Turkey à la King Recipe (2024)

Here's an easy (but not elegant) response to Thanksgiving leftovers: Tear turkey into pieces along with any ungussied veggies (carrots, green beans etc) and combine with stirred cold gravy in a baking dish. If you have both mashed potatoes and stuffing left, mix the stuffing into the meat/veggie/gravy mixture and spread stirred cold mashed potatoes on top like a crust; if no mashed potatoes, use the stuffing as the crust. Bake until hot in the center. Called turkey pie in my family.

Dear Marilyn, here's to you and to the thousands (millions?) of us, like you, who are inspired by Sam Sifton's good heartedness and eloquence, not to mention his wizardry in the kitchen!

I thought I might just help with a bit of clarification: the roux used in Cajun cooking such as gumbo is usually made with oil, resembles dark brown gravy, and takes a long, slow process to make. A roux used in french cooking (as above) is usually made with butter, resembles a thick paste, and takes just a few minutes to make--just long enough for the flour to cook and release a nutty aroma.) It's a much simpler, faster thing to make.

Bless your heart, Sam Sifton. I tried to make a roux for a gumbo years ago. It was a miserable failure (note I didn’t say I failed; the roux, over which I spent a great deal of time, didn’t turn out—-neither did the gumbo). As a result of that failure, I have shunned recipes calling for a roux. Even though I have no leftover turkey, thanks to your description of making a roux, i will try again.

I served this over Stuffing Waffles - add 1 beaten egg to 2 cups of stuffing along with enough broth to moisten the stuffing mixture. Cook on waffle iron. It was an exciting and delicious twist to leftover stuffing! Can't wait to serve it again next year!

While this sounds delicious, my favorite left over turkey recipe is a big pot of wild rice (not the blend, the real thing). Sauté mushrooms as instructed above. Add the turkey to the mushrooms. Add some dry vermouth and burn it off. Add frozen peas. When peas have thawed out, add a bit of heavy cream. Add all this to the wild rice and serve.A restaurant outside of Chicago - The Milk Pail - used to make this with pheasant and called it Pheasant Hash. It was fabulous.

Just what I need for my leftover Thanksgiving chicken (2 people & way too much bird). For everyone balking at making a roux, try using Wondra Instant Blend flour (or any other of that type). You will never have lumps again. This makes any sauce, i.e. Beshamel, etc., a no-brainer.

I had leftover turkey breast meat that had been in my freezer for a couple weeks; it looked kind of "meh," but I felt like having turkey pot pie. I came across this recipe, cooked it up as described (but I added some chopped carrots as well as extra peas), put it in the bottom of a pie pan, laid a basic store-bought refrigerator pie crust on the top, and cut some slits in it. I baked it in the oven (on a cookie sheet, for spills) for 30 min, at 400 degrees. It was phenomenal!

Thank you Marilyn and Chris S. for your wonderful words about Sam Sifton. He is indeed good-hearted, eloquent and a wizard in the kitchen. Plus, I love his suggestions about things to do and see and articles and books to read. I can't figure out how he has the time to see them and read them while shepherding this wonderful cooking site.

In south Louisiana if you can't make a roux, you can't feed yourself!However, I stopped the slow process of stirring oil and flour endlessly in favor of prepared roux's in a pint jar. Keeps weeks in the fridge and comes in both blonde and dark versions, I use Savoie's Old Fashioned Roux to thicken gravies, gumbos, smothered chicken, etc.Their website: http://www.savoiesfoods.com/savoies-products/

Our favorite turkey leftover recipe. I’ve loved it since childhood and I am now 70. I add a bit of curry powder to the butter melting for the roux (not enough to shout curry) and any leftover gravy to the sauce. We like it served in patty shells, garnished with some toasted slivered almonds, with leftover cranberry relish or sauce on the side.

This is almost the same as my recipe for turkey tetrazzini. I made this sauce one night and we ate half with biscuits. The next day I added some broth and a flour/soft butter roux to the leftovers, to increase the amount of sauce, and baked it with cooked spaghetti and Parmesan cheese: two almost completely different meals from this.

Very tasty and not complicated to make at all. I added pearl onions and some thyme and went a little heavier on the sherry which adds a very nice flavor. Served over Pepperidge Farms puff pasty shells and was a hit at my dinner party.

Marilyn: I had to smile at your comment. Partway through the first time I made a roux I balked thinking this looks terrible but, as I had already committed the last of my carrots and onions to this beginning effort in making a chicken pot pie I just kept stirring and adding following the recipe directions and poof, it worked. So? Give it another shot and poof, you will smile. Tom

If you want something a bit different, add a small can of Hormel spiced ham. Gives it that certain plebeian Je ne sais quoi.

Had some leftover polenta I needed to use (nice problem!), so I baked it and served the recipe over that--and it was wonderful! Even better than over toast, rice, or biscuits: highly recommended.

Thank you Chris S! Love Sam’s version and love yours. Delicious options post-Thanksgiving.

I let the butter brown before making the roux, which added a nice, nutty note. Had homemade turkey stock on hand (made from the TG carcass of a smoked turkey, the leftover breast meat from which was also used here), a welcome add. Added carrots for crunch and color, a diced onion and a half leek, because, alliums. Also a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes to the veg sauté for some zing to punch up all the creaminess. A tasty, easy prep; next time w/chicken.

Next time I’d use 1 tsp Dijon and more Worcestershire

Sherry adds so much to this dish. Used twice the mushrooms.

Great recipe for leftover turkey. Served over biscuits. Threw some leftover gravy in the sauce. Had no sherry. Delicious.

For the Roux-phobic, from Alton Brown. "Use equal parts vegetable oil and flour. Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart castiron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process." Works every time, I use if for my gumbo.

It may be a very forgiving recipe, however would it forgive a substitute for cream? Or is it a non-negotiable ingredient?

For generations this has been a post-Thanksgiving comfort food in my family, served on Saturday or Sunday when the household is quieting back down after hosting the big feast. My mother always served this ladled into, and over, baked pastry shells (she called them patty shells). I still do the same. What a luxurious, creamy cold weather dish!

No need to make the roux in a separate pan. Instead, sauté the veg—I added carrot, celery, and onion to the called-for mushrooms—in the full amount of butter, sprinkle the flour in, cook until the flour disappears, and the. Add the stock, then the cream. Added dried thyme and subbed Marsala for Sherry. Served over mashed potatoes. Delicious!

Too many pots! I used a shallow 3-qt pan, melted the butter (used 4 tablespoons) and sauteed the mushrooms and also added a chopped shallot and about 1/4 cup of finely chopped red pepper for a bit of color. When soft added the broth, sherry, turkey, brought up too heat and cooked for a bit at a simmer to heat and everything through, added peas and then mixed the flour with the cream (used light cream) and whisked in to thickened. Adjusted salt and added some white pepper. Yum.

Will serve tonight. Will add some small-cubed carrots to the peas. Will serve over what-I-have rice, which is actually last night's NYT corn risotto. Thanks for this easy recipe.

My mom always made this after Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey dinners and served it on Pepperidge Farm pastry shells. Not terribly healthy, but-- Yum!

Made per recipe. Perfect outcome to nourish body and spirit. My mom died in June and our spirits were heavy for her absence this past holiday season. This recipe made me remember how often she made a la king, served atop toast, in waste not mode of using leftover turkey and how fancy we thought it was at the time (early 60's) for the mushrooms and sherry in it. Using leftover turkey from Thanksgiving in the freezer to make this dish the memories were there to season it too.

Can you make this with ground turkey?