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Similar to a pot pie but without a crust, this turkey a la king is a comforting way to use up your holiday leftovers. Serve over rice or dunk in biscuits.
Every Thanksgiving we buy a bigger turkey than we need, just in case. Of course, that always ends up meaning we have lots of leftovers to work through.
No complaints here! While we do freeze some to use later, crafting meals with the leftovers is part of the holiday tradition.
One dish we really love is turkey a la king. It has all of the creamy, hearty taste of a pot pie, without the extra fuss of a pie crust. (Who wants to make more pie crust right after Thanksgiving?!) Plus, it’s the kind of recipe where you can add your bits and bobs from the produce drawer to help use up even more of your holiday leftovers.
This is such a quick and easy dish, it’s perfect for throwing together after a long day of shopping or pulling out decorations. One bowl of comfort, coming right up!
Ingredients for turkey a la king
Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.
You’ll need:
- Butter
- Veggies: mushrooms, carrots, onion, garlic, frozen peas
- Flour
- Turkey stock or chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Cooked turkey, shredded – I recommend a mix of light and dark meat for the best flavor.
- Salt and pepper
- Parsley
- Biscuits, toast, or rice to serve
For the vegetables, feel free to use your favorite pot pie veggies. Diced parcooked potatoes are a good option, as is red or green bell pepper. Celery or green beans are also great!
Cremini (baby bella) or white button mushrooms will both work in this recipe. Make sure to use a vegetable brush to carefully remove any dirt from the mushrooms before slicing. If you don’t like mushrooms, leave them out!
How to make this recipe
Set a large pot or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the butter.
Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, until they start to brown. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the carrots and onions.
Cook until the carrots are soft, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook just until it’s fragrant, which will take only 60 seconds or so.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well to coat. Continue to stir while cooking for 2 minutes.
Pour in the stock or broth and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up any stuck bits. Simmer until slightly thickened.
Stir in the cream, peas, and turkey, and cook until the peas and turkey are warmed through. If it thickens too much while cooking, stir in a bit of additional broth.
Season with salt and pepper and top with fresh chopped parsley before serving.
Serving suggestions
You can enjoy turkey a la king as is, or serve it on top of a bed of rice or egg noodles. You can also try serving it over cooked spaghetti squash.
It’s also excellent with buttermilk biscuits or corn bread. Or, for a fancier take, use baked puff pastry shells, filling the shells to create turkey vol-au-vents.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 days.
Enjoy this creamy turkey a la king with your leftover holiday bird!
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Turkey a la King
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 cups cooked diced or shredded turkey
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for until they start to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds. Add the flour, cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth while stirring to combine, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer until thickened.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream, peas, and cooked turkey. Continue cooking and stirring until the turkey and peas have warmed through. Season with salt and pepper, adding more to taste if needed. If the mixture thickens to much, add some additional broth or cream.
- Top with fresh parsley and serve over biscuits or egg noodles.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.
About Megan
I learned how to cook by exploring seasonal ingredients, and you can too! Meal time shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and with fresh ingredients and easy methods, Iโm here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen.ย Read moreโฆ