This turkey stir fry is an easy and delicious way to use up leftover turkey. Simply add vegetables and a tasty sauce and quickly sauté.
This delicious turkey stir fry is one of my most requested leftover turkey recipes. All my family members love it, and I love how easy it is to make. This recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes, is very simple to make, and the sauce is wonderfully flavorful! Other good recipes to make with leftover turkey include turkey carcass soup, turkey curry, turkey chili, and turkey hash.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Cooked turkey meat: I typically use turkey breast, but dark meat is fine, too. Just make sure to remove the skin.
- Frozen stir-fry vegetables: I like to use a frozen mix that I get at Whole Foods. It contains broccoli, carrots, green beans, onions, red bell peppers, and mushrooms. You can use about a pound of fresh veggies instead.
- Sauce: A mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch.
- Aromatics: Garlic and ginger. It's best to mince the garlic and grate the ginger by hand, but jarred garlic and ginger will work, too. I don't recommend using powders. They're not as flavorful.
- To finish: Toasted sesame oil and chopped scallions.
Variations
- I love this recipe as is - it has lots of umami flavor from the soy sauce and just the right heat level. However, it's definitely spicy, so use just ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes if you don’t like your food spicy.
- It's not a bad idea to balance out the flavors by adding just a bit of sweetness. A teaspoon of honey (real or sugar-free) is a nice addition to the sauce that my family likes.
- Instead of red pepper flakes, I sometimes add a teaspoon of sriracha to the sauce.
- Needless to say, this recipe works beautifully with leftover chicken!
Instructions
This stir fry is ready fast, especially if you use a frozen vegetable mix. The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
To make the sauce, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch.
Cook the frozen veggies, garlic, and ginger in avocado oil. Add the cooked turkey meat and the sauce. Stir-fry until the sauce thickens.
Drizzle the dish with sesame oil, sprinkle it with scallions, and serve.
Delicious, so easy and fast. I had a small bag of stir fry veggies so threw in fresh red pepper and zucchini. Heat was just right for me with lower amount of pepper flakes. Great way to use up my Christmas in July turkey leftovers! This will be my go to recipe for stir fry. Thank you!
Terry
Read more comments
Delicious, so easy and fast. I had a small bag of stir fry veggies so threw in fresh red pepper and zucchini. Heat was just right for me with lower amount of pepper flakes. Great way to use up my Christmas in July turkey leftovers! This will be my go to recipe for stir fry. Thank you!Recipe Tips
- You should cook the stir fry minimally. After all, the turkey meat is already cooked, and you don't want to dry it out. So, at the last step, when you add the meat and sauce to the skillet, cook the whole thing no more than the time it takes to heat through.
- I use frozen veggies for convenience, but you can use a pound of fresh ones. Any sturdy vegetables will work in a stir-fry recipe, including broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, green beans, and bell peppers.
- Please don't skip the sesame oil and make sure it's toasted. It adds amazing flavor to the stir fry.
- How to serve: I often serve this dish on a bed of cauliflower rice. It's also good on top of mashed cauliflower (omitting the parmesan), sauteed spinach, and even on a bed of raw spinach leaves - the hot stir-fry wilts the spinach just enough to lightly cook it.
- Storage tips: Cooked poultry can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. However, since you're making this stir fry with leftover turkey, you should take into account how long that meat has already been in the fridge when you decide how long you can store it. As for reheating the leftovers, you can reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
Recipe Card
Quick Turkey Stir Fry
Video
Ingredients
Sauce:
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce - or a gluten-free alternative
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - ¼ teaspoon if you don’t like your food spicy
Stir Fry:
- 1 pound cooked white turkey meat - skinless, cut into thin strips; about 3 cups
- 1 pound frozen stir fry vegetables - or 1 pound of fresh, sturdy veggies cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root - minced
To Finish:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup green onions - thinly sliced, green parts only
Instructions
- Whisk the sauce ingredients (soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes) in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large, deep skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are defrosted and tender, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Give the sauce another stir, then add the turkey meat and sauce to the skillet.
- Cook, stirring, until everything is well-coated and the sauce thickens, for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the stir fry to a serving platter. Drizzle it with the sesame oil and scatter the scallions on top. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cook this stir fry minimally. After all, the turkey is already cooked, and you don't want to dry it out. So at the last step, when you add the meat and sauce to the skillet, cook the whole thing no more than the time it takes to heat through, about 2 minutes.
- Please don't skip the toasted sesame oil. It greatly elevates the dish.
- Leftovers:
- Cooked poultry can be kept in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. However, since you're making this stir-fry with leftover turkey, you should take into account how long that meat has already been in the fridge when you decide how long you can store it. As for reheating the leftovers, you can reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
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.
Carolyn says
nice and easy, quick meal on the go . I used fresh turkey strips and cooked them minimally while mixing the sauce. also added mixed capsicum to stretch the meal further - perfect !!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Carolyn! Thank you for sharing your delicious tweaks.
Fabunmi Aiku says
This seems to be a great recipe BUT I hesitate to use the bag of frozen veggies. I've purchased them before and they have mostly carrots and very few other veggies. I think I should chop my own mix.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Absolutely! It's always better to use fresh veggies than frozen. You can use one pound. It's just that frozen is so convenient. 🙂
Terry says
Delicious, so easy and fast. I had a small bag of stir fry veggies so threw in fresh red pepper and zucchini. Heat was just right for me with lower amount of pepper flakes. Great way to use up my Christmas in July turkey leftovers! This will be my go to recipe for stir fry. Thank you!
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Terry! I'm so glad you enjoyed this stir-fry. Thank you for sharing your delicious tweaks.