How to reheat turkey and keep it moist

Get the most from your leftover roast turkey by learning how to reheat it so it stays succulent and delicious.

There’s so much you can do with leftover turkey. It works in almost any dish that would use chicken, but as it’s such a lean meat, it can sometimes become dry, especially the breast meat. Here, we’ll talk you through the best ways to stop that happening and how to reheat turkey to enjoy again as it is or use in a new dish altogether.

Check out the foolproof turkey guide to answer all your cooking queries and plan the ultimate roast with our best ever turkey recipes.

For more inspiration, see our turkey crown recipes and how to use leftover turkey.

Discover even more ideas with our favourite Christmas dinner recipes, and answer all your festive queries with the help of our Christmas kitchen.

How to keep your turkey succulent

If the turkey meat starts out dry, there won’t be much hope for it once it’s gone cold. But, there are a couple of things you can do to ensure the most succulent roast beforehand.

Dry-brining your turkey

By simply seasoning the raw turkey all over with salt up to two days before roasting, you’ll end up with a much juicier roast. A whole bird can be seasoned two days before, a crown up to a day before and a boneless turkey breast should be seasoned no earlier than the night before.

See more details in our turkey brining guide.

Don’t overcook the turkey

Overcooking is the main culprit to dry turkey meat. The best way to make sure you don’t overcook your turkey is to use a digital cooking probe. Once the turkey has reached 75C on the thickest part of the thigh or 65C on the thickest part of the breast, it’s done.

Resting the turkey

When you rest your turkey after it’s been roasted, the meat relaxes and reabsorbs its juices. Any form of turkey roast, from the whole bird to a boneless breast joint, should be well-rested before carving. Simply sit the turkey on a board or platter and leave it in the kitchen while you get on with everything else. A boneless breast joint can be left for 20-30 mins, while a crown or whole bird will sit happily for 40 mins and still be warm through after an hour.

Adding the juices back

Serving the turkey carved on a platter is a lot less fiddly than carving at the table, as the turkey loses its juices while you’re carving. The best thing to do before serving is pour the collected juices back over the carved turkey – this also keeps it succulent as it cools down.

Covering the cooked meat

There’s always lots going on, so it’s very easy to accidentally leave your turkey uncovered in the fridge or turned-off oven for the night, but this will just dry it out more. Cover and chill the turkey or carve it and chill in an airtight container no more than 2 hrs after eating for safety, and to help keep it at its juiciest.

Safety tips for reheating turkey

Cold, cooked turkey meat will keep in the fridge for up to four days, but always use your best judgement.
Always reheat cold turkey until it’s piping hot, not just warmed through.
Only reheat cooked turkey once.