepper and butter or olive oil. Delicious first off of the grill and then great for making leftovers to use for chicken salad, fajitas, etc.

I also buy my chicken fresh (not previously frozen) and I prefer bone-in because to me it is juicer (more fat) but I do buy boneless also.

Sharon S...I definately agree with NUKED chicken leftovers..ICKY..I'd rather eat it cold!

I like most foods better a day after they are cooked. I think the flavors get a chance to meld. As for storage, I have found that glass containers work best in the fridge but I also use good plastic ones with very tight lids.

Some ideas for left-overs: Start with the freshest foods; don't over cook; store in tightly sealed packages, not foil which does not seal and shouldn't be used with anything acidic. Let the fat form its own seal on stews or soups and don't break into the layer of fat until you are ready to reheat the dish. Discard the fat just before reheating. One of my favorite ways to eat chicken is cold - preferably on a sandwich with good bread, mayo, lettuce, tomato and Bermuda onion. For that matter, what's better than a roast beef sandwich? Corned beef, I guess. Both are better the next day on rye bread with mustard. (well, maybe mayo for the roast beef).

wow...I didn't know I'd get this many replies! I'll have to try the garlic powder, salt, pepper and butter. I'm also going to look for some sauces and broth. Hubby and I have different tastes....he likes BBQ sauce. I can eat it if it is used sparingly, not smothered. I would rather have gravy on my chicken, (he won't dare touch it!!) It makes cooking that much more of a chore for me.

When I fix these chicken breasts, I put them in the oven on 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. I've used the last one, so I no longer have the bag that they came in to check what seasonings they use. Will have to check next time I go to the grocery store. I do know they are ice glazed.

Alot of left-over foods I can eat. I love left-over soups and spaghetti. Some vegetables, too. But left-over green beans don't taste good to me either. One meat that I can re-heat without that left-over taste is roast beef. Go figure!

Thanks for the tips on using plastic wrap instead of foil.

I was desperate to lose ten pounds fast so I did that protein only diet I lost the weight in eight days but I absolutely hate eating meat because it smells gamey but settled on poultry Then I went low carb diet here is a recipe that hides the chicken taste, mix 1c cream cheese, 1c sharp cheddar cheese , 1 tsp cajun spice and 2 c shredded chicken stuffed into jalapeno peppers and baked. The other is tons of garlic, sea salt , water lemon juice poured over the chicken before and during baking. Now when I needed to drop pounds I just buy a high protein powder drink zero carbs and drink that instead for 8 days straight and ten pounds melt off fast . Then I check the scale as soon as one pound up back on the high protein powder

I gotta admit the only time I can tolerate chicken breast is when it first comes out of the oven (and I'm cooking a whole chicken, so I can reward myself with some dark meat immediately after).

I notice, though, even my cats notice regarding the breast. They are fine sharing it with me for the first day or two, but after that even they turn up their noses, or eat with more reluctance.

Dark meat has more longevity in my experience... ;)

Old post from 2008. Anywho, buy better quality bone-in chicken breast. Only bread the ones for that night. The rest take out early by 20min, chill and put into a zip lock with a marinade or bbq sauce. Next day pick and slice for a warm chicken saute' over rice or stir-fry, roast in oven whole if in bbq sauce. Or cook those fully day one, cool, pick and add to a bowl with chicken salad ingredient for next day lunch. Make soup or freeze the extras for a later soup addition.

We love leftovers and I've never had a problem but then I rarely use any kind of "coating" on foods since I rarely fry and don't coat meat with anything in the oven. I do use marinades when I broil chicken or any other cut of meat but no breadcrumbs or such. So I think it's what you're putting on the chicken that's causing the problem. Additionally, when I have leftover whole pieces of meat I usually turn it into something else such as a casserole, stew, soup, etc. I do slice broiled leftover chicken breast for sandwiches or to add to salad, though.

Anywho, buy better quality bone-in chicken breast.

When I buy chicken breast it is attached to the whole bird, and in such cases it is almost always from a local free-range farmer. I do understand that since I am someone who doesn't like this cut to begin with, that not liking it has little to do with where it came from. BUT the fact that the cats dislike it after three days (and I don't bread or coat most of my chicken; it may get a marinate, though) makes me wonder about it. Or simply about chicken? Hmm.

I know this is an old post, but I find the same is true for me with store bought chicken. I am lucky to have a source of farm raised, home butchered whole chickens, so they are very fresh (from my freezer).

The exception I've found to store bought is Mary's Organic Chicken, bone in, skin on. When I want parts, I buy that brand at my co-op. (I think some Whole Foods carry the brand, too) One day I was cooking some breasts and thighs (floured, browned in a small amount of oil in a skillet then add a little water and steam/braise), and my grandson and his friend who were playing here that day both commented on how good dinner smelled. It really did smell (and taste) like the old fashioned chicken dinners I remember. I don't know what is different about the brand, but if you can find it, try it. Not sure how available it is nationwide.
http://www.maryschickens.com/organicchicken.htm

There are several organic chicken brands I buy routinely and they taste so much better than Natural chicken, including Purdue. I'm going to look for Mary's Organic!

A very simple answer to why meat tastes like leftovers the very next day.

Studies have shown a great many home refrigerators' temperature are way off. Too warm.

dcarch

Cold chicken from yesterday or the day before yesterday is delicious. One of the few dishes that are as just as good - if not better - when cold.

I sometimes bring a couple drunsticks to work, gnaw them (yes! I grab a drumstick with my fingers) in front of the computer. Sometimes wrapped in foil, sometimes plastic. It's all good!

And I never buy organic. It's battery chickens.

The only thing as good as cold pizza the next day, leftover fried chicken.

What is battery chickens?

Commercially raised in very hard conditions - small cages, no room for movement, etc. Google "battery chickens". The internet is full of info.

I don't care for warmed over chicken either. However, I have found that leftover chicken that has been allowed to come to room temperature is fine.

Studies have shown a great many home refrigerators' temperature are way off. Too warm.

I wonder if that's not a large part of it, plus the coating mix. I don't really love chicken but I do roast one about every 6 weeks, primarily for stock, and I don't find that it tastes much different the next day or two. But I also don't like white meat, so that often goes into a chicken curry salad or something.

But I have to say that even when I was on Dr. Pat's diet for a while, I broiled the chicken breasts for four days at a time, and they were just about the same on day four as on day 1, even if I got lazy and micro-ed them. My fridge is stuck at 34º, so maybe that helps, and I store in glasslock.

I do usually buy Murray's chicken, for whatever that's worth.

I think you just have funny chickens :)

rob333

The only thing as good as cold pizza the next day, leftover fried chicken.

Rob, I intensely dislike leftover cold pizza. The cheese needs to be real melty!!! No matter what it takes - oven is best, but MW in a real pinch.

Leftover fried chicken - the dark meat, yes.

writersblock - I like Murrays' when I can get it, good chicken. I also get chicken from local farmers, also good.

kind of far from op, but I, too, dislike cold pizza. Someone told me once about heating it in a skillet, pretty low heat, with a lid to cover. OMG. The crust gets crisp on the bottom, the cheese melts and it's better than it was before it was left over.

A very simple solution to make better leftover pizza:

Always have extra shred mozzarella cheese in the freezer. Sprinkle some on top and bake.

dcarch