Turkey à la King
A creamy dish made with vegetables that further puts leftover turkey to good use.
Serves6
Prep10 minutes
Cook25 minutes
You can never have enough creative ways to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Once the excitement of the day-after sandwich wears off, you need another hit in your back pocket. Turkey à la King is just that — a delicious and easy way to use up your leftover turkey.
What Is Turkey à la King Made Of?
Turkey à la King is a creamy dish made from vegetables (like onions, celery, and mushrooms) and has turkey folded into it. It starts out by cooking the vegetables in butter, then making a thick, creamy sauce using flour, stock, and cream. Once the sauce is made, leftover shredded turkey, frozen peas, and jarred pimentos are folded in.
What Kind of Stock Is Best?
You can use homemade turkey stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock. To make your own turkey stock, simply place the leftover turkey bones in a big pot. Fill with enough water to cover and add some aromatics like garlic, onion, carrot, and celery. Bring this to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Simmer the stock for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. Strain out any solids and store the stock in the fridge.
What Should I Serve with Turkey à la King?
There are a lot of options for what to serve with Turkey à la King. You want something that will be able to sop up the creamy sauce. Egg noodles, rice, biscuits, or even baked potatoes are all good choices.
Turkey à la King Recipe
A creamy dish made with vegetables that further puts leftover turkey to good use.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 25 minutes
Serves 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 3 medium stalks
celery
- 1
small yellow onion
- 8 tablespoons
(1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon
kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces
fresh mushrooms, any kind
- 5 sprigs
fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup
all-purpose flour
- 2 cups
low-sodium turkey or chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups
half-and-half
- 2 (2-ounce) jars
sliced pimentos
- 4 cups
shredded, cooked turkey
- 1 1/2 cups
frozen peas
- 1 small bunch
fresh parsley
Biscuits, cooked rice, or egg noodles, for serving
Instructions
Dice 3 medium celery stalks and 1 small yellow onion.
Cut 8 tablespoons unsalted butter into pieces and melt in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery, and season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the celery is very tender, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice 8 ounces fresh mushrooms. Pick the leaves from fresh thyme sprigs.
Add the mushrooms and thyme to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are softened, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and stir until no visible flour remains, about 1 minute.
Slowly pour in 2 cups low-sodium turkey or chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour in 1 1/2 cups half-and-half. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, drain 2 (2-ounce) jars sliced pimentos. Pick the leaves from a small bunch of fresh parsley and finely chop until you have about 1 tablespoon.
Turn off the heat. Add the pimentos, 4 cups shredded, cooked turkey, and 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, and stir to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed. Sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with biscuits, rice, or egg noodles.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating over low heat.