What to Do With Leftover Turkey: Storage, Reheating & Ideas

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Smoking a turkey usually means there is going to be some meat left over, and around my house, that is not an accident. I generally cook more turkey than I think we will need because leftover smoked turkey is one of my favorite things to have in the refrigerator for sandwiches, appetizers, soups, quick meals, and just about anything else that could use some smoky turkey goodness.

The turkey carcass is worth saving too. There is still a surprising amount of flavor hiding in those bones, and with a little time, you can turn what would normally go into the trash into a rich homemade turkey stock that can be used for soups, gravy, dressing, beans, and all sorts of other things.

Whether your leftovers came from Thanksgiving dinner, a holiday meal, or you simply decided to smoke a turkey on Saturday, this guide will show you how to safely store the meat, freeze it for later, reheat it without drying it out, and put those leftovers to good use.

How Long Can Cooked Turkey Sit Out?

Once the meal is over, it is tempting to leave the turkey sitting on the counter while everyone visits, watches football, goes back for dessert, and eventually decides whether they have room for one more plate. From a food safety standpoint, though, you do not want cooked turkey sitting at room temperature all afternoon.

As a general rule, cooked turkey should be refrigerated within 2 hours. If the food is being served somewhere hotter than 90°F (32°C), such as an outdoor gathering on a hot day, that window drops to 1 hour.

If you want people to be able to come back for seconds over a longer period, keep the turkey hot at 140°F (60°C) or above rather than letting it slowly cool on the serving table.

How to Store Leftover Turkey

I recommend removing the remaining meat from the carcass before putting everything away rather than placing the entire turkey back into the refrigerator.

Remove as much breast, thigh, leg, and wing meat as you reasonably can, then divide it into shallow containers or food storage bags so it can cool quickly. If you have large pieces of breast meat remaining, you can leave those pieces intact rather than slicing everything immediately. Larger pieces tend to hold moisture better, and you can slice them when you are ready to use them.

If you know how you are going to use the leftovers, this is also a good time to separate them. You might keep sliced breast meat in one container for sandwiches and meals while placing smaller pieces of dark meat and scraps in another container for soup, appetizers, tacos, or casseroles.

Don't throw away the carcass when you're finished. Put the bones, skin, wing tips, and any small pieces of meat still attached to the bones into a large container or bag and refrigerate them if you plan to make stock within the next few days, or freeze them for later.

How Long Does Leftover Turkey Last in the Refrigerator?

Properly refrigerated cooked turkey should generally be used within 3 to 4 days.

That gives you several days to enjoy sandwiches and other meals, but I wouldn't try to stretch it much beyond that. If you get to the second or third day and realize there is more turkey in the refrigerator than you are going to use, freeze it rather than waiting until the last minute.

It's also a good idea to write the date on the container. After a holiday meal, the refrigerator can fill up quickly, and a container of turkey has a way of getting pushed behind everything else until nobody remembers exactly when it went in there.

Can You Freeze Leftover Smoked Turkey?

Absolutely, and smoked turkey freezes quite well when it is packaged properly.

I prefer to freeze it in portions based on how I expect to use it. Instead of putting three or four pounds of turkey into one large bag, divide it into smaller amounts that can be thawed for a meal, sandwiches, soup, or an appetizer without having to thaw everything at once.

Remove as much air as possible from freezer bags, or vacuum seal the turkey if you have a vacuum sealer. A little turkey juice or unsalted broth in the package can also help protect lean breast meat from drying out.

For the best quality, I would try to use frozen cooked turkey within a few months. It can remain safe longer when continuously frozen at 0°F (-18°C), but quality gradually declines, so there isn't much benefit in saving it indefinitely.

How to Thaw Frozen Leftover Turkey

The easiest method is to move the amount you need from the freezer to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight. Smaller packages may thaw more quickly, which is another good reason to freeze turkey in meal sized portions.

If you need it sooner, a sealed package can be thawed in cold water, changing the water about every 30 minutes to keep it cold.

I don't recommend leaving frozen turkey on the counter to thaw. The outside can warm into the danger zone while the center is still frozen, so refrigerator thawing is the easiest and safest approach when you have time.

How to Reheat Turkey Without Drying It Out

The biggest problem with reheating turkey, especially lean breast meat, is that it is easy to cook it all over again while you are trying to warm it up.

You already spent several hours getting that turkey exactly where you wanted it the first time, so the goal during reheating is simply to warm the meat while losing as little moisture as possible.

For larger amounts, place the turkey in a covered pan with a small amount of turkey stock, chicken stock, broth, or some of the juices you saved from the original cook. Heat it gently in the oven until it is hot throughout. Keeping the pan covered traps moisture and helps prevent the exposed surfaces from drying out.

For smaller portions, the microwave works fine as long as you don't blast the turkey at full power for several minutes. Cover it, add a spoonful of broth or stock if it needs moisture, and heat it in short intervals until it is hot.

USDA guidance for reheating leftovers is 165°F (74°C), so that is the temperature I recommend when reheating previously cooked turkey.

Don't Throw Away the Turkey Carcass

Once most of the meat has been removed, that turkey may look finished, but there is still a lot of flavor left in the carcass.

The bones, connective tissue, skin, wing tips, and little pieces of meat that are difficult to remove can be simmered with a few simple vegetables to make a rich homemade turkey stock. If you smoked the turkey, some of that smoke flavor will usually make its way into the stock as well, which can make it especially good for soups, gravy, dressing, beans, and casseroles.

I've put together my complete Homemade Turkey Stock From a Turkey Carcass recipe with the ingredients and step by step instructions. You can make it right away or freeze the carcass and make the stock when you have more time.

I generally think of homemade stock as one last really good thing you can get out of the turkey before the bones finally go in the trash.

What Can You Make With Leftover Smoked Turkey?

This is where cooking a little too much turkey starts looking like a pretty good decision.

Leftover smoked turkey can replace cooked chicken in a lot of dishes, although you will want to remember that it brings its own smoky flavor along with it. That can make an ordinary dish much more interesting.

Some of my favorite ways to use it include turkey sandwiches and sliders, turkey salad, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, soups, casseroles, pot pie, beans, chili, pasta dishes, and just about any appetizer that benefits from chopped or shredded meat.

It is especially good in dips and stuffed appetizers. Chop the turkey fairly small and mix it into a cream cheese based dip, use it in stuffed jalapeños, pile it onto sliders, or work it into any appetizer where you might normally use pulled pork, chicken, or bacon.

The dark meat is especially useful for these dishes because it stays moist and has plenty of flavor, while slices of leftover breast meat are hard to beat for sandwiches.

Save Some Turkey for Soup

If you are planning to make stock from the carcass, set aside a couple cups of leftover turkey before everything disappears into sandwiches.

Once your stock is finished, you already have the two most important parts of an excellent turkey soup: homemade turkey stock and smoked turkey meat.

Add whatever vegetables you like, along with rice, noodles, potatoes, or beans, and you have another complete meal made mostly from food that could easily have been thrown away.

The smoked flavor can make the soup especially good, although I recommend tasting the stock before adding much seasoning. A smoked and brined turkey carcass can bring quite a bit of flavor and salt to the pot all by itself.

Frequently Asked Questions About Leftover Turkey

How long is leftover turkey good in the refrigerator?

Cooked turkey should generally be used within 3 to 4 days when it has been properly refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below. If you don't think you will use it within that time, freeze it while it is still fresh.

Can I freeze turkey after it has been in the refrigerator for a few days?

Yes, as long as the turkey has been handled and refrigerated properly and is still within the safe storage window. I would rather freeze it sooner than wait until day four, though, because freezing preserves the quality you have at that moment. It doesn't make old food fresh again.

Can I reheat leftover turkey more than once?

It is better to only reheat the amount you plan to eat rather than repeatedly warming and cooling the entire batch. Portioning your leftovers before refrigeration makes this much easier.

Can I use a smoked turkey carcass for stock?

Absolutely. A smoked turkey carcass can make excellent stock, and the finished stock will usually carry some of that smoke flavor. Just remember that a heavily smoked or heavily salted turkey will produce a stronger stock, so taste before adding additional salt or seasoning.

Should I put turkey skin in the stock?

You can. The skin adds flavor and fat, although you don't need every piece of skin from the bird. If the skin is heavily seasoned, very salty, or has any bitter, overly dark areas from the smoker, I would leave those portions out.

Can I freeze the carcass and make stock later?

Yes. If you don't feel like making stock after cooking and cleaning up from a big meal, put the carcass and bones into a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze them. You can make the stock when you have more time.

Final Thoughts

Leftover turkey is one of the reasons I rarely worry about cooking too much. I would much rather have an extra pound or two of smoked turkey waiting in the refrigerator than find out I didn't cook enough, and there are so many good ways to use it that very little needs to go to waste.

Get the meat refrigerated promptly, freeze whatever you won't use within a few days, reheat it gently so it stays moist, and don't throw that carcass away before you have considered making a batch of homemade turkey stock.

By the time you have made sandwiches, appetizers, a few extra meals, and a batch of stock from the bones, you may find that the leftovers were almost as valuable as the turkey you served the first time around.