I beg you- do not make Leftover Turkey Casserole ever Again.
This easy, creamy, Leftover Turkey Stew will become your new “go-to” recipe for leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat. My family loved this leftover turkey stew so much I made a second batch the very next day! Paired with some great dinner rolls, this stew will be hoovered up by all. Say goodbye to dry turkey leftovers sitting in your fridge! This recipe is super simple and easy to follow. It’s amazing to me how chicken broth, fresh herbs, and cream can give dry, leftover turkey brand new life!
Creamy Leftover Turkey Stew tastes better than Thanksgiving dinner.
Somehow, every fall, we end up with not one, not two, but THREE frozen turkeys to cook for Thanksgiving. Do I cook all of them at the same time? Hekkin’ no way! I can’t stand dry turkey, and we could never eat that much at once. But my family loves this recipe for Creamy Leftover Turkey Stew sooooo much that they buy extra frozen turkeys so that I can make lots and lots and lots of stew all winter long. It’s that good.
This recipe is even better when made with turkey meat that is moist and flavorful. I like to brine, then butterfly my turkey to help it roast faster and more evenly. My other favorite way is to brine then smoke our turkey on our pellet grill.
What to do with leftover Turkey Breast?
Cooked turkey breast will last in the refrigerator for 3 days. If you have brined your turkey, it will last longer, about 4-5 days, as the salt helps to inhibit bacteria growth. Cooked Turkey properly stored in a freezer will last up to 6 months. Be sure to press as much air out of the freezer bags as possible to avoid freezer burn ice crystals from forming on the meat. Also, it’s a great idea to shred that meat first before freezing. It will thaw out more quickly. I throw big chunks of meat into my KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle attachment and it shreds meat like a pro kitchen appliance should!
Browning = flavor. Don’t forget it! Important cooking lesson right there. Taking time to cook the onion and celery in butter until it begins to brown will build in some great flavors for creamy leftover turkey stew. Also adding in the garlic 30 seconds before adding the broth will ‘bloom’ its flavor and get rid of raw garlic taste. When adding in the liquids, be sure to scrape all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan up into the broth as well.
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If the budget won’t allow for a Le Creuset just yet, I recommend this 7 Quart enamel-coated Tramontina dutch oven for starters; it does the job nicely for this recipe.
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Once you’ve added the broth, add cream, potatoes and freshly chopped herbs (if possible, but subbing in dried is ok too). Cook covered, for about 10 minutes, then add in thinly sliced carrots. Cook for another 5-8 minutes until the carrots are soft and remove from heat. Season to taste, stir in your shredded leftover turkey and some fresh parsley and get ready to chow down on some Creamy Leftover Turkey Stew goodness!
This hearty, creamy stew is so savory and delicious, you’ll wonder where this recipe for leftover turkey has been all your life! I hope you and your family thoroughly enjoy it.
You know what else is fantastic? Simply giving this recipe a comment and star rating below! Your comments and ratings are greatly appreciated by me AND the Google algorithm. Thank you!
Creamy Leftover Turkey Stew
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 Servings 1x
Description
You’ll enjoy this creamy leftover turkey stew more than the turkey dinner! Fresh herbs, veggies, potatoes, cream and chicken broth resurrect dry leftover turkey into something truly amazing.
Support The Goldilocks Kitchen by simply giving this recipe a comment and star rating in the comments section below; your comments and ratings are greatly appreciated by me AND the Google algorithm. Thanks for your support!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 and 1/2 cups half and half
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 4 cups shredded leftover turkey meat
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a large dutch oven, melt butter over medium high heat. Add onion and celery and season with a pinch of salt. Saute for about 2 minutes, then stir in the flour and cook for one minute.Pour in the broth, half and half, potatoes, sage, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the carrots and simmer for 7 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Stir in the turkey and remove from heat. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Doubling instructions: (I highly recommend doubling this recipe, especially if you have a lot of leftovers.)
Cook the onion and celery (in the butter) in a 12 inch deep-sided skillet so the onion can properly brown. While that’s cooking, fill a large stock pot with the chicken broth, half and half, fresh herbs and potatoes and set over medium high heat. After cooking the flour into the onion and celery, empty into the stock pot and whisk it in. Bring to a boil, cover, and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 785 mg
- Fat: 12.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.1 g
- Fiber: 3.2 g
- Protein: 26.5 g
- Cholesterol: 77 mg
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I cannot wait to make this soup. Even though it is the end of April, I still want soup for lunch. I have turkey in the freezer and everything to make this. Thanks for sharing. It looks delicious.
Hi Debbie!
This soup is absolutely delicious and definitely a fav with my own family. I keep frozen turkey handy so I can make it often. You won’t regret it :0) Thanks for the comment!
Just finished this stew and it was delicious! Didn’t follow the recipe to a tee as I had a larger quantity of stock already made, and didn’t have any thyme so I used a mix of sage and herbs de Provence instead. Even my 8 year old wanted seconds! Will keep this one in my back pocket for the next turkey dinner 😉
That is fabulous Sarah! It’s wonderful to hear about your experience and that you had success with the herb substitution. My kids hoover up this stew too. Thanks for the feedback!
Does this freeze well?
I don’t think this stew will freeze well. Potatoes have a habit of turning to mush when reheated from frozen. Also the cream will likely separate upon reheating as well. You may get decent results if you cook up a batch specifically to freeze; in this case leave out the cream and undercook the vegetables and potatoes (maybe cook them for just 5-7 minutes??). Stir cream in after you’ve reheated the stew. I’ve never tried this myself and would love to hear about the results if you do. Thanks for the great question Robin!
I made this in the instant pot tonight and it was a huge hit, Thank you!!
★★★★★
Yay Christine, that is awesome! First time I’ve heard of anyone trying this recipe in an instant pot. I have got to get one of those things…
Thanks for sharing, I love it :0)
I was wondering if I could cook this in the slow cooker? Would it dry out the turkey? Thanks!
Hi Kristina! You could totally cook this in a slow cooker- but I would recommend you stir in the half and half and turkey after it’s done cooking. The half and half may scorch, and yes the leftover cooked turkey meat can get tough if cooked to long. That’s why it’s stirred in at the end just to warm up. Hope that helps!
I love this soup! It is very flavourful and something about it reminds me of when I was younger and my mom made Chicken on the bun for dinner… it is so creamy. We have a large family and it was eaten up by everyone even the two year olds. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!! (I followed it exactly except had to use dried herbs instead of fresh and did cut up all the ingredients very small…)
★★★★★
Hi Amanda!
This is one of my family’s all-time favorite recipes and I always end up making several batches between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m glad you liked it so much!