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This deliciously nostalgic dish is a creamy 1950s fantasy. Give your leftover holiday roast turkey a retro reinvention as Turkey á la King! A substantial meal of sherry-doused turkey with mushrooms and peppers in a dreamy white sauce is a welcome relief from another turkey sandwich. And more kitchen magic – it comes together in under 30 minutes.
If one blast from the Americana past just isn’t enough, tater tot casserole will certainly scratch that Midwest cook-out itch.
Turkey á la King
The original chicken á la King comes from ambiguous beginnings. Á la King or á la Keene? Named after its creator or named in honour? However, two things are certain: it was invented at the very end of the 19th century, and it was American made.
Mostly consumed by high society; fancy hotel guests, racehorse owners and the like, it was elegantly served on slices of toast. It was in the 1950s and 60s that á la King spiked in popularity and was served as a celebration dish at weddings, clubs, gala dinners.
Since then, it has filtered through to the mainstream, which is probably how the leftover version came to be; everyday home cooks just looking for new ways to minimise their food waste. Like me and you!
As a modern, average-sized family can comfortably plough through a whole roast chicken, that doesn’t leave a lot of leftovers. So, the á la King recipe turned turkey.
Turkey leftovers
One family of 4 + one holiday turkey = A LOT of leftovers. It is difficult to present the idea of Christmas dinner without a turkey, and my family are sticklers for that particular tradition.
With the average small turkey serving a suggested 6-8 people, that is a lot of uneaten meat. So, over the years I have had to get creative to avoid waste. Here are my family favourites for leftovers (and not a sandwich in sight):
- Turkey marsala pot pie– sweet, fragrant and topped with flaky pastry.
- Mulligatawny soup– a filling soup of turkey and rice, flavoured with subtle Indian spice.
- Hearty turkey stew– all the leftovers: turkey, vegetables, potatoes, plus a handful of herbs.
- Leftover turkey soup– aromatic, wholesome, comforting with a tempting texture from giant couscous grains.
- Turkey and lentil curry– a British classic and great way to add a bit of spice to your leftovers.
- Creamy leftover turkey chowder– another soup, but with extra creaminess.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- The original á la King recipe uses chicken. Feel free to replace the turkey leftovers in my recipe with chicken.
- Rotisserie or Sunday roast, any old leftover chicken can get some á la King treatment.
- Madeira or sherry maximise the flavour of this dish, but you can use dry white wine if you have it, or leave out the alcohol completely if you prefer.
- I’ve used fresh red bell pepper, rather than jarred pimentos. I find the texture of jarred or canned vegetables unpleasant in this dish. I mean, it’s retro for sure, but I’m not going that far!
- Any extra vegetables can be added. Frozen green peas or sweetcorn are popular, convenient and colourful.
- Gone are the dainty toasts and vol-au-vents canapé days. Sigh. But this á la King recipe is not! I’m making a meal of it by serving over rice or pasta.
Serving suggestions
For a creamy chicken or turkey dish, you need something to soak or scoop up the sauce. Plain white long grain rice, pasta shells or twists, or if you can’t get enough butter and comforting cream, mashed potato.
Although there are peppers and mushrooms in the dish itself, I like a side of vegetables too. To balance out the creaminess of the sauce and the soft texture of the turkey, this crunchy, tangy winter salad with red cabbage, kale and pomegranate is the answer.
Turkey leftovers usually mean Thanksgiving or Christmas so you might want a break from the carrots and sprouts! But if not, try these easy roasted parmesan brussels sprouts and carrots to keep it traditional.
Storage and leftovers
As this recipe uses previously cooked turkey (or chicken), I’m advising against keeping the leftovers. Twice is my limit for keeping and reheating poultry!
More recipes to try
- Cauliflower Gratin
- Herbed Butter Turkey Crown (Breast)
- Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
- Ground Turkey and Wild Rice Stuffed Squash
Turkey á la King
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 300g / 4 (10 oz) cups chestnut mushrooms
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp flour
- 75ml / 1/3 cup Madeira or Sherry wine
- 125ml / 1/2 cup This is an affiliate link.chicken stock
- 450g / 3 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken
- 250ml / 1 cup double / heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a deep and large pan, add the chopped onion and diced red pepper and cook over low heat for 10 minutes until tender. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, add minced garlic and stir fry for half a minutes, then season with a pinch of salt and sprinkle a tablespoon of flour all over. Mix to coat the vegetables in a butter flour paste and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the Madeira or Sherry while scraping the bottom of the pan to release the burned bits, continue cooking over medium heat until the wine is reduced in volume. Now pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the cubed turkey, paprika and double cream, warm through until the sauce is desired consistency for about 10 minutes. Salt to taste. Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
- This recipe can also be made with leftover chicken, which is closer to the original.
- If you want to add vegetables to the recipe, frozen peas, corn or mixed vegetables are all great additions.
- Using madeira or sherry is ideal for maximum flavour, but a dry white wine can also be used. Or leave out the alcohol entirely.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We loved this recipe! I only had a yellow bell pepper, no problem. To me, this tastes just like the canned, but using all fresh ingredients. I am definitely going to add this to my menus… thanks so much 😊🙏
I am so pleased you enjoyed it, Juanita!