How to reheat turkey without drying it out

How to reheat turkey in the oven

Use the oven for anything more than two servings. The meat heats in the steam from the broth under the foil, so breast slices come out moist, and a whole dish is ready at once.

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Nebraska Extension's turkey fact sheet, following the USDA, says to set it no lower than that for reheating.
2. Cut the meat off the bones. The USDA's guide to cooked turkey dinners says to slice the breast and leave the legs and wings whole.
3. Lay it in a baking dish, skin side up, and spoon broth or gravy over it. Nebraska Extension says a little broth or water on top keeps it moist. Stock made from the carcass works as the broth.
4. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
5. Heat until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest piece reads 165°F (74°C), then take it out.

How long that takes depends on how much is in the dish and how cold it started. Butterball's make-ahead turkey recipe reheats a whole carved bird in a 13-by-9-inch dish for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F (175°C). A few slices take a fraction of that, so start checking at 15 minutes.

Butterball's recipe has one more step worth copying. It brings a 15-ounce can of broth to a boil with some of the butter and pours it over the cold turkey before the foil goes on. The meat starts warming from hot liquid instead of waiting for the oven. For crisp skin, it finishes uncovered under the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes. Only the skin-on pieces need it.

How to reheat turkey in the microwave without rubbery edges

The edges go rubbery when they overheat while the middle catches up, which is why turkey needs half power and a cover in the microwave. Use it for one or two plates.

• Spread the turkey out in a microwave-safe dish and add a spoonful of broth or gravy.
• Cover it with a microwave-safe lid or wrap, loosely, so steam can vent. University of Illinois Extension's microwave guide says to leave space so the cover doesn't touch the food.
• Use medium (50 percent) power. Illinois Extension recommends it for large cuts of meat so the heat reaches the center without overcooking the outer edges. Use it for a drumstick or a stack of slices too.
• Stir or turn the pieces halfway through. Without a turntable, turn the dish too.
• Let it stand for a few minutes. NDSU Extension calls standing time the step that lets the food finish heating. Then check the temperature in several places, because microwaves leave cold spots.

America's Test Kitchen skips the microwave for turkey because it overheats the outside. Covered and at half power, it does a decent job on a dinner plate. Use the oven for a crowd.

Reheating turkey on the stove in gravy or broth

A covered skillet of gravy is the fastest moist method for sliced breast. Bring the gravy to a rolling boil first, as the USDA asks for any reheated gravy, then turn it down to a simmer. Lay the slices in, spoon gravy over them, cover the pan and heat until the thickest slice reads 165°F. Thin slices get there in a few minutes.

Broth works the same way if there's no gravy left. Keep it at a gentle simmer once the turkey is in, and turn the slices once.

Shredded dark meat doesn't need its own step. Stir it into soup, chili or enchilada sauce near the end, bring the pot back to a simmer and check that the turkey reaches 165°F. What to do with leftover turkey has dishes sorted by how much meat is left.

What temperature should reheated turkey reach?

165°F (74°C), measured in the thickest piece. That's the USDA's number for all reheated leftovers, and University of Illinois Extension gives the same figure. Push the thermometer into the middle of the thickest slice or into the meat of a drumstick, away from the bone.

Some recipe sites stop far lower. America's Test Kitchen wraps portions in foil, warms them in a 275°F (135°C) oven and serves them at 130°F (54°C), on the reasoning that more heat drives off more moisture. The texture argument is sound, but 130°F is well under the USDA's figure, so we don't recommend it. Keep the 165°F, and protect the meat with broth or gravy under a lid. The thermometer tells you when to take it out.

Reheat only what you'll eat at that meal and leave the rest in the fridge. The USDA's 3 to 4 days for cooked turkey count from the day it was roasted, however many times part of it has been warmed since. How long leftover turkey lasts has the fridge and freezer times for the stuffing and gravy too.

How to reheat frozen cooked turkey

You don't have to thaw it first. The USDA says frozen leftovers can go straight into the oven or the microwave. They take longer, and they still need to reach 165°F. Turkey frozen in a block of gravy or broth can go into a covered dish at 325°F as it is. Separate the slices as they loosen, and check the thickest one with a thermometer.

If you'd rather thaw it, move it to the fridge the night before and reheat it as you would fresh leftovers. Turkey thawed in the fridge can go back in the freezer if you don't use it all, according to the USDA's freezing guide, at some cost in texture.

The freezer times are for quality. Frozen at 0°F (−18°C), turkey stays safe indefinitely, but it dries out the longer it sits. NDSU Extension suggests freezing leftovers in meal-sized amounts as soon as you know you won't eat them within 3 to 4 days, and labeling each bag with what's in it and the date. A freezer inventory list keeps those bags from getting lost at the back. In Hedgehog Chef's pantry, the freezer is a location of its own, and each bag can carry a use-by date.

Reheating a turkey you roasted the day before

Roasting the turkey on Wednesday frees the oven on Thursday, and it reheats well if you carve it before it goes in the fridge. Have it carved and refrigerated in shallow containers within 2 hours of leaving the oven, as the USDA says for all leftovers. The post on resting a turkey covers the timing from oven to carving.

On the day, use the oven method above with Butterball's boiling broth and butter, and start checking a full dish of carved turkey with the thermometer after 50 minutes at 350°F. Put the dish in while the sides finish, and broil the skin last.

Thursday's turkey also has to last into the weekend. In Hedgehog Chef's meal planner, Plan leftovers… on Thursday's dinner puts the leftovers on a later day you choose and makes Thursday's recipe cook that many more servings, so the shopping list buys enough turkey for both.