Turkey à la King

Is it okay to make a comfort food dish using leftovers from a comfort food meal? Hope so! 😉

This dish reminds me of a chicken dish that I used to make –long ago– for my husband served over waffles. No wonder he loved this upgraded version! It was a wonderful way to use the rest of our leftover Thanksgiving turkey. It would also be fabulous with rotisserie chicken meat.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Sam Sifton. I doubled the recipe to accommodate all of my leftover turkey. We ate this creamy concoction with my favorite Sweet Potato Biscuits, but it would also be amazing served over waffles, as a crepe filling, or with noodles. My son ate some over toast. Great.

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 2-3 T olive oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 to 3 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock, low-sodium if store-bought
• 1 pound sliced mushrooms, ideally wild (I used cremini mushrooms)
• 3 cups shredded cooked turkey or rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup heavy cream or half & half
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 4 tablespoons dry sherry
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• finely chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Make a roux. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. When it begins to foam, sprinkle the flour over it, and whisk to combine, then continue whisking until it begins to turn the color of straw, approximately 7-10 minutes.
2. Slowly add 1 cup of the stock to this mixture, and stir to combine. Add more stock to thin the sauce. Keep warm.
3. Set a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil.
4. Add the mushrooms, and cook, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and begun to get glossy and soft, approximately 7-10 minutes.
5. Add the turkey (or chicken), then the warm sauce and cream, and stir to combine.
6. Add the peas, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and has thickened slightly, approximately 7-10 minutes.
7. Stir in the sherry, adjust seasonings and serve over biscuits or toast, rice or buttered noodles, or as a crepe filling or waffle topping, garnished with the parsley.

One Year Ago:

• Fancy Chicken Tetrazzini

Two Years Ago:

• Turkey & Spinach Curry
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Three Years Ago:

• Butternut Squash & Cornbread Stuffing Muffins
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Four Years Ago:

• Spice-Rubbed Roast Turkey
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Five Years Ago:

• Cornbread Stuffing with Bacon & Greens