Leftover Turkey Salad

Leftover Turkey Salad is a perfect dish for the holiday season. Packed with delicious flavours and textures such as caramelized onions, chestnuts, fresh and dried cranberries, and rosemary, it is an elevated version of a traditional turkey salad. Elegant, festive, right (yet not too heavy), sweet and salty – you are going to love it!

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Hello nice people! I hope you are doing well. I am fine too, thanks for asking.

Can you believe we are almost in December? Holy cow! As food bloggers, we should be planning our Easter recipes soon! LOL Just kidding. Of course, we must first enjoy the winter holidays. And as you know, the US just celebrated Thanksgiving which means the holiday season has officially begun. Who is excited?

Holiday Savoury Recipes

I am really into savoury recipes this year. In fact, I’ve only posted one dessert so far – these Cointreau Truffles which you must check. I am begging you, folks. I also published two cranberry sauce ideas which are technically the sweet department. Please give them a try, too! Rosé Wine Cranberry Sauce and Cointreau Cranberry Sauce. And if you are looking for more savoury inspiration, I’ve got you covered:

Chestnut Prosciutto Pasta

Orange Sauce Meatballs

Chestnut Cheese Soup

Cheese Chestnut Dip (another MUST try!)

Rosé Wine Sauce Meatballs

Yeah, that’s right – I’ve used so many chestnuts lately. And guess what?! They also happen to be in this salad!

Leftover Turkey Salad

This salad is easy and quick to make (As long as you have some turkey or chicken leftovers), but it’s utterly delicious. Besides, most ingredients you probably already have on hand. Well, probably except for chestnuts. For the recipe you will need the roasted turkey (or chicken) leftovers. I personally prefer breasts, but other parts would do as well – you will just need to remove the skins (And possibly decrease the amount of butter.) Other components include:

– lightly caramelized sweet onions,

– fresh (or frozen) and dried cranberries for a sweet, sour, and luscious sauce,

– Fresh rosemary and thyme along with some spices like smoked paprika and chipotle powder,

– Butter for a rich and smooth flavour. If you are using fat parts of the roasted turkey, you might need to decrease the amount,

– Orange liquor. I added a good splash on a spur of the moment, and the result was great. It added something extra special like subtle sweetness and freshness. This is totally optional, but I would encourage you giving it a try.

Possible Additions

This recipe is versatile, too. Please feel free to swap or omit some ingredients. For instance, you can use nuts like walnuts or pecans in place of chestnuts. No turkey leftovers? Cooked ham would be a great addition. As always, the addition of prosciutto or bacon will be terrific; however, you will need to adjust the amount of butter to avoid a greasy situation. Cheese is another lovely addition, just bear in mind its saltiness. And pomegranate arils will make this dish even more festive and fresh.

I hope you like this Leftover Turkey Salad, and you will make it a try.  If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share your photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!