How To Reheat Turkey So It Never Dries It Out (2024)

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Meghan Splawn

Meghan Splawn

Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.

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updated Oct 24, 2023

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How To Reheat Turkey So It Never Dries It Out (1)

Learn the best way to reheat leftover turkey this weekend and a few tips for better microwaved leftovers.

Serves2 to 4

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How To Reheat Turkey So It Never Dries It Out (2)

In This Article

  1. The Best, Simplest Method for Reheating Turkey
  2. How To Reheat Turkey in the Microwave

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Every year, we look forward to the pure post-Thanksgiving joy that is turkey leftovers. But did you know there’s a right way to reheat turkey? Here, we’ll cover the best way to reheat your leftover turkey to keep it as moist and delicious as possible. And if “best” translates to “fastest” for you, we have some guidelines for microwaving those leftovers, too.

Quick Overview

How to Reheat Turkey

The best way to reheat turkey is in a 350°F oven. Place the turkey pieces in a baking dish and drizzle with a few tablespoons of stock and/or butter. Cover the dish with foil and heat in the oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes.

Alternatively, you can microwave the sliced turkey (cover with a damp paper towel) in a microwave-safe dish at 50% power in 1-minute intervals.

The Best, Simplest Method for Reheating Turkey

As a rule of thumb, leftovers should be heated the same way that they were cooked. A long, slow roast got your turkey onto the Thanksgiving table, so into the oven leftovers should go for the best reheating. Follow these few rules for success.

  • Cut the turkey into smaller pieces: You can leave drumsticks on the bone, but for everything else, make sure the turkey is sliced or chopped. Do your best to keep the pieces similar in size for even reheating.
  • Add some stock and butter: Add two secret ingredients for reheating leftovers — moisture and fat — to any leftovers when reheating. For turkey, stock and butter are ideal, but use what you’ve got!
  • Reheat low and slow: This method isn’t the fastest, but we want to avoid driving moisture away from the already-cooked meat, so 30 minutes in a 350°F is best.

How To Reheat Turkey in the Microwave

While the best method for reheating will give you moist and tender leftovers, we all know there are going to be times when you just want to heat a single serving of turkey breast and some sides for yourself — and no, you don’t want to heat the oven, thank you. Here’s the best way to microwave your turkey leftovers.

  • Cut the turkey into bite-size pieces.
  • Drizzle with stock or broth.
  • Cover cover it with a damp paper towel before microwaving.
  • Microwave the sliced turkey and turkey pieces in a microwave-safe dish at 50% power in 1-minute intervals, or until the internal temperature reads of 165°F.

A safety note: Remember that all leftovers should be reheated to a minimum of 165°F and should be stored properly within two hours of cooking for safety.

  • The Best Ways to Reheat Leftovers
  • Here’s What You Should Do with Your Turkey
  • 10 Smart Ways to Use Up Your Thanksgiving Leftovers
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How To Reheat Turkey: The Best, Simplest Method

Learn the best way to reheat leftover turkey this weekend and a few tips for better microwaved leftovers.

Serves 2 to 4

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 pound cooked turkey (breast meat, thigh meat, or whole drumsticks)
  • 1 cup low-sodium turkey, vegetable, or chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Equipment

  • Cutting board and chef's knife
  • 8x8-inch baking dish
  • Aluminum foil

Instructions

Show Images

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.

  2. Slice the turkey and spread into a baking dish. Uniform slices or bite-sized pieces reheat quickly and evenly, so slice the turkey as needed. Place the turkey in a a single layer in an 8x8-inch baking dish.

  3. Cover the turkey with broth and dot with the butter. Add the broth and dot the turkey with the pieces of butter. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

  4. Reheat in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Bake until the turkey is heated through, 30 to 35 minutes. Remember that all leftovers should be reheated to a minimum of 165°F.

  5. Serving. Uncover and serve the turkey immediately.

Filed in:

dinner

easy

Gluten-Free

How To

Ingredient

Lunch

How To Reheat Turkey So It Never Dries It Out (2024)

FAQs

How To Reheat Turkey So It Never Dries It Out? ›

“The best way to reheat turkey is in the oven,” says chef Jose Garces. “Slice the turkey, place it in a shallow pan, add some chicken or turkey stock, and cover tightly with foil. Heat at 300 or 325 degrees until the turkey reaches 165 degrees. The stock should allow the turkey to steam without drying out.”

How do I reheat turkey without it drying out? ›

Simply heat your oven to 300 degrees, put the carved meat in a baking dish, and add some chicken broth or turkey stock to the pan. The meat will absorb some of the liquid as it heats, making it nice and juicy. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place it in the oven until the meat is hot, 20 to 30 minutes.

How to keep a precooked turkey moist? ›

To keep the turkey moist, add a little broth or water and cover. Reheat turkey to an internal temperature of 165°F. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature.

Do you reheat turkey covered or uncovered? ›

Splash the turkey with a bit of leftover broth or stock and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. The aluminum foil will prevent moisture from evaporating too quickly and the low temperature will help prevent the turkey from losing flavor.

How long can you keep turkey warm without drying it out? ›

However, holding a properly cooked turkey at a safe internal temperature 140 °F or above for more than a couple of hours will dry it out and ruin the quality.

What temperature do you reheat a precooked turkey? ›

TO REHEAT COOKED TURKEY BREAST AFTER REFRIGERATION

Preheat oven to 325*. 2. Place the Turkey Breast in a shallow pan with a small amount of liquid (water or turkey drippings) 3. Cover in foil and heat approximately 15 minutes per pound, until the internal tem- perature reaches 160*.

Do you cover a precooked turkey? ›

Put your bird, stuffing and side dishes in an oven with the temperature set high enough to keep the food at 140 F or above. Insert a meat thermometer in the food periodically to make sure it stays at that temperature. Covering with foil will help keep your food moist.

What is the secret to a moist turkey? ›

HOW TO COOK A PERFECTLY MOIST AND JUICY TURKEY. Start by “brining” the turkey. This means soaking it in salt water overnight in the fridge (generally using a brining bag). You can also add a few flavors to the brine if you so desire.

What makes turkey less dry? ›

Keep your turkey moist by cooking it evenly. Let the turkey sit out of the refrigerator for about an hour before roasting. If you put a cold turkey into the oven it will take longer to cook. The heat works its way from the outside in, and the longer oven time will mean that the exterior has more time to dry out.

What is the best temperature to cook a turkey to keep it moist? ›

Oven-Roasted Turkey

We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.

How do you keep turkey moist when reheating? ›

Place the turkey pieces in a baking dish and drizzle with a few tablespoons of stock and/or butter. Cover the dish with foil and heat in the oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave the sliced turkey (cover with a damp paper towel) in a microwave-safe dish at 50% power in 1-minute intervals.

Should I cover my turkey with aluminum foil? ›

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

How long to heat up a precooked turkey? ›

First, preheat your oven to 325° F. Remove the turkey from the aluminum foil wrapping and place in a roasting pan. Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pan and cover the turkey with a tented sheet of aluminum foil. For a 10-12 pound cooked turkey, bake for one hour, or until the turkey is 125° F.

Why does my turkey say do not reheat? ›

The manufacturer doesn't know if you are going to cool it down in the fridge, or the freezer or just leave it in the sun on your windowsill. So now it has been left to go cold again but possibly bacteria has developed because you didn't cool it down quickly enough.

How do you make cold turkey less dry? ›

Keep your turkey moist by cooking it evenly. Let the turkey sit out of the refrigerator for about an hour before roasting. If you put a cold turkey into the oven it will take longer to cook. The heat works its way from the outside in, and the longer oven time will mean that the exterior has more time to dry out.

How do you store leftover turkey to keep it moist? ›

Organize the Meat

If your turkey is already broken down and sliced, split up the bags into white meat and dark meat for easy reheating. If you have larger pieces of turkey, like an unsliced breast, store it intact to keep in the juices until the meat is reheated. Make sure the bags stay tightly sealed.

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