The 2 Easiest Ways to Fix Overcooked, Dry Turkey

Hosting Thanksgiving can be overwhelming. Will there be enough food? Will there be too much food? Will you forget something important? Will one of your relatives hijack the conversation with political talk?

And then there’s the turkey—should you brine, smoke, or deep-fry it? Or play it safe with a traditional roast turkey? The goal, of course, is to cook the most flavorful, juicy bird. Worrying that it might turn out dry is one more thing to find overwhelming.

How to Fix Dry Turkey

Once you’ve cooked the turkey to the right temperature, let it rest, and sliced it, you may find that the meat (often the breast meat) is dryer than you had hoped. It happens to the best of us. Luckily, we have two suggestions to rehydrate your main Thanksgiving dish.

Use Turkey Stock

Keep some homemade turkey stock, a container from a specialty butcher, or a store-bought box of turkey stock or broth on hand. If your turkey is too dry, heat the broth in a wide, shallow pan and add the turkey slices to rehydrate them. Alternatively, you can use the oven: put the turkey in an oven-proof pan, pour the stock overtop, cover the pan, and reheat on low, around 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), for about 20 minutes. Transfer the individual slices to your serving platter, and you’ll find the cuts now have more moisture.

Plate the Turkey on Top of Gravy 

This trick comes from Ina Garten. She uses an oven-proof serving plate and ladles 1/4 inch of gravy onto the plate. Then she “artfully” arranges the turkey slices on top of the gravy and puts the platter in the oven at 325 degrees F (163 degrees C) for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the turkey is heated.

If the turkey is dry, sitting in the moist gravy will help to rehydrate it. Serving more sauce on the side also helps to add moisture. 

Finally, if you’ve made a large turkey and have a lot left over, use it in recipes such as Turkey Pot Pie or a soup such as Turkey Wild Rice. Anything with broth or gravy in it will rehydrate the dry turkey pieces.