Leftover Turkey: How Long It Keeps, and What a Head Chef Makes From the Carcass

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Gerzsi earns from qualifying purchases. Read our disclosure. Tamás is a real head chef who makes stock from everything other cooks throw away; Gerzsi is his beaver apprentice. Safety numbers come from FoodSafety.gov.

From the kitchen: On Friday morning Gerzsi found the turkey carcass on the counter and carried it to the trash. He got as far as the lid. Chef Tamás took it out of his paws without a word, put it in the biggest pot in the kitchen and filled it with cold water. “That’s not leftovers,” he said. “That’s lunch for three days.”

How long is leftover turkey good for?

Where	How long	Rule
Counter	2 hours, max	Don’t wait for it to cool down. Put it away.
Fridge	3 to 4 days	Small portions, shallow covered containers so they cool fast.
Freezer	Best within 2 to 6 months	Can be reheated straight from frozen; it just takes longer.
Reheating	To 165°F	Microwave: cover, turn, check in several spots. Gravy and soup: rolling boil.

Take the meat off the bones before it goes in the fridge. A whole carcass in one big container cools slowly in the middle. Meat in one box, bones in another, done.

Step one: turkey carcass stock

This is the part most kitchens throw away, and the part Tamás never does. Any big pot will do.

1. Break the carcass into pieces so it fits and lies flat. Add any bones from plates and the skin you didn’t eat.
2. Cover with cold water by about an inch. Cold water pulls more flavor out as it heats.
3. Add an onion, a carrot, a celery stick, a few peppercorns, a bay leaf. The trimmings you chopped on Tuesday are perfect.
4. Bring it up slowly and keep it at a lazy simmer, not a boil, for 2 to 3 hours. Skim the foam off the top.
5. Strain, cool it fast (a sink of ice water around the pot works), then fridge or freezer.

A boil makes cloudy, greasy stock; a simmer keeps it clear. Use it within 3 to 4 days or freeze it, the same rule as the meat.

Five things to make with leftover turkey

• Turkey pot pie. Swap the chicken in our chicken pot pie with a thyme and chive crust for turkey, and the stock for your new turkey stock.
• Turkey soup. Stock, the leftover meat, carrots, and noodles or rice. Twenty minutes.
• Turkey in a spiced sauce. Cooked turkey works in our butter chicken sauce. Add it at the end, just to heat through, so it doesn’t dry out.
• Rice bowls. Sliced turkey on rice with crisp vegetables, like our bibimbap.
• The cook’s sandwich. Thick slices, cranberry sauce, stuffing, a spoon of gravy. Eaten standing up in the kitchen, which is the rule.

The leftover-day tools

• Stockpot: T-fal Specialty Stainless Steel 12 Qt, an ATK co-winner: one of the lightest pots they tested, and it didn’t discolor or warp ($50–100, often $25–50 on sale).
• Ladle: Rösle Hook Ladle with Pouring Rim, ATK’s best overall ladle (about $54 when they reviewed it).
• Thermometer for reheating: TempPro Lightning TP622, ATK Highly Recommended ($25–50), or the budget Lavatools Javelin PT12 (under $25).

Leftover turkey FAQ

Is turkey still good after 5 days?

FoodSafety.gov says leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge and can become unsafe after that. If you won’t eat it by day 3, freeze it.

Can I freeze leftover turkey?

Yes, in small portions. Best quality is within 2 to 6 months, and you can reheat it straight from frozen.

How do I reheat turkey without drying it out?

Add a splash of stock or gravy, cover it, and heat it gently until it reaches 165°F. The liquid steams it instead of baking it.

Two hours to the fridge. The bones to the pot.

Read next

• Thanksgiving cooking timeline: what to do when
• How to carve a turkey
• Best fat separators for turkey gravy
• 4 cheap tools a head chef uses every shift

Sources

• FoodSafety.gov: Turkey leftovers
• America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Stockpots
• America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Ladles
• America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Instant-Read Thermometers