This turkey curry is flavored with curry powder, turmeric, coriander, and cinnamon. It's easy to make, flavorful, and filling. It's one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.
I adore curries like Thai chicken curry and shrimp curry. I love the bold flavor, thick texture, and interesting combination of meat or seafood and veggies. This turkey curry is especially good and is a delicious way to use up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, much like turkey chili, turkey stir-fry, and turkey patties. I make it almost every year! It's hot, comforting, and has the right amount of spice.
Ingredients and Variations
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
Spice Mix:
Salt, pepper, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.
Curry:
- Oil: I use avocado oil, which has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor. Ghee is another tasty option.
- Veggies: Chopped onions and sliced bell peppers.
- Aromatics: Garlic and ginger add great flavor to this curry.
- Cooked turkey meat: Make sure to remove the skin (its texture won't work in a curry), then cut the meat into chunks. I usually use white meat, but you can use dark meat or a mix of both.
- Chicken broth: I often use the Pacific Foods brand. When I happen to have homemade chicken broth, I use that.
- Cornstarch: It helps thicken the curry.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Mix the spices in a bowl. Saute the veggies. Add the garlic, ginger, and spices, then add the turkey.
Add the broth and simmer briefly to allow the flavors to meld. The last step is to thicken the curry with a cornstarch slurry.
Serve immediately.
We really enjoyed this recipe. The only modification I made was to the cayenne, as I did not quite add the entire ¼ teaspoon. Will definitely make again, maybe adding in some peas for extra veggies.
Kathy Doolittle
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Recipe Tips
- The challenge with this recipe is that we're using cooked meat and then cooking it some more, which could potentially result in the turkey meat drying out. However, we're cooking it minimally - basically just reheating it. Having said that, the juicier the meat you start off with, the better the end result will be.
- For an extra creamy curry, mix in ¼ cup of room-temperature heavy cream or canned coconut milk at the very end, after adding the cornstarch.
- You can use frozen vegetables. It's easy to use a frozen mix of sliced peppers, and you can cook them from frozen. You can also use frozen chopped onions.
- Storage: Cooked leftovers generally keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. But since we're using cooked turkey in this recipe, you should start counting those four days from when you originally cooked the turkey.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this curry on its own in bowls with a spoon. If you'd like to serve it on top of something, rice is the traditional choice. Low-carb options include cauliflower rice, shirataki noodles, zucchini noodles, or hearts of palm pasta.
It's also good on top of sauteed spinach, steamed spinach, or simply on a bed of fresh spinach leaves. The hot curry wilts the spinach just enough to gently cook it.
Recipe Card
Flavorful Turkey Curry
Video
Ingredients
Spice mix:
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Curry:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 medium onion - chopped; 6 ounces
- 3 bell peppers - large, chopped, or 1 pound of frozen bell pepper slices
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root - minced
- 3 cups cooked turkey breast - skinless, cut into chunks; 16 ounces
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- To prepare the seasoning mix, mix the salt, pepper, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of water if the pan gets too dry.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, and spices.
- Add the turkey and stir to coat.
- Add the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the curry, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
- Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir the mixture into the curry. Keep stirring until the curry thickens, about 1 more minute.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- The challenge when making this recipe is that we're using cooked turkey and then cooking it some more. This could potentially result in the turkey becoming dry. However, we're cooking it minimally - basically just reheating it. Having said that, the juicier the meat you start off with, the better the end result will be.
- For an extra creamy curry, mix in ¼ cup of room-temperature heavy cream or canned coconut milk at the very end, after adding the cornstarch.
- Cooked leftovers generally keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. But since we're using cooked turkey in this recipe, you should start counting those four days from when you originally cooked the turkey.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Kathy Doolittle says
We really enjoyed this recipe. The only modification I made was to the cayenne, as I did not quite add the entire 1/4 teaspoon. Will definitely make again, maybe adding in some peas for extra veggies.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kathy! Thank you for leaving a comment.