How To Reheat Turkey Breast

Turkey breast is a delicacy to eat. This high-protein, low-fat white meat is a thing of celebration among health-conscious people. And it’s a treat to everyone’s palate. But sometimes, we cook way too much, making us fear the leftovers the next day.

You don’t have to stress about having dry leftover meat in the mornings after a grand dinner because we have all the reheating and storing tricks right here.

Tips To Avoid Dried-Out Turkey Breast

The problem with having leftover turkey breasts is that they become dry. But following these reheating tips will prevent all that:

Slice the meat if whole. This helps the meat to reheat quickly and prevents it from drying out. Each layer gets coated with the additional stock/liquid when sliced, so the meat remains moist and tender at the end.
Cook on low heat. This will take longer but is crucial to preventing the moisture from drying out.

Reheating A Turkey Breast In Oven

You cannot say you’ve experimented with cooking and reheating food without using the oven. It’s an essential and convenient appliance that can be versatile depending on your use. These are the steps to reheat your turkey slices using an oven:

Take the turkey breast out of the fridge and let it warm to room temperature.
Let your oven preheat to 300° F.
Apply a coat of meat gravy or stock to the meat and tightly wrap them in foil. You can wrap 2 to 3 slices in one package.
Place the wrapped meat on a wire rack and reheat for 15 minutes.
Once heated enough, remove from oven, let it cool for a minute and serve.

Using an oven gives you decent results but may be quite time-consuming. However, it works best if you have many leftovers to reheat and don’t like working in batches with other appliances.

Reheating A Turkey Breast In Steamer

A steamer is one quick way to reheat food, and your turkey breasts will revive in flavor, sometimes tasting even better than freshly cooked ones.

Let your turkey breast warm to room temperature.
Turn on your steamer and fill the lower pot with stock or water.
Once the liquid underneath starts boiling, carefully place a few turkey slices on the basket in one layer.
Cover with a lid, steam for 3 to 4 minutes, and let it cool for a minute before serving.

Using a steamer keeps the chicken moist and tender while the stock gives a depth of flavor and delicious aroma.

Reheating A Turkey Breast In Skillet

A skillet can give surprising results, especially when it involves meat slices. And it doesn’t take long to get the food from the fridge to your mouth either. Just follow these simple steps, and you’ll never have a wrong reheat:

Set your stove to medium heat.
Place some slices of turkey breast on the skillet in one layer.
Pour some stock/gravy until it reaches the level of meat.
Cover with a foil or lid and cook for around 5 minutes or until the meat absorbs most of the stock.

The key to perfect skillet reheating is not overcooking the meat. One crucial step is keeping an eye on the stock level as you cook the meat. If you find that the turkey breasts aren’t heated enough but the stock is dry, add some more.

Reheating A Turkey Breast In Air Fryer

Air fryers are quick, convenient, and healthy, but is it the same for all kinds of food? Leftover turkey meat is often dry, so you might find an air fryer’s heat just a tad too much. But when you have no other option, it’s all you can do; so here’s how you can do it:

Set your air fryer’s temperature to 300° F.
Lightly coat the turkey slices with stock or gravy and tightly wrap them in foil.
Place the pieces in the fryer basket and heat for 5 minutes.
Remove from the fryer and let it cool for a minute before serving.

Air fryers are always the winner in most cooking techniques, but not for this one. No matter how low you keep your fryer’s temperature, it still dries out the meat more than the other appliances mentioned above.

Storing Leftover Turkey Breasts

Proper storing ensures safe leftovers in the mornings after. So, it’s a step you should never skip. And you need to do this within the first two hours after cooking because then the meat will be prone to bacteria outgrowth.

Firstly, let your turkey breasts cool to room temperature. Then, place each piece in an airtight container, or vacuum-seal them and store them in the fridge. When refrigerated, turkey breasts stay fresh for up to 4 days, and frozen ones can last up to 3 months.

To freeze your turkey breasts, wrap each piece in foil and store them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Be sure to label the date and remove any excess air before popping them in the freezer.

The meat will get drier and lose its flavor the longer you store it, so it’s best to finish it within the first few days.