Make Ahead

Leftover Turkey (or Roast Chicken) Sort-of-Stroganoff

by:
November 27, 2009
4.5
2 Ratings
Leftover Turkey (or Roast Chicken) Sort-of-Stroganoff
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Stroganoff back in the day was considered kind of fancy - something you'd get, say, in the restaurant of an expensive hotel in New York City, where they'd serve it over egg noodles. That's not a bad idea but really, why do that when you can put something with such a good sauce over toast? (We're one of those families in which "something savory over toast" constitutes its own separate category of dinner options.) And why limit it to the original iteration using beef? This is a great way to use up not just leftover turkey, but also rotisserie or any other roast chicken. Since I first posted this, I've discovered the wonders of mushroom powder - finely pulverized dried porcini or other mushrooms - which is readily available online (see note below). That stuff is amazing. Once you start using it, you'll find yourself putting it in all kinds of things. If you don't have any mushroom powder, or can't easily get it, no worries. Just make sure to brown the mushrooms a bit more, to get as much flavor as you can from them. Enjoy!! ;o) —AntoniaJames

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 cups leftover roast turkey or roast chicken, chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1 large white or yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • 12 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon bacon fat (or butter, if you prefer)
  • 1-2 teaspoons mushroom powder
  • 1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock, or a bit more, as needed
  • 2 teaspoons stoneground mustard (preferably with horseradish)
  • 2 tablespoons white wine or dry vermouth
  • 1-2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cups sour cream (light or regular) - or full-fat Greek yogurt
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Toasted bread, or egg noodles, or brown rice
Directions
  1. Saute the onion for several minutes over medium heat, stirring, in 1 tablespoon of the butter and in the bacon fat. You can use all butter instead, or substitute oil if you prefer.
  2. Add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt, and sauté until they're soft and brown, and have released a fair bit of liquid. Remove the sautéed vegetables with a slotted spoon and set them aside.
  3. Add the remaining butter to the pan and melt over medium heat, stirring. Slowly sprinkle in the flour, stirring for several minutes to combine, until the mixture starts to brown a bit more. Add the mushroom powder, if using, and stir well to distribute it.
  4. Gradually add the turkey or chicken broth, whisking or stirring continually to incorporate all the ingredients. Add the mustard, wine, and, if you’re using it, the Worcestershire sauce. Stir well.
  5. Stir in the onion and mushrooms and cook over medium heat for another 2-3 minutes.
  6. Over medium heat, add the sour cream or Greek yogurt and stir it vigorously until everything is combined. Watch it carefully, as the sauce should not boil. Test and correct the seasoning as needed.
  7. Stir in the turkey or chicken, and simmer just until it's heated through. If there's not enough sauce, add a touch more stock. When anything is "over toast" more sauce is always better.
  8. Serve over toasted thickly sliced bread. This is also good over brown rice or leftover mashed potatoes - or under mashed potatoes in a casserole, then popped under the broiler for a quick shepherd's pie.
  9. You can also serve this over noodles, or stir it into noodles, top with small cubes of bread, drizzle some melted butter over it and pop it into the oven until the bread cubes turn into dark, crunchy croutons, if you like casseroles.
  10. However you choose to go . . . . I hope you enjoy this. ;o)
  11. N.B. I get excellent and reasonably priced mushroom powder from nuts.com. In fact, I almost never use dried mushrooms in any other form these days. The powder is so darned convenient, and packs a wallop of flavor. I put it in any dish where mushrooms might be nice (but aren't essential), such as just about any meat or sausage and tomato dish, especially pasta sauces and braises. And let's not forget the soups that love mushroom powder, especially chicken with wild rice, chicken noodle, beef and barley, and mushroom barley (yes, add it when you're also using mushrooms for a nice flavor boost).
  12. This is (I think) the first recipe I posted on Food52, as part of the "Your Best Thanksgiving Leftovers" contest in November 2009.
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Recipe by: AntoniaJames

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10 Reviews

Ctgal
Ctgal November 29, 2022
Lovely! I had to change it some for my IBS. There went the onion, and I can only have oyster mushrooms. It was still very tasty. I served it over gluten free noodles. What a great use for leftover turkey!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames November 30, 2022
Thank you, Ctgal! It's also a great use for the leftover sour cream that I inevitably find in my fridge after Thanksgiving. ;o)
 
sl(i)m
sl(i)m November 28, 2017
Easy to prepare, great taste! Everyone, even the 17-year old who does not like mushrooms, went back for seconds. Served over farfalle, although I would have loved the "over toast" version!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames November 28, 2017
So glad to hear that! Especially that the 17 year old liked it. I freeze leftover turkey, even small amounts of gravy and stock so I can make this long after Thanksgiving is over. ;o) P.S. It's even better over toast. Really. And don't forget, it can be made with chicken!
 
Kathy L.
Kathy L. November 9, 2016
This was fantastic. It's going into my regular rotation. Thank you!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames November 9, 2016
Kathy, thank you so much. I'm pleased that you liked it. This was the very first recipe I posted on Food52, nearly 7 years ago. (It was the 1,965th recipe posted to the site!)
It's based on a super simple family- and weeknight-friendly recipe my kids loved, for beef stroganoff made with tri-tip end pieces (and virtually the rest is identical - you saute the meat, take it out of the pan, throw in some more butter and proceed as stated here).
What's really nice about this as a Thanksgiving leftover is that it gives you a great way to use up your leftover potatoes, too, if you have them. I've been known to throw in whatever extra herbs I have on hand and even bits of roasted root vegetables from the holiday meal.
But I digress. Thanks again. And don't forget that this works great with roast chicken, too! Cheers. ;o)
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames January 17, 2010
I made this using leftover roast chicken, earlier this week, and it was just as good, of course. I didn't have a suitable white wine on hand, so I used dry vermouth, which actually made the dish taste even better. I only had light sour cream, and noticed that it makes the sauce a lot thinner than usual. So keep that in mind, and use less stock in the sauce if you're using sour cream.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames January 17, 2010
Oooops, I meant, "If you're using light sour cream."
 
mtlabor
mtlabor December 4, 2009
this looks great! i'll definitely have to try it soon!
 
pauljoseph
pauljoseph November 30, 2009
looks good, cheers!