Easy Leftover Turkey Korma

Post holiday leftovers is a common feature in most kitchens after a BIG indulgent family meal following Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Having leftover turkey or chicken can both be a blessing as you do not have to cook from scratch the next day or a pain, as you could well be stuck with eating the same dish again until the pot is clean!

This make you wonder how to use turkey leftovers especially if it is tough and dry.

This spicy and creamy Indian korma is one of the best leftover turkey recipe you can make with any type of tough leftover poultry.

It is spicy but in a family friendly way as the creaminess of the korma cuts through the spice. It is a delicious and creative idea  to make use of leftover turkey or even leftover chicken.

Ingredients to Make Leftover Turkey Indian Style

This easy leftover turkey curry recipe can be made with just 6 main ingredients.

To make this recipe you will need:

Fresh or Pantry Ingredients 

⇒Leftover turkey or chicken – 2 cups or 350 gms, shredded without any bones

⇒Frozen or fresh spinach – 1.5 cup

⇒Garlic – 5 pods, chopped or grated

⇒Ginger – 1 inch chopped or grated

⇒Tinned or fresh tomatoes – 1/2 cup

⇒Sunflower Oil – 1 tbsp

Spices Used 

⇒Tandoori masala powder – 2tsp

Optional  Ingredients 

⇒Onions – 1, chopped

⇒Butter – 2 tsp

⇒Leftover chunky cooked vegetables

⇒Boiled Egg for garnish and to serve

Substitute Ingredients 

⇒ Substitute tandoori masala powder with curry powder or butter chicken masala

⇒ For a dairy free version substitute cream with coconut milk

⇒ For low carb leftover turkey curry substitute cream with low fat milk.

⇒ You can follow the same recipe to make this dish with leftover chicken

⇒ The use of spinach and of any leftover roasted vegetables in the recipe makes it a healthy leftover turkey dish.

Here is a snap shot of the ingredients .

Step By Step Method to Make Turkey Curry With Images

It will only take you 20-30 minutes max from start to finish to make this recipe as poultry or any other leftover vegetables is already cooked and spinach takes very less time to cook.

STEP 1 

Saute onions if using until translucent. Then add ginger and garlic in  oil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it changes in colour.

Next add tomatoes and cook until pulpy and you see droplets of oil oozing from the sides

STEP 2 

Now add 2 tsps of Tandoori masala powder and saute for another 3 minutes. Add a little water if the powder sticks to the bottom on the pan

STEP 3 

Next add spinach, mix with the spice base and fry for 5 minutes until it starts to wilt and become soft.

STEP 4 

Time to add the shredded turkey or chicken and any other cooked leftover vegetables to the spinach and mix well.

STEP 5 

Add cream (see notes above for dairy free and low carb option) and adjust salt to taste. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until nice and creamy.

STEP 6 

Serve creamy leftover Turkey Korma with any Indian bread or rice.

Cooking Tips & FAQ’s

1. This dish is a good dinner idea for leftover turkey if your have dry and tough turkey as the cream softens the dryness. 
2. The turkey will already have added salt so be mindful of how much salt you add. 
3. Add a little water from time to time to prevent the ground spices from burning. 
4. Use a dollop of butter if you wish at the end of cooking to give it a buttery taste. 
5. You can add boiled egg to garnish and make the dish extra wholesome. 
6. If using frozen spinach thaw it before adding . 

Can You Make This Leftover Turkey Dish In Crockpot

Absolutely yes, you can.

All you need to do to make this recipe in the crockpot instead of a pan is take 5 minutes to saute the onions, ginger and garlic in oil before adding it to the crockpot.

Sauteed onions enhances the taste of the dish further, so I would absolutely recommend it.

After cooking and transferring the onions, ginger and garlic into the slowcooker or crockpot, add 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, spinach, shredded turkey, salt and tandoori masala powder.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.

After two hours add 1/2 cup cream and cook for another 1/2 hour on high before serving.

Can You Freeze Leftover Turkey

It is so easy to freeze leftover turkey and use it to make other turkey dishes later.

You can also make this Indian style easy  leftover turkey recipe in bulk and freeze it in packs.

Eating Indian curries especially non vegetarian dished such as this easy chicken curry with 7 ingredients  or this lamb bhuna recipe for example always tastes better when eaten the next day. 

This gives the spices a chance to get into the meat and make it even more flavourful.

How Is This Recipe Easy And Healthy

This is an easy after thanksgiving turkey recipe to make with either leftover turkey or chicken because of the limited ingredients and the really short time needed to make this.

The only spice needed is the Tandoori spice mix.

It is one of my recommended must have spices to keep  to quickly make different types of international dishes and not just tandoori type dishes.

The addition of spinach and any other leftover vegetables makes this dish wholesome.

You get a fine balance of nutrients, proteins and minerals by making this one pot spicy turkey curry.

To make it a low carb you can swap cream with low fat cream or milk.

What Can You Do With Tough Leftover Turkey

If you have been left with tough, dry and chewy turkey meat then I suggest making this tandoori turkey dish.

Cooking tough turkey on low heat and cream tenderizes the meat.

Another good way to reuse tough leftover turkey is to make a soup or a casserole dish.