Reheat Leftover Turkey Without Drying It Out

Our simple guide details oven and stovetop methods that work beautifully for reheating lean turkey breast as well as meat from the legs, thighs, and wings, ensuring that the pieces don’t overcook and retain their moisture. We also have an easy, effective way to recrisp skin-on pieces. In each of these methods, the only ingredients you'll need are the turkey and a little oil if you're recrisping the skin. 

Use this method for reheating leftover turkey slices as well as whole or partial pieces of breast, thighs, drumsticks, or wings.

Equipment

• Aluminum foil
• Wire rack
• Rimmed baking sheet

Instructions

1. Wrap leftover portions in aluminum foil, stacking any slices. In a foil pack, any minimal amount of air surrounding the meat is quickly saturated with vapor, so moisture from the meat does not dissipate. 
2. Place the meat on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. This setup prevents the bottom of the meat from heating faster than the top. 
3. Transfer to a 275-degree oven. Heating low and slow ensures that the pieces heat gently and evenly from edge to edge.
4. Heat until the meat registers 130 degrees. This temperature is warm enough for serving but not so hot that it drives off more moisture. Note that timing will vary greatly based on the shape and size of the leftover turkey pieces. For a half breast cut crosswise, 35 to 45 minutes should be sufficient.

Do this after you’ve already reheated skin-on pieces in the oven.

Equipment

• Skillet

Instructions

1. Lightly oil a skillet and heat the pan over medium-high heat.
2. Place any large skin-on pieces skin side down in the pan.
3. Heat until the skin recrisps.

Use this method for reheating turkey slices.

Equipment

• Steamer basket
• Large lidded pot

Instructions

1. Place slices of turkey breast or dark meat in a steamer basket set in a large pot of simmering water. Just as with wrapping the meat in foil and reheating it in the oven, the simmering water creates a vapor that prevents water from leaving the meat.
2. Cover the pot with a lid and check it every few minutes. Remove the turkey slices as soon as they reach 130 degrees. (If the slices are relatively thick, you can insert the probe into the meat just as you would with bone-in pieces.)

Microwaves heat aggressively and unevenly. Even at the machine’s lowest power setting, microwaving turkey can dry out the exterior of the meat by raising its temperature well above 130 degrees and wringing out moisture. 

Reheating leftover turkey sounds easy enough, but doing so with good results is more challenging than it might seem. Our gentle reheating methods help ensure that as much moisture as possible stays in the meat.