Easy Leftover Curried Turkey Comfort Food

Learn how to make an easy curried turkey recipe with turkey leftovers. You can also use leftover turkey from the freezer. Whether you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holiday, you are in the right place. This simple curried turkey recipe is comfort food at its finest. It’s delicious, warm, and feeds a crowd. It’s a terrific recipe for post-holiday entertaining. Win-win! Read on, everyone, to learn how to make one of my favorite crowd-pleasing recipes of all time.

Easy Curried Turkey Pinterest image


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The Curried Turkey Backstory

When I was growing up, this recipe was a holiday favorite. My parents enjoyed entertaining large groups, so I have many happy memories of passing this dish around a table filled with dear family and friends. I’ve scaled the recipe down slightly, although it still feeds 8-10 people. Now that my husband and I are empty-nesters, we don’t need to make the huge quantities of food we used to. If we do host a family gathering, this is definitely a favorite meal to serve our guests.

Easy curried turkey ingredients
For the easy curried turkey photoshoot, I used some leftover chicken breasts, which is another good option for this versatile recipe.

Equipment for Easy Curried Turkey

The main item you will need to make this leftover turkey recipe is a large stockpot. If you are serving the curried turkey over rice, a rice cooker is a handy thing to have as well.

Ingredients for Easy Curried Turkey

1 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons butter, margarine or vegetable oil

3 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 cup milk

2 cups sour cream

1 to 1 1/2 pounds cooked, cubed turkey or chicken

Slivered almonds for garnish, toasted (optional)

Parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions for Easy Curried Turkey

Toast almonds and set aside.

Easy curried turkey toasting almonds

Cook onion in butter, margarine or vegetable oil until tender, but not brown.

Easy curried turkey cooking the onions

Add soup, milk, and curry powder. Heat and stir until the mixture is smooth.

Easy curried turkey mixing the soup and curry

Add cubed turkey or chicken and heat through. Just before serving, add sour cream. Cook until mixture is hot, but don’t boil. Garnish with toasted almonds and parsley, if desired.

Easy curried turkey complete

Serve over rice, leftover mashed potatoes, or mashed cauliflower.

easy curried turkey featured image

Easy Curried Turkey

This easy curried turkey recipe is delicious, warm, and feeds a crowd. Plus, it’s a terrific recipe for the holidays. One of the main ingredients is leftover turkey.
5 from 3 votes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 3 tbsp butter, margarine or vegetable oil
  • 3 cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 1 to 1½ pounds cooked, cubed turkey or chicken
  • cup slivered almonds for garnish (optional)
  • 1 tsp dried parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Toast almonds and set aside, if using.
  • Cook onion in butter, margarine or vegetable oil until tender, but not brown.
  • Add soup, milk and curry powder. Heat and stir until mixture is smooth.
  • Add cubed turkey or chicken and heat through.
  • Just before serving, add sour cream. Cook until mixture is hot, but don’t boil.
  • Garnish with toasted almonds and parsley, if desired.
  • Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or mashed cauliflower.
Keyword holiday leftovers, turkey

One of the Most-Used Small Kitchen Appliances

Although people do cook rice in an instant pot, one of my most-used small kitchen appliances is my trusty rice cooker. I received it as a Christmas present years ago, and it has served me well. I love being able to put the ingredients in and let it do its thing while I prepare the rest of the meal. Here’s one similar to mine:

I will admit, I have not jumped on the instant pot bandwagon yet. If I didn’t have all of the other small kitchen appliances which work so well for me, such as my crockpot, I might consider it. One thing holding me back is I like to have dinner ready for me when I arrive home from work. I don’t want to scurry around putting ingredients in an instant pot, no matter how quickly it will cook the meal. I like to put the ingredients into my crockpot the night before and refrigerate the dish overnight. Before I go to work the next morning, I put the crockpot on low to simmer all day. Am I alone in this? If you are a big instant pot fan, I’d be happy to learn about your experiences. You just might convince me to take the plunge!

Common Curried Turkey Questions

How long does turkey last in the fridge?

Recipes made with leftover turkey can usually last in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. After that, you could freeze any remaining leftovers. This curried turkey recipe freezes well.

How long does leftover turkey last in the freezer?

For best quality, leftover cooked turkey pieces should be eaten within 4 to 6 months of being in the freezer. With this curried turkey recipe, even if your frozen leftover turkey has been in the freezer for months, the curry and onion flavors help disguise any lingering freezer taste.

Easy curried turkey is a delicious way to use leftover turkey. It also works well with leftover chicken, so is a scrumptious easy meal option year-round. Great for feeding a crowd, this amazing recipe is fabulous for serving to guests. Comfort food at its best, add this simple recipe to your holiday recipe collection today! #thanksgivingholidayrecipes #christmasholidayrecipes #easyholidayrecipes #leftoverturkeyrecipes #leftoverturkeyideas #leftoverturkeydinner #leftoverturkeywhattodo #easy

What Are Your Favorite Ways to Use Holiday Leftovers?

I know I’m not the only person out there who loves to find new ways to use leftovers from holiday meals. What are your favorite ways to use leftover food from holiday meals? If you have an abundance of turkey, try making turkey pot pie, a savory hand pie, or turkey corn chowder. I’d enjoy learning what your go-to strategies are.

Other Recipes to Warm You Up

Interested in other cozy, comfort food recipes? Try these!

More Food Inspiration

It’s always nice to have a plan when it comes to parties and meals. If you’re looking for a way to get more organized with your meal or party-planning efforts, I’ve got something for you. Free, editable meal planners! The templates can be used over and over, as often as you need them. You can make as many duplicates as you like, and you’ll be able to save old meal plans for future reference. I hope it simplifies things for you.

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Get my digital, editable, printable templates!

Are You Excited to Make Easy Curried Turkey?

Ready to try the best curried turkey recipe ever? If you decide to try this recipe, I’d love to know how it turns out. Has it made you want to dash to the grocery store for an even bigger bird to cook? You might also be interested in reading about some of my other easy holiday recipes, like Easy Wassail to Warm Your Holiday Gatherings. If you would like even more recipe ideas, consider following my Easy Recipes board on Pinterest. I hope all of your holiday meals turn out splendidly, and I hope you have a great selection of leftovers afterward!

First Name Signature Conclusion

 

 

 

Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, and school librarian who likes to create and share recipes, often using fresh ingredients from her family’s small Pacific Northwest farm. To get more easy recipes, click on over to the Food page.

26 thoughts on “Easy Leftover Curried Turkey Comfort Food”

  1. 5 stars
    I love turkey and this recipe for easy leftover curried turkey is so simple and delicious! It is truly a comfort food. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • You are welcome! The leftovers are great as well.

      Reply
  2. 5 stars
    Thank you for the great instructions on how to make super simple leftover curried turkey. I always appreciate a good comfort food recipe and really enjoy turkey!

    Reply
    • Oh, you are welcome. I love this recipe so much, I made it again last night for dinner!

      Reply
  3. 5 stars
    I’m always looking for ways to use leftovers. This will be perfect. Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply
  4. Thanks. Sounds super yummy.

    Reply
    • Yvonne,

      You’re welcome! I hope you get to try it.

      Lisa

      Reply
  5. Every holiday I have leftovers that I have no idea how to revamp so my family will eat them again. This is such a great idea and I will definitely have to give it a try this year. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Heather,

      Glad you liked the recipe. I hope your family likes it as well! I appreciate your comment, and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

      Lisa

      Reply
  6. My husband would so love this! While I’m not a huge leftover turkey person, he lives on it for weeks after Thanksgiving! We might switch it up a little this year and give this a try. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Beth,

      Nice that your husband enjoys the leftovers! I hope you do get to give this a try. Thanks for your comment, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

      Lisa

      Reply
  7. Who couldn’t use different ways for Thanksgiving leftovers!! Thank you for sharing xoxo

    Reply
    • Michelle,

      Yes, this is one that people might not have heard of before. I hope you get to try it out! Thanks for commenting!

      Lisa

      Reply
  8. What a great way to use Thanksgiving leftovers 🙂

    Reply
    • Kennedy,

      It really is delicious and easy. Thanks for commenting!

      Lisa

      Reply
  9. This is such a great way to use leftovers! Looks absolutely delicious. My aunt is hosting this year, so I’ll definitely pass this along to her to use in the days after.

    Reply
    • Huda,

      How nice that you get to have someone else host. Thanks for passing the recipe along, and thanks for commenting!

      Lisa

      Reply
  10. Yum!!!!!!! You make me craving for Turkey. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
    • Fadima,

      I get hungry when I read this recipe as well. Glad you liked it. Thanks for the kind words!

      Lisa

      Reply
  11. Sounds like a tasty dish for those cold winter days. Must try it some time.

    Reply
    • Sandra,

      Yes, it is a super-cozy meal on a cold winter day. I hope you do get to try it. Thanks for your comment!

      Lisa

      Reply
    • Cassidy,

      It really is. I hope you get to try it sometime. Thanks for the comment!

      Lisa

      Reply

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