The holidays are upon us, and if you’re looking for ways to use up those wonderful Thanksgiving leftovers, I have the best new recipe for you: French Fried Turkey.
A simple batter easily coats slices of leftover turkey and is fried in a small amount of oil in a non-stick skillet, very much in the same way as pancakes are cooked. In fact, the batter is a lot like pancake batter minus the sugar.
The History of French Fried Turkey Leftovers
By the time the weekend after Thanksgiving arrives, you’ve probably had Thanksgiving dinner, a late-day turkey sandwich, and a layered casserole of carbs and tryptophan. Not to mention a couple of pumpkin pie breakfasts.
French Fried Turkey was made up by my mom several decades ago. Her recipe was even published in an insurance company magazine in the early 1980s! It’s a yummy and different way to serve leftover turkey.
Mom’s simple combination of flour, milk, egg, baking powder, salt, and oil adds a delicious coating to make leftover turkey a brand-new meal. It’s good with your favorite cranberry sauce or salad leftovers or served alongside some vegetable soup.
For a smaller household (or fewer leftovers available), I have cut the recipe in half. It’s fine to keep the whole egg in that half recipe!
How To Coat French Fried Turkey With The Batter
Thinly-sliced pieces of turkey breast work best with French Fried Turkey. Just dip each piece into the batter – kind of like covering bread when making French toast. Once it’s completely coated, place it into heated oil in your skillet and let it cook until golden like a pancake. Flip over to cook the second side until browned.
Smaller pieces can even be stirred into the last of the batter. Use a spatula to scrape all of the batter-y goodness into the skillet and fry it all up. Mmmmm.
Once the coating is crisp and the turkey inside is fully warmed, you have a delicious meal almost ready. Serve it plain or with a sauce. Ketchup has been used by some in our family. Serve it with other leftovers or new additions. Try it on a bun or bread to make a sandwich. You’ll find that once you have had French Fried Turkey, you will want to start with a larger turkey to ensure there are enough leftovers to make it!
French Fried Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 c flour
- 1 c milk
- 1 egg
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 c oil
- leftover sliced turkey
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients. Take thinly-sliced pieces of turkey breast or other somewhat flat pieces of turkey and coat in a small amount of flour, cover in the mixed batter, and cook on the stovetop in a frying pan with additional vegetable oil.
Ahhh, I love seeing this recipe on your blog. I haven’t made it for a long time. Maybe this year I will!