This creamy Leftover Turkey Stroganoff is perfect for using up holiday turkey leftovers, as well as leftover chicken meat! The bite size chunks of turkey are combined with earthy toned mushrooms for a lighter take on the classic beef stroganoff!
Leftover Turkey Stroganoff Recipe
I'm always looking for great ways to use up my family's holiday meal leftovers, and this stroganoff recipe is a real winner with enthusiastic thumbs up from everyone! It's a wonderful meal with pulled chicken from any whole roasted chickens you may have cooked, or leftovers from a rotisserie chicken too!
This easy turkey stroganoff is using a combination of white and dark meat from a summertime roasted turkey ( turkey is such an affordable protein that I cook it frequently throughout the year ). The mushrooms are optional, but I'm outvoted here at home! Both my husband and daughter love the addition of the mushrooms, and your favorite mushroom variety will work ( white or cremini (baby bella) mushrooms ).
How To Make Leftover Turkey Stroganoff
Start out with heating a large skillet or non-stick frying pan, with the olive oil and butter, to medium high heat. The skillet should be large enough to hold a fair amount of liquid.
Once the butter has melted, add the finely minced onion and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes or until becoming translucent or slightly clear in appearance. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook for about 2 - 3 minutes. The garlic should be fragrant and the mushrooms should be slightly browned.
Use the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping off the browned bits in your skillet or frying pan. These 'bits' are called 'fond' and they are the base of an amazing gravy! *If you don't have white wine, you can also use a dry cooking sherry. Also, if you don't cook with wine you can substitute an additional amount of turkey or chicken stock for the wine.
Cook the onion, wine, garlic and mushrooms for about 2 minutes then stir in the Dijon mustard and smoked paprika ( paprika or Spanish paprika ). Reduce your heat to medium low and stir in the all-purpose flour. I usually stir the flour in pretty vigorously, getting it incorporated into the pan liquids quickly. *To avoid lumps, you can add some cold or room temperature turkey or chicken broth to the flour. Stir until smooth, then stir into the gravy base in your skillet.
Next, add in the turkey stock or chicken broth. Mix until the sauce is well blended then continue cooking over medium low heat for 3 - 5 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly during this cooking time.
One of the final things you add will be the Worcestershire sauce and the chopped or chunked leftover turkey meat. Mix these into the sauce and cook for about 5 minutes. The turkey should be fully warmed through and the sauce should have a 'stick to your spoon' thickened consistency.
Finish the leftover turkey stroganoff by removing the skillet from heat and stirring in the sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust as needed. *Alternatives to sour cream are Greek yogurt ( plain, unflavored ) and heavy whipping cream.
Serve over a bed of white or brown rice, or cooked egg noodles. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired. Enjoy your stroganoff with a simple side salad or some steamed veggies for a complete family dinner!
Ground turkey meat can also be used in this recipe, simply brown the meat and transfer to a bowl while you continue with the instructions below.
Looking for more tasty Thanksgiving turkey leftover ideas? Try some of my other turkey recipes to make great use of your holiday leftovers!
📖 Recipe Card
Leftover Turkey Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 2 cups Leftover Turkey Meat (chunked, white and/or dark meat)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 tablespoon butter (salted)
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced or crushed)
- 8 ounces white mushrooms (washed and sliced)
- ½ cup dry white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (coarse ground)
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or paprika)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups turkey stock (or chicken broth)
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Bring a large skillet or frying pan with the olive oil and butter to medium high heat. Once the butter has melted add in the onion and cook the onions for 2-3 minutes until translucent (or becoming see through).
- Add garlic and mushrooms and cook 3-5 minutes, until slightly browned.
- Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get the browned bits. Cook the wine, mushrooms, onions and garlic for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard and smoked paprika, then reduce the heat to medium low and add in the flour. Stir the flour in until creamy and well distributed throughout the sauce.
- Add in the turkey stock (or chicken broth), mixing the stock in until well blended. Continue cooking over medium low for 3-5 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and the chunked/chopped turkey, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Once the turkey is warmed through and your sauce is thickened, it is ready to finish.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream and mix into the stroganoff until well blended and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Serve immediately, over cooked egg noodles or rice. Enjoy!
Rosy Esquivel says
Súper recomendada!!! Cada Navidad y fin de año la hago.
"Super recommended!!! I make it every Christmas and New Year's Eve."
Nancy says
This was really good! I love stroganoff and this gives you the meal with less calories thanks to the Turkey!
Donna says
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I used ground turkey instead of chopped up turkey because that's what I had on hand. My husband loves it and asked for it again!
Hanz says
My family absolutely loved this, we made the prime rib one last year as well. Thumbs up from our family, thanks!
Beth S. says
I was eagerly seeking a recipe for our leftover holiday turkey that didn't involve a casserole and was hoping this would be the one. The sauce was delicious and I was so pleased that it wasn't just another canned "cream of mushroom" stroganoff recipe! Unfortunately, once I added the turkey the whole flavor just wasn't "right." Though I'm sure it's no fault of the writer and just my own taste buds... I must admit that turkey, especially when leftover, is just a very particular flavor to me and just didn't "jive" with such a delicious stroganoff-style meal! I will certainly use this recipe again for a fabulous, from-scratch, beef-based stroganoff but would reconsider a turkey focused preparation, especially with how much work is involved.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Thanks for stopping in to share your results and thoughts! Glad you enjoyed the sauce (my husband loves to crush a bit of the bouillon cubes into the mix and swears that makes it better- it's a bit strong for me lol). I do also have my prime rib stroganoff that is tailored to beef.
Joanna says
Cant wait to try this after Thanksgiving 🙂
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Thanks Joanna! I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!