Burned Dinner? Tips for Saving Overcooked Meats

We all have ruined dinner at some point. Sometimes, we accidentally turn the oven up too high, or we leave something in the oven too long. Other times, we have done everything right, and still our food doesn’t turn out the way it should.

Of course, a few preventative measures can help you avoid drying out your meat, such as covering it with foil or an appropriate oven-safe lid and using a meat thermometer to judge readiness. But if you think you’ve already ruined dinner, don’t fret or waste money throwing out your food! There’s probably an easy, inexpensive fix. Try one of these tips for saving overcooked meats. Your family and your budget will thank you. 

Tips for Saving Overcooked Meats

You can rescue most overcooked meats with a few key kitchen staples you probably already keep stocked in your kitchen.

Soy Sauce

Use a bit of soy sauce if you realize your chicken is too dry. It complements the seasonings already used in your chicken and helps rehydrate it. I once dried out chicken drumsticks before my date showed up for the dinner I’d cooked, and he actually liked the taste.

Lemons

Always keep lemons in the house. They’re great to add to water if you ever feel bloated from having too much salt, but more importantly, you can squeeze the juice of a lemon wedge onto pretty much any meat you’ve dried out or overcooked to put some “juiciness” back in.

Lemons are also great for marinating meats before you cook them. Also, you can remedy slightly burnt roasted asparagus with a little lemon juice.

Barbecue Sauce or Teriyaki Marinade

When you overcook meat, just make it a barbecue night. Your family will love it. Put a bit of barbecue sauce on the meat and stick it back in the still-warm but not turned-on oven for about 10 minutes, and dinner is saved!

Related: Inexpensive Sauces To Perk Up Frugal Recipes

Vinegar

After burning a batch of chicken drumsticks, I simply add about two tablespoons of vinegar to the entire batch, and it’s once again edible and tasty.

Cream of Chicken Soup

Pour cream of chicken soup on top of baked chicken and let it sit for a few minutes in the warm but turned-off oven with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water on top, depending on how moist you’d like it to be.

Related: 13 Savvy Ways To Save Money on Meat and Poultry

Broth

Any type of broth (chicken, vegetable, beef, etc.) is great for rehydrating overcooked meats. If the meat is severely overcooked, consider pulling it off the bone and adding it to a mixture of two parts broth to one part water to create a yummy stew or soup for dinner that night.

Related: The Lost Art of Making Stock From Recycled Bones

Mayonnaise

Chicken is just one of those finicky meats that is either done to perfection, undercooked, or too dry. Making it into chicken salad may do the trick. There are plenty of free and easy chicken salad recipes on the web, but usually, you’ll need mayonnaise, eggs, sugar and mustard. The other ingredients in these recipes may vary.

Joseph Peters, owner of a successful catering company, New Orleans Cafe in Meridian, Mississippi, suggests, “If you overcook chicken, you can just turn it into a chicken salad or a chicken sandwich for an easy fix. Keep it simple.”

Alfredo Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce, or Tomato Paste

For overcooked ravioli, spaghetti and pasta, add 1/4 cup of water and allow the mixture to simmer on medium to medium-high heat, depending on your stove, to salvage your meal. Or you can add some Alfredo sauce, canned or homemade spaghetti sauce, or tomato paste, depending on what you’re trying to make.

Stop Tossing Overcooked Meats

Next time you’re in a bind, try one of these solutions to salvage your overcooked meal rather than throw it (and your money) away.

• Avoiding Dried Out Slow Cooker Meals
• How To Choose the Right Cuts of Meat for Affordable Tasty Meals
• Where’s the Beef Savings? Tasty Ways To Stretch Ground Beef

Reviewed January 2024