Ughhh, is there anything worse than basting away at a turkey all morning and afternoon, only to carve it and discover stringy slabs of meat? Unfortunately, no. But, before you call off Thanksgiving 2016, take a big gulp of wine—and then get to work on salvaging the dry stuff with these tips.
A perfectly roasted turkey is often considered the crowning achievement of any Thanksgiving dinner. However, with its mix of lean white meat and fattier dark meat, getting a turkey to come out of the oven evenly browned, tender and moist can be a challenge. Even experienced home cooks sometimes end up with an overcooked, dried-out bird.
Don’t panic if your turkey turns out a little too dry! With a few simple tricks, you can moisten and improve a dry turkey so that it’s juicy, flavorful and delicious. In this article, I’ll walk you through several easy methods to fix a dry turkey, drawing on tips from professional chefs and cookbook authors.
Why Turkey Ends Up Dry
Before jumping into the solutions, it helps to understand the common causes of dried-out turkey
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Anatomy of the Turkey – The white breast meat dries out faster than the legs and thighs. By the time the dark meat is fully cooked, the breast is often overdone.
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Frozen Turkey – Freezing and thawing can lead to moisture loss resulting in a drier cooked turkey. Choose fresh if possible.
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High-Sided Roasting Pan – The pan shields the legs from hot oven air while exposing the breast fully.
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Overcooking – It’s easy to overcook the lean breast meat, which has less margin for error.
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Not Letting It Rest – Carving too soon after cooking leads to moisture loss. Let the turkey rest appropriately after roasting.
Method 1: Add Broth
One easy method to moisten roasted turkey is to soak it in broth after cooking. Here’s how:
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After removing turkey from the oven, carve meat from the bones and place in a casserole dish.
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Add 1 cup chicken or turkey broth per 2 cups of turkey meat.
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Cover the dish with foil and place in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes to allow broth to permeate the meat.
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Remove turkey from oven, transfer to a platter, and serve.
The hot broth will get absorbed into the turkey, making it succulent and flavorful again. This simple technique can revive even the driest turkey!
Method 2: Smother with Gravy
Another excellent way to fix dry turkey is by drenching it in rich, flavorful gravy. Try these steps:
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After roasting the turkey, carve the meat off the bones.
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Spread a layer of hot gravy over a platter.
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Arrange carved turkey pieces on the gra
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FIRST, BRING ON THE BROTH
The easiest way to instantly revive pretty much anything thats dried out? Moisture! With turkey, that means broth (or gravy—see #2) and fat. The white breast meat loses its juiciness first, but it also tends to be a guest favorite, so focus on reviving that first: Combine a few tablespoons melted butter with chicken broth and pour over the sliced turkey. Cover with foil or place in a 200º oven to keep warm. After 15 minutes or so, you should have slightly more moist meat.
How to Fix a Dried Out Thanksgiving Turkey Breast – CHOW Tip
FAQ
How to make dry turkey moist again?
In addition to gravy, you can also save dry turkey with a little chicken (or even better, turkey) stock or broth. Place your carved meat in a shallow baking dish and cover it with stock. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in low oven, somewhere around 250 degrees, for 5-10 minutes.
How do you moisten turkey meat?
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.
How do you make leftover turkey juicy again?
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.
How to add moisture to leftover turkey?
- Add butter to gravy, and brush it over the turkey before reheating.
- Smother your leftovers in equal parts gravy and stock and pour it over the turkey before reheating in the oven or microwave.
How do you fix a dry Turkey?
The best way to fix a dry turkey is by adding moisture back into the meat. One simple and effective technique is to use a turkey baster to inject some flavorful liquid, such as broth or melted butter, directly into the turkey. This will help moisten the meat, making it more enjoyable. 1. Why does a turkey dry out?
How do you fix overcooked turkey?
Butter is your friend when it comes to fixing overcooked turkey. That’s because turkey can become dry for two reasons – lack of moisture and lack of fat. Melted butter solves both issues! Mix some melted butter into the gravy and brush it generously over the turkey before serving.
How do you rehydrate a cooked turkey?
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.
How do you revive a dried-out Turkey?
Here, Chef Schwartz breaks down the steps to revive a dried-out turkey. Step 1: Preheat the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Step 2: Take the whole turkey out of the roasting pan and place it in an oven bag. Step 3: Carefully pour the juice from the pan onto the turkey. Slather with butter.
How do you cook a dry Turkey in the oven?
For the oven method, put turkey slices in an oven-safe dish, pour over heated broth, cover with foil and bake at 300°F for about 20 minutes. The hot broth will allow the turkey to reabsorb moisture. Be careful not to overdo the broth or the turkey may end up waterlogged. Gravy is your savior when it comes to dry turkey.
How do you moist a Sliced turkey?
Try mixing herbs, citrus zest, or other seasonings into melted butter and brushing it over the meat. The butter helps replace some of the lost moisture and juices. If the turkey is beyond saving in sliced form, you can chop or shred the meat and simmer it in gravy, stock or your favorite sauce to moisten it.