The post Garlic Bread Leftover Turkey Pot Pie appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>We all know well that day-old turkey is quite dry. So smothering it in a creamy béchamel sauce for Leftover Turkey Pot Pie is an excellent way to breath new and delicious life into leftover meat! Adapted from my classic Chicken Pot Pie, this also makes use of leftover bread for a cheesy garlic bread topping.
Dull leftovers? Never around here!
Got leftover turkey?* Bits of bread lying around? Some scraps of veggies? Milk, butter and flour?
Then you can MAKE THIS Turkey Pot Pie! Because everything else is optional
OK, so a melty cheese topping precariously straddles the border of “optional” in my book, but having said that nobody every complains whenever normal cheese-less garlic bread makes an appearance so I doubt anyone would complain here either….
* Chicken, of course, is a perfectly valid alternative here if that’s what you have.
The idea for a crunchy buttery bread topping rather than puff pastry that Chicken Pot Pie is traditionally made with came about because the year I originally published this recipe I had a load of stale bread lying around and no puff pastry.
And I’m glad I did, because the garlic bread topping totally MAKES it!!!
Here’s what you need to make this. Take note: Any veg, any melting cheese!
Cooked turkey or chicken – If you’re wondering what the difference actually is between the two meats (other than the fact that turkey can be 2x, 5x bigger!!) from a taste perspective, the answer is very little. Turkey meat has a slightly deeper flavour, but most people can’t tell the difference. I find chicken meat is slightly more tender, being that’s it’s a smaller bird. But with leftovers and especially redeployed in a way like this, one can barely tell the difference.
In fact, the meat shown below in the container above is chicken, given that I didn’t make a new turkey recipe this year (due the current pandemic restrictions and environment as I explained in my Thanksgiving post).
Milk, butter, flour and stock powder – To make the creamy white sauce we use to smother everything in this pie.
Vegetables – I’ve used carrot, frozen peas and mushrooms because that’s what I had on the day when I first shared this recipe. You can use any vegetables you have that you think will taste nice in a creamy sauce. The spirit of this pie is using up leftovers, remember, so just about anything goes!
Garlic and onion – Essential flavour base for virtually every savoury dish around these parts!
While the filling is delicious, I’m not going to lie to you – the topping steals the show. It’s essentially cheesy garlic bread. The top gets beautiful and golden and the underside soaks up the creamy sauce…. UGH! It’s so good!
Here’s what you need:
Bread – Any bread is fine here. If you have a loaf or rolls, tear it into chunks. If you have pre-sliced bread, layer it overlapping so it covers the whole filling;
Garlic and butter – Fresh garlic is best, always. Jarred garlic is fine as a substitute, but it’s never the same – it has a sour taste and lacks that true fresh garlic pungency. A garlic press makes short work of mincing garlic (I use Zyliss, as listed in my Essential Kitchenware post!);
Parmesan – Just a little sprinkle for a boost of extra flavour, like we do for Chicken Parmesan, Baked Ziti. Entirely optional – but if you’ve got it, I recommend it!
Cheese – Any cheesee you have is fine here – anything that melts! But freshly-shredded is best. I wanted to use up mozzarella cheese slices I had on hand (an error in judgement in purchase) so that’s what you see here, but it’s always better to grate your own. It melts better; pre-sliced gets a bit of a skin on it, and pre-shredded stuff in packets just doesn’t melt as well as freshly shredded.
The making part is a streamlined version of Chicken Pot Pie because we’re using leftover cooked turkey or chicken instead of making it from scratch.
Garlic butter – Simply mix melted butter and crushed garlic (use a garlic crusher here to extract best flavour – see the Zyliss I use in my Essential Kitchenware post);
Garlic bread topping – Toss chunks of bread with the garlic butter;
Cook mushrooms first then remove, so we can get a nice golden brown colour on them = tastier. If you cook them later, they don’t brown up because the pot is too crowded;
Flavour base and roux – Sauté garlic and onion in butter, then carrot, to make a flavour base. Then add the flour and stir it in to make a roux (thickener for the bechamel);
Make creamy bechamel sauce – Pour half the milk in while stirring constantly. This will help ensure your sauce is lump-free as it will transform into a paste-like mixture that the flour mixes into more easily. Then stir in the rest of the milk and the “paste” will dissolve into the milk … giving us lump-free bechamel sauce! (However, if you do have some flour lumps, just grab a whisk and whisk it back and forth rapidly, it will eventually remove any lumps); and
Thicken – Stir leisurely as it comes to heat (so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pot), and as it gets hot and steamy it will thicken quite quickly. Cook it until the sauce is thick enough so you can draw a clean path through the sauce across the back of a wooden spoon.
Sauce done! Now it’s just a matter of adding the turkey and assembling!
Make filling – Add turkey, frozen peas (no need to thaw) and mushrooms then toss well;
Top with garlic bread – Spread the filling out so it’s flat, then top with the garlic bread chunks;
Cheesy goodness – Sprinkle with parmesan then top with the melting cheese. I’ve used mozzarella slices today because I that’s what I had. They were pre-sliced which I don’t like; it doesn’t melt as well as slicing or shredding your own. But hey, never waste perfectly good ingredients!
Bake! Bake half the time uncovered to get nice brown spots on the cheese, then the remaining time covered so the cheese doesn’t get any browner but it gives everything a chance to bubble together nicely.
Then pull it out of the oven and dig in!
Mmmmm, that combination of creamy filling and that buttery, cheesy garlic bread topping… it’s to die for!
I really hope you got a turkey big enough this year so you have enough leftovers to make this! My rule of thumb for gauging roast turkey portions is around 250g / 8oz raw turkey per person (shrinks by about 20% once cooked). Multiply that by the number of guests you are catering for.
But … then double it. That way, you will know for sure that you’ll have plenty of turkey leftover to make this Leftover Turkey Pot Pie. – Nagi x
Originally published November 2016. Updated with new photos and recipe video in November 2020.
Nothing has changed in the 4 years since I first shared this recipe – The gleam in those eyes as he dreams of doing a face plant in that pie….. Now (2020):
…. and back then (2016).
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]]>The post Garlic Herb Butter SLOW COOKER Turkey Breast appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>This Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is a show stopper that’s bursting with buttery garlic-herb flavours, an outrageous super crispy skin and a Garlic Butter Gravy that’s absolutely to-die for!
Slow cooking is without question the safest and easiest way to cook turkey breast without brining or marinating. The flesh is juicy, it’s completely hands off, and it’s a forgiving recipe. And it’s ideal to prep ahead!
This is the slow cooker version of last years’ Roasted Garlic Herb Butter Turkey Breast. The slow cooker option was in such high demand, I ended up creating it and cramming the recipe in the notes, putting it in the running for the world’s longest recipe directions.
And as Christmas and Thanksgiving approaches for another year, I finally got my butt into gear and filmed the slow cooker version properly so I could share it with you.
So it’s here. Garlic Herb SLOW COOKER Turkey Breast. Just 12 months after it was originally requested!!😂
✅ Easy, forgiving recipe made in the slow cooker, freeing up your oven for other things;
✅ Juicy flesh – no dry turkey breast around here! Proof -> see reader feedback on the classic Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast, there’s plenty! This Garlic Herb Turkey Breast uses the same cooking technique;
✅ Garlic-Herb-Butter flavour – all that flavour slathered under the skin so it drips down and bastes the turkey while it’s cooking…..
✅ Crispy skin – you are going to be BLOWN AWAY how crispy the skin is! It’s way crispier than traditional roasted turkey – and it stays crispy. It takes mere minutes under the grill/broiler just before serving!
✅ Garlic Butter Gravy – As if all that’s not enough, we’re topping all that off with the most incredible gravy… The favour in that gravy is outrageous. OUTRAGEOUS! It’s buttery, garlicky, a bit herby, but mostly it’s the turkey juices. You will be amazed how much juice comes out of the turkey!
The garlic-butter slather is the key flavour base for this recipe. Lots of butter, lots of garlic, plus herbs of choice – fresh or dried.
Fresh herbs are extra great so try to get at least one if not two fresh herbs if you can. I’ve used thyme, sage, parsley and rosemary – the dried version of all of these are great too.
Get that butter all over the turkey, in all the crevices and folds, but most of all, get it under the skin. This is where you get the most mileage out of the butter because it’s trapped between the skin and the flesh so while some drips down the turkey while it cooks, some of it also stays under the skin.
Just imagine all the good things happening during all those hours while it slow cooks!!
You’re going to cop a great eyeful of my unmistakable hands in the recipe video doing all the slathering action. No cheeky comments! 😂
Use an upside down tablespoon. Perfect shape to hug the curves and avoids piercing skin.
I like to place the turkey breast on top of a halved onion and head of garlic. This serves two purposes:
1. Elevates the turkey breast so it doesn’t braise in its own juices (cooks faster, can dry it out); and
2. Infuses the liquid from the turkey with extra flavour which is used to make the amazing garlic butter gravy.
Slow cook for 6 hours on LOW, but to be on the safe side, check the internal temperature at 5 hours. Variables such as how chilled the centre of your turkey is, the strength of your slow cooker, thickness of the breast can all affect how long it takes.
75C / 165F using a meat thermometer inserted into the centre of the turkey breast.
A MEAT THERMOMETER IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Even a cheap one from Ebay or Kmart. It’s a very worthwhile investment – and will take the guesswork out of cooking.
It’s especially important for things like turkey breast which are lean and prone to drying out when overcooked.
This is an essential step and it’s the crowning glory of this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast. Just pop the turkey under the grill/broiler for a mere 5 minutes, and watch with amazement how the pale, unappetising looking skin transforms into a deeply bronzed, ultra crispy skin…
DOESN’T THIS LOOK AMAZING??!! And don’t forget there’s GARLIC-HERB-BUTTER UNDER THE SKIN!!
*Sorry for shouting, just overly excited*
I know I said the crispy skin is the crowning glory, but I forgot – there’s another one:
All those flavours from the Garlic-Herb-Butter we slathered on the turkey, mingling with the juices from the turkey with the added flavour from the onion and garlic on the base of the slow cooker….
It’s a gravy unlike any other!!
Turkey breast is more often than not a centrepiece for holiday feasting such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here are some traditional and some of my personal favourite side dish suggestions!
Turkey breast has a reputation for being notoriously difficult to cook because it’s so lean, so it can go from perfectly juicy to dry in a flash in the oven. You don’t need to stress about precise timing in this recipe because slow cookers are far more forgiving than ovens because they cook at such a low temp – PLUS we’re adding (plenty!) of fat into this recipe with the butter.
One or two hours over, and the turkey breast will still be juicy.
But if you do accidentally overcook it slightly, don’t fret. Slice the turkey thinly and pass around plenty of that fabulous Garlic Butter Gravy, and I bet no one even notices!!! ~ Nagi x
PS For neatly categorised Thanksgiving recipes, head here!
It is quite ridiculous how small my hands look compared to that GIANT turkey breast! 😂
Originally published November 2018, writing cleaned up and re-edited video added November 2019. No change to recipe!
Oh those tantalising smells…..
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]]>This Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is without a doubt, this is the easiest, safest and tastiest way to cook turkey breast without brining. It’s moist and juicy, takes 3 minutes to prepare, then just leave it to cook in your slow cooker (crock pot). Then use the juices to make a killer gravy!
Even if you’re a first timer, you can have confidence in this turkey breast recipe – it’s been viewed over 3 million times and has hundreds of glowing reviews!❤️
Turkey breast is notoriously lean so the only way to guarantee it comes out juicy if you roast it in the oven is to brine it – dry or wet brine. If you don’t brine it, then even if you use a meat thermometer, it is extremely difficult to roast the turkey breast perfectly.
I created this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast after trying a handful of recipes for turkey breast and being disappointed by the bland looking skin, dry meat and mediocre gravy. So I tossed out everything I’d read and decided to come up with my own version using a slow cooker. This is by far the juiciest turkey breast I’ve ever had – without brining. And my friends agreed!
It’s almost magical how a recipe this simple can yield such extraordinary results. Moist turkey with incredible flavour and a gravy that’s off the charts!
A 2 kg / 4 l2b turkey breast will take 5 to 6 hours on LOW in a slow cooker. Check the internal temperature at 5 hours. See recipe notes for cook times for other sizes.
I promised you easy – and easy it is! Here’s how it goes down:
Slather turkey with a simple magical rub;
Place in a slow cooker on a bed of onion and garlic (these flavour the juices that comes out of the turkey and forms the basis for the gravy + keeps turkey elevated out of liquid while slow cooking);
Slow cook for 5 to 6 hours;
Briefly broil/grill or bake to crisp the skin; then
Use slow cooker juices to make a killer gravy. It’s incredible because it’s essentially made with the best homemade stock – the turkey juices!
PS That’s a multi function cooker you see. I use the slow cooker function for this recipe.
Click or tap on Servings on the recipe. Then slide until the turkey reaches the weight of your turkey. It will change all the ingredient quantities for you! Then refer to the recipe notes for the right cook time for your turkey.
Type of turkey breast – bone in or boneless turkey breast is fine. Skin on is recommended because the fat under the skin melts while the turkey is cooking and it bastes the turkey (helps with flavour and moisture). Also skin is required to get that lovely browned seasoned crust you see in the photos.
Single or double breast? Either is fine. These photos show a single turkey breast. See here for what a double turkey breast looks like (on the bone, also called a turkey buffe or turkey crown)
What size? Turkey breast differ drastically in size – they can range from 1.5/3lb to over 5kg/10lb! The beauty of this recipe is that it will work for any turkey breast size – as long as it fits in your slow cooker! Note the different cook times in the recipe.
A great rub goes a long way with turkey breast! It not only adds flavour, it seasons the broth and it gives the turkey breast great colour!
How long to cook turkey breast in the slow cooker – A 2 kg / 4 lb turkey breast will take about 5 to 6 hours on LOW in a slow cooker. See recipe notes for cook times for other sizes.
How to tell when turkey breast is done – When the internal temperature is 165F / 75C. That’s optimum perfectly-cooked juiciness, allowing for a slight temperature increase while the turkey rests.
Elevate the turkey breast with a halved garlic and onion to ensure even cooking because otherwise the breast will be half submerged and poaching in liquid (you will be amazed how much liquid the breast leeches while cooking)
Crisp the skin under the broiler. The extra flavour you get is worth it – and it only takes a few minutes
Use slow cooker juices for GRAVY – the turkey juices are loaded with flavour and are the best broth ever to make an absolute killer gravy!
Slow Cooking is FORGIVING! Because of the low temperature, there’s far less risk of drying out the turkey from overcooking. So even if the turkey is in the slow cooker for 1 or 2 hours longer than necessary, it will still be lovely. Plus – speaking really frankly – that gravy can save anything. ANYTHING!
Prefer ROASTED turkey breast? Use this Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Turkey Breast.
Turkey breast is more often than not a centrepiece for holiday feasting in many households around the world. So with this in mind, here are some side dish suggestions for Thanksgiving and Christmas menus!
And you might also find these helpful: Thanksgiving recipe index and Easy Thanksgiving Menu suggestions
I know it can be nerve racking, trying a new recipe – especially you’re new to cooking, and it’s a centrepiece for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
But you can have Confidence in this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe. It’s been viewed over 3 million times since I first published, there’s hundreds of fantastic reviews, it’s a simple recipe and there’s a recipe video below to guide you through it step by step.
And in all honesty – worst case? Your turkey goes a bit over and it’s not as juicy as you hoped. Of course, I’m doing everything in my power to help avoid this – including sending over virtual positive vibes.😂
But if it does – don’t fret! That Turkey Gravy is so insanely good, it will totally make up for it! – Nagi x
SLOW COOKER: Many people have said that my slow cooker looks like a pressure cooker. They are actually correct, it is a slow cooker and pressure cooker in one (but no, it is not an Instant Pot). It is called a Breville Fast-Slow Cooker (it’s an Australian product). I use the slow cooker function for this recipe.
Originally published November 2016. Updated for some housekeeping November 2019 – no change to recipe.
This is what a turkey coma looks like.
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]]>The post Turkey Gravy recipe appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>The BEST Turkey Gravy recipe to complete your turkey feast! For your turkey, veggies, mashed potatoes and everything in between!
Plus, my cheeky tip for how to darken gravy to make it a beautiful deep brown colour, as well as how to make gluten-free gravy. This turkey gravy recipe is for oven roasted turkey OR slow cooker turkey!
When it comes to turkey, there are those in the Cranberry Sauce camp, and those in the gravy camp. Me – I’ve got a foot in both camps.
There’s nothing quite like the combination of turkey with sweet-tart cranberry sauce. But on the other hand, gravy and I are very good friends. You’d be hard pressed to find a roast on this site that doesn’t come with a gravy recipe!!
I have a regular “formula” I use for all my gravies which I also apply to turkey gravy:
Use 1.5 tbsp pan drippings or butter plus 1.5 tbsp flour for every 1 cup of broth/stock. Simmer until thickened, season to taste. Strain if required then serve.
The best way to make turkey gravy depends on how you cooked your turkey.
Roasted turkey will have pan drippings which provides the flavour base for the turkey gravy. This method requires broth/stock to make gravy; and
Slow cooker turkey does not have pan drippings. Instead, the juices left in the slow cooker after cooking the turkey is used as the stock/broth for the gravy. Here are slow cooker turkey recipes I’ve shared: Classic Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast and Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Turkey Breast.
This is how I make gravy for roasted turkey. I almost always place garlic and onion in the base of the pan as this adds terrific extra flavour to the turkey gravy. I also usually include a bunch of herbs – whatever I’m using in the turkey also goes in the pan.
Next, it’s important to add some kind of liquid into the pan, otherwise you’ll end up with a burnt mess under the turkey. I use 1.5 to 2 cups of white wine or water. I do not use chicken or turkey broth because I use broth later when making the gravy. If you use it both in the pan and when making the gravy, the savoury flavour of the gravy is too concentrated.
Proceed to roast the turkey per the recipe. Once cooked, remove the turkey and the liquid and fat left in the pan is the flavour base for the gravy – this is called drippings.
I make the gravy in the roasting pan as this ensures that none of the flavour from the drippings is wasted. It’s ideal to use a double burner but even a single burner stove is fine (which is what I use in the recipe video).
We only need 2 to 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan drippings to make gravy. With fattier cuts of meat, like roast lamb and pork, you usually need to scoop off excess fat from the drippings otherwise the gravy is too greasy. You don’t need to do this with turkey because it’s not as fatty.
Leave the onion and garlic in the pan, we’re going to extract all the flavour out of it later when we strain the gravy.
Add flour and mix, then add chicken or turkey broth. Simmer to thicken, season to taste with pepper.
Once the gravy has thickened to your taste – remember that it will thicken as it cools – strain it into a bowl then pour into a jug for serving. Tip: Keep it warm in a thermos or similar! Saves having to reheat and also prevents skin forming on top.
To make gravy gluten free, skip the flour and add a cornflour / cornstarch slurry. Use:
Add the cornflour slurry into the liquid then simmer until thickened to taste.
Here are slow cooker turkey recipes I’ve shared: Classic Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast and Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Turkey Breast.
The steps depicted above for making gravy using pan drippings is the classic way to make gravy. Making gravy for slow cooker turkey is different because we do not have a pan of browned pan drippings to use as the starting point.
Instead, I either skim fat off the strained slow cooker liquids OR use butter as the starting point (if there’s not enough fat in the liquids).
Then mix in flour and use the slow cooker juices as the broth for the gravy.
Because we don’t get caramelisation in slow cookers, Slow Cooker turkey gravy is pale unless you use a gravy darkener of some sort. The taste is great, it’s just a visual thing that bothers some people (like me!).
You can buy gravy darkeners, but my cheeky tip to darken gravy as well as add seasoning is to use dark soy sauce. I know what you’re thinking – “that’s so Asian!!” 😂 And sure, I thought of this because I know Asian condiments well.
But it’s 100% effective. It darkens the gravy as well as seasons it but it does not make it taste Asiany! Soy sauce nowadays is used as a means to add salt and flavour into many non-Asian recipes. It’s a better version of salt because it has more umami (savouriness) than salt.
Try it – you’ll be converted for life!
Alternative: Worcestershire sauce can also be used but approach with caution because the flavour can overwhelm. You won’t achieve the same dark brown colour (or if you do, the gravy flavour will be dominated by Worcestershire sauce).
Here’s a comparison of the two gravies. On the left is the gravy for Juicy Roast Turkey made using the pan drippings. A natural deep brown colour.
And on the right is the gravy from the Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Turkey Breast I shared recently.
Both are delicious!
While the two methods are different, both yield an intensely savoury, can’t-stop-mopping-it-up delicious gravy that you’ll want to pour over everything!
Enjoy! – Nagi x
PS All my turkey recipes come with a gravy recipe, but in case you’re wanting to browse, here’s a list of them.
Video tutorial for how to make turkey gravy for ROASTED Turkey (see below for SLOW COOKER turkey):
Video tutorial for how to make turkey gravy for SLOW COOKER Turkey:
This is how I typed up this post….
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