An easy recipe for a very flavorful and filling turkey curry. It’s one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving!
Are you still looking for non-boring ways to use up leftover turkey? Try this delicious, nutritious and flavorful curry!
One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the leftover turkey. It actually used to stress me out – how do I use up all that meat! But over the years, I’ve developed a great collection of leftover turkey recipes, and this turkey curry is one of the best.
The ingredients you’ll need
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make this tasty curry. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below:
Coconut oil: I use refined oil which has a high smoke point and no coconut flavor. You can also use avocado oil, ghee, or even butter.
Veggies: I like to use sliced onion, diced carrots, minced garlic, and frozen peas.
Spices: Curry powder, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Make sure they are fresh! Spices are delicious, but a stale spice can easily ruin a dish. And I’m speaking from experience here…
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 use the Pacific Natural brand, and I don’t use a low-sodium broth, as I find it less flavorful. When I happen to have homemade chicken soup, I use that.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the curry could end up too salty.
Honey: You can use a liquid sugar-free sweetener instead, or simply omit it.
How to make leftover turkey curry
It’s a super easy recipe! The detailed instructions are included in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
1. Saute the veggies in coconut oil.
2. Add the leftover turkey, spices, and broth.
3. Cook for a short while to allow the flavors to meld.
Voila! You’ve got yourself a hot, filling, and very flavorful curry. And needless to say, this recipe works beautifully with leftover chicken too.
How to serve this dish
You can serve this saucy dish in bowls with a spoon, over cauliflower rice, or over a bed of fresh spinach leaves. The hot curry will wilt the spinach just enough to gently cook it. It’s really good!
How to make it low-carb
This turkey curry recipe, as written, is obviously not a low carb dish. But you can significantly lower the carb count by omitting the carrots and peas, and using a low carb honey alternative, or simply omitting the honey.
More tasty curry recipes
I have two more curry recipes on this blog that I just love. They’re Thai-style curries, and they are so flavorful. Coconut shrimp curry is ready in just 30 minutes. And this Thai chicken curry is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken breasts.
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Turkey Curry
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups cooked turkey meat, skinless, cut into chunks (10 oz)
- 2 cups chicken broth (I used Pacific Natural)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Add the onions and the carrots. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and the peas. Cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Add the curry powder, coriander, turmeric and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the turkey and stir well to coat.
- In a 1-quart measuring cup, whisk together the chicken broth, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and honey. Add to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes, until carrots are just tender.
NOTES
Calories 214; fat 8g; saturated fat 6g; carbs 12g; sugars 4g; sodium 655mg; fiber 3g; protein 24g.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.