Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Recipes

A cooked Thanksgiving turkey is the gift that keeps on giving. So keep reading to see a few of my recipes that will have you coming back for more succulent turkey leftovers. (And click on any recipe name to be directed to my blog post with all the tasty recipe text and yummy photo illustrations.)

The easiest and quickest use of Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving leftovers is to just pile them between sliced bread or a crusty bread roll. I like mine with stuffing, cranberry sauce, warm gravy and turkey.

Click on any photo to see larger.

But to kick the sandwich up to an Ultimate Turkey Sandwich, just crisp up in the frying pan some of that uneaten soggy turkey skin.

It is a decadent and tasty addition to a classic Turkey Sandwich. Check out my recipe video below for a little culinary decadence.



Be for you go cold turkey, try my gobbling spin on a Chicken Salad. I like the crunchy addition of chopped celery in this recipe that you can rename Turkey Salad. It's a short ingredient list and you can use dark and white meat turkey leftovers. And I like my Turkey Salad between 2 slices of a bagel, and you can also put a large scoop on your fave salad!

A most popular leftover for the coldest days of winter is a warm and soothing Turkey Soup. I hope you saved the poultry carcass?

For the tastiest soup, it's best to boil leftover roasted turkey bones and turkey bits in a pot of seasoned water. Once the water is simmering on low, just step away for an hour, and meanwhile, do a little veggie and leftover turkey chopping to add with strained turkey broth.

My Turkey Soup recipe link here, is based on a typical Chicken Soup, so just substitute with cooked leftover turkey.

My Chicken Soup recipe starts with uncooked chicken, so this Turkey Soup spin-off will be done in less time -- just simmer long enough to tenderize the chopped carrot, onion and celery. This soup is easier with cooked turkey.

If you feel a bit more ambitious, then rustle up a Cajun classic Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, but with leftover turkey instead of chicken.

My Mom lives in Louisiana and she sure knows how to do a Gumbo. This is another cold-weather dish. Serve Mom's Turkey and Sausage Gumbo over rice. Again you can reduce the prep time because the leftover turkey is already cooked. And another shortcut is using a pre-made Gumbo base called a roux, that is often stocked in regular grocery stores.

Check out my video below for all the tasty details.

A pot pie is the most soothing of winter meals, and my Turkey Pot Pie made with Thanksgiving leftovers will have you returning for seconds and thirds!

For my simple recipe, I used a grocery store frozen pie crust that covers the leftovers. And all you do is load up a deep baking dish like you would a lasagna - layering mashed potatoes or yams, veggies, stuffing, turkey and gravy.

My video below lays it on thick, that is, with plenty of delish leftovers.

You had Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving and didn't get enough of the sweet stuff? Well if you had an overabundance of baked or boiled sweet potato, then bake a Sweet Potato Pie! 

This Southern and Soul Food classic is really simple to do and my Mom has her Pumpkin Pie recipe that is easily made with cooked leftover sweet potatoes, and it's a click away right here.



I hope you had a great gathering of family and some friends for Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving. And do check back for more 99 cent cheap$kate deliciousness.

Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Recipes

A cooked Thanksgiving turkey is the gift that keeps on giving. So keep reading to see a few of my recipes that will have you coming back for more succulent turkey leftovers. (And click on any recipe name to be directed to my blog post with all the tasty recipe text and yummy photo illustrations.)

The easiest and quickest use of Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving leftovers is to just pile them between sliced bread or a crusty bread roll. I like mine with stuffing, cranberry sauce, warm gravy, and turkey.

Click on any photo to see larger.

But to kick the sandwich up to an Ultimate Turkey Sandwich, just crisp up in the frying pan some of that uneaten soggy turkey skin.

It is a decadent and tasty addition to a classic Turkey Sandwich. Check out my recipe video below for a little culinary decadence.



Be for you go cold turkey, try my gobbling spin on a Chicken Salad. I like the crunchy addition of chopped celery in this recipe that you can rename Turkey Salad. It's a short ingredient list and you can use dark and white meat turkey leftovers. And I like my Turkey Salad between 2 slices of a bagel, and you can also put a large scoop on your fave salad!

A most popular leftover for the coldest days of winter is a warm and soothing Turkey Soup. I hope you saved the poultry carcass?

For the tastiest soup, it's best to boil leftover roasted turkey bones and turkey bits in a pot of seasoned water. Once the water is simmering on low, just step away for an hour, and meanwhile, do a little veggie and leftover turkey chopping to add with strained turkey broth.

My Turkey Soup recipe link here is based on a typical Chicken Soup, so just substitute with cooked leftover turkey.

My Chicken Soup recipe starts with uncooked chicken, so this Turkey Soup spin-off will be done in less time -- just simmer long enough to tenderize the chopped carrot, onion and celery. This soup is easier with cooked turkey.

If you feel a bit more ambitious, then rustle up a Cajun classic Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, but with leftover turkey instead of chicken.

My Mom lives in Louisiana and she sure knows how to do a Gumbo. This is another cold-weather dish. Serve Mom's Turkey and Sausage Gumbo over rice. Again you can reduce the prep time because the leftover turkey is already cooked. And another shortcut is using a pre-made Gumbo base called a roux, that is often stocked in regular grocery stores.

Check out my video below for all the tasty details.

A pot pie is the most soothing of winter meals, and my Turkey Pot Pie made with Thanksgiving leftovers will have you returning for seconds and thirds!

For my simple recipe, I used a grocery store frozen pie crust that covers the leftovers. And all you do is load up a deep baking dish like you would a lasagna - layering mashed potatoes or yams, veggies, stuffing, turkey and gravy.

My video below lays it on thick, that is, with plenty of delish leftovers.

You had Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving and didn't get enough of the sweet stuff? Well if you had an overabundance of baked or boiled sweet potato, then bake a Sweet Potato Pie! 

This Southern and Soul Food classic is really simple to do and my Mom has her Pumpkin Pie recipe that is easily made with cooked leftover sweet potatoes, and it's a click away right here.



I hope you had a great gathering of family and some friends for your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving. And do check back for more 99 cent cheap$kate deliciousness.

The Best Chicken Salad Recipe - Video

I love Chicken Salad as much as Tuna Salad. It's a milder taste compared to tuna, so the crunchy veggies and mayo/mustard come forward in flavor. My Chicken Salad recipe video will have coming back for seconds and thirds once you've had your first bite.

The ingredient list is small. I like a little fine chopped onion and celery for crunch. And those veggies are about the lest expensive ones you can find at any grocery store.

I also include a tablespoon of pickle relish. I find it at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. You can add more or less veggies and relish to suit your taste. You can even leave out the veggies for a more meaty salad.

I add a little mustard with a lot of mayo for extra creamy Chicken Salad. Again, you can adjust the balance to please yourself and the family. If you don't like mustard then leave it out.

Some recipes call for the herb Dill. Again, use it if you like it, or forget about it.

All the ingredients come cheaply these days. I get dark chicken leg quarters for way less than a dollar per pound and white meat for around 99 cents per pound from Superior, my local Latin market. Dark meat is harder to filet than white meat, but after you've done it a few times it does get easier

I lightly boil or poach the chicken pieces so they stay moist. You can use any chicken you have on hand, either fresh-baked or sauteed, too. I've used leftover roasted whole chicken from the deli case of my local grocery chain store when it's on sale, usually at the end of the work week. Leave out the skin and bones. Canned chicken is fine to use, too - just drain it, like you would with canned tuna.

Poaching Video

I always can find mayo and mustard on sale. And onion and celery are some of the least expensive veggies around.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Chicken Salad is a versatile recipe that's delish between 2 slices of bread, or as an appetizer and spread on any favorite cracker. Put a big scoop on your favorite green garden salad for extra flavor and heft.

So get out the leftover cooked poultry and mix up my latest video recipe of Chicken Salad.

Chicken Salad - Video

Play it here. Video runs 1 minutes, 38 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients

• 1/2 chicken breast - cooked and cubed. About 2 cups. Okay to use dark meat leg quarter (leg plus thigh.) Use leftover cooked turkey during Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays.
• 1/4 cup chopped onion - okay to add more or less to taste. I fine chopped 1/4 of a white onion. You can use any type of onion including red and green onion.
• 1/2 cup chopped celery - okay to add more or less to taste. I used one celery rib.
• 1 tablespoon pickle relish - optional.
• 1 teaspoon mustard - or Dijon mustard. I've made this salad without mustard.
• 3 tablespoons mayo - any favorite light or whole mayo. Again add a tablespoon at a time to reach your preferred creaminess.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• 1/4 teaspoon Dill - herb can be dried or fresh. Optional ingredient.

Directions
Use boneless and skinless cooked chicken. I used leftover breast meat from a roast chicken.

You can boil/simmer chicken pieces about a half hour in seasoned water. Or, saute chicken in a little oil. Just make sure chicken is cooked all the way through - no pink or red juices.

While chicken cooks you can chop celery and onion. I like onion in salads (tuna, chicken, turkey, egg) fine chopped. For celery, I like pieces a little larger. Okay to chop veggies anyway you like.

Now time to bring it all together. Add chicken and chopped veggies to a bowl.

Mix in a tablespoon of pickle relish. Add 1/4 teaspoon of the herb Dill (optional.)

Stir in a tablespoon of mayo at a  time to reach your desired creaminess. I mixed in about 3 tablespoons. Add teaspoon of mustard. Okay to add or subtract amounts of mayo and mustard.

Finally salt and pepper to taste. Store Chicken Salad in the refrigerator. If you wait a couple of hours before serving, then all the ingredients will have time to meld and become more intense.

I like to scoop my Chicken Salad onto a toasted onion bagel. You can serve Chicken Salad with crackers as an appetizer. Add a scoop of Chicken Salad to your fave salad.