One of the best ways I find to stretch the food budget is to work with leftover meat, especially from a roasted turkey or chicken. Taking that leftover meat and incorporating it into soups, chowders, sandwich fillings, casseroles, etc. means more servings can be gotten from it than would simply plating the cold meat. This is a great way to extend an expensive ingredient (meat) and stretch the food budget. Bonus if extending the meat yields a dish that can be frozen for later enjoyment as this is a great convenience to know there is a meal, or meals, ready in the freezer for cooking or reheating. This post is all about Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Chicken and Turkey.
I have a number of published recipes that call for leftover chicken or turkey and, for the ease of readers, have decided to compile them into a repository post so, if you are looking for ways to use leftover chicken or turkey, you can come to this post and the links to all of the recipes I have published calling for leftover cooked chicken or turkey will be in one place. The great thing about turkey and chicken meat is that they are substitutable in many recipes, including the ones in this post. So, even if you see a recipe with “turkey” in its name, know that, if you have chicken, you can substitute the same amount of it for the turkey and vice versa.
For each recipe, I have indicated how much leftover chicken or turkey is required, the number of servings the recipe can be expected to generate and, where applicable, if the dish freezes well for later enjoyment. I have also included the hotlink to each recipe and serving suggestions.
As I develop and publish more recipes using leftover chicken and turkey, I will add them to this compendium repository so, in that sense, this will be an evergreen post.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Soups, Chowders, and Stocks
Classic Homemade Turkey Vegetable Soup
Turkey Chowder
Turkey Stock
Sandwiches
Turkey, Pear, Brie, and Cranberry Sandwich
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Casseroles
Chicken Chow Mein Casserole
Chicken and Ham Casserole
Main Meals
Chicken and Mushroom Vol-au-Vent
Chicken and Mushroom Crepes
Individual sized Chicken Pot Pies
SOUPS AND CHOWDERS
Classic Homemade Turkey Vegetable Soup
Description: Homemade turkey stock, leftover turkey, and loads of vegetables combine with light seasoning to make a delicious and nutritious turkey vegetable soup.
Amount of Leftover Turkey Required: 3 – 4 cups cooked turkey meat, cubed or coarsely shredded
Serving Suggestion: Serve with bread, rolls, biscuits, crackers, or sandwich of choice.
Number of Servings: Apx. 18-20 servings (1¼ cup serving size)
Freezable – Yes, provided waxy potatoes are used.
Click here for recipe: Classic Homemade Turkey Vegetable Soup
Turkey Chowder
Description: A thick, flavorful chowder that uses leftover cooked turkey, aromatic vegetables, creamed corn, and Parmesan cheese, all seasoned with dried summer savory.
Amount of Leftover Turkey Required: 2 cups cooked turkey meat, cubed
Serving Suggestion: Serve with bread, rolls, biscuits, or crackers
Number of Servings: Apx. 4-5 servings
Freezable – Yes, provided whole milk and waxy potatoes are used.
Click here for recipe: Turkey Chowder Recipe
Turkey Stock
Description: Turkey carcass, combined with a blend of herbs and spices and aromatic and flavorful vegetables, makes healthy and tasty homemade turkey stock
Amount of Leftover Turkey Required: Large turkey carcass plus 2 lbs fresh cut-up turkey pieces for extra flavor
Uses: Base for soups, sauces, braised dishes, and gravies and it can also be used when called for in any number of different recipes and other dishes.
Yield: Apx. 16 cups (depending on amount of evaporation and reduction that has occurred).
Freezable – Yes
Click here for recipe: Homemade Turkey Stock Recipe
Sandwiches
Turkey, Pear, Brie, and Cranberry Sandwich
Description: A tasty sandwich that combines sliced cooked turkey with Bosc pear, Brie, and a delectable sandwich dressing made with cranberry sauce, Dijon mustard, and mayonnaise.
Amount of Leftover Turkey Required: 2½ oz – 3 oz cooked turkey (or chicken) breast slices
Serving Suggestion: Serve with Bread and Butter Pickles, Fresh Vegetables, Potato Chips, or a cup of your favorite soup. Pairs particularly well with Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.
Number of Servings: 1 serving (but recipe is scalable to number of servings required)
Freezable – No
Click here for recipe: Turkey, Pear, Brie, and Cranberry Sandwich
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Description: This chicken salad sandwich filling is loaded with delicious flavor and is perfect for hearty sandwiches, teatime fare, or simply served as a salad on a bed of fresh greens.
Amount of Leftover Chicken Required: 4 oz shredded cooked chicken
Serving Suggestion: Serve with Bread and Butter Pickles, Fresh Vegetables, Potato Chips, or a cup of your favorite soup.
Number of Servings: Apx. 2 generously-sized sandwiches (but recipe is scalable to number of servings required)
Freezable – No
Click here for recipe: Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe
CASSEROLES
Chicken Chow Mein Casserole
Description: An easy-to-prepare flavorful casserole that makes great use of leftover chicken.
Amount of Leftover Chicken Required: 1 cup cooked chicken meat, cubed
Serving Suggestion: Serve with side salad of choice and bread, rolls, or biscuits
Number of Servings: Apx. 4 servings
Freezable – Not recommended
Click here for recipe: Chicken Chow Mein Casserole Recipe
Chicken and Ham Casserole
Description: This Chicken and Ham Casserole is a great way to use up leftover chicken and ham if you have both on hand at the same time. The casserole can, however, be made with either all leftover chicken or ham (2 cups).
Amount of Leftover Ham Required: 1 cup
Amount of Leftover Chicken Required: 1 cup
Serving Suggestion: Serve with a side salad and biscuits, rolls, or bread
Number of Servings: Apx. 6 servings
Freezable – Freezes well unbaked. Add bread crumb topping (optional) at time of baking
Click here for recipe: Chicken and Ham Casserole
Main Meals
Chicken and Mushroom Vol-au-Vent
Description: An easy-to-make delectable creamed chicken filling encased in light and flaky puff pastry shells. Perfect for company fare but easy enough for weeknight meals.
Amount of Leftover Chicken Required: 1 cup, cubed
Serving Suggestion: Serve with a side salad
Number of Servings: Apx. 4 servings
Freezable – Filling freezes well
Click here for recipe: Chicken and Mushroom Vol-au-vent Recipe
Chicken and Mushroom Crepes
Description: A delectable chicken and mushroom filling encased in a thin, soft-textured crepe and smothered in a rich cheesy sauce.
Amount of Leftover Chicken Required: 2 cups, cubed
Serving Suggestion: Serve with a side salad
Number of Servings: 4 servings (2 crepes per serving)
Freezable – Filling and crepes freeze well separately; assemble and heat at time of serving
Click here for recipe: Chicken and Mushroom Crepes
Double-crusted Chicken Pot Pies
Description: Individual made-from-scratch double-crusted Chicken Pot Pies are chock full of poultry and vegetables in a delectable creamy filling, all encased between tender flaky pie crusts. The supreme comfort food!
Amount of Leftover Chicken Required: 2 1/2 cups, cubed
Serving Suggestion: Serve with cranberry sauce, mustard pickles, or other favorite condiment
Number of Servings: Apx. 10 servings
Freezable -Freeze well, unbaked
Click here for recipe: Double-crusted Chicken Pot Pies
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