A creamy sauce, tender vegetables, and chopped turkey are the highlights of turkey à la king. It's a creamy skillet dinner that's typically served over puffy pastry, toast, or biscuits. Our Test Kitchen perfected the recipe with a splash of lemon juice, fresh parsley, and dry white wine. Customize the dish with your favorite vegetables. We chose mushrooms and peppers but it's great with spinach, broccoli, and green beans.
Turkey à la King Ingredients
This recipe for turkey à la king starts with cooked turkey. It's a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Here are the rest of the ingredients you'll need.
- Butter: Sautéing the vegetables in butter is the first step of making turkey à la king. Use salted or unsalted butter, simply adjust the salt based on which you use.
- Vegetables: This recipe includes mushrooms and bell peppers. Any type of mushrooms will work, just ensure they are thinly sliced.
- Half and Half: Thicken the sauce and give the dish extra-creamy texture with half and half. Milk will also work.
- Eggs: Whisked eggs help thick the sauce.
- Lemon Juice: A splash of fresh lemon juice does wonders to brighten up the sauce and balance the rich flavors.
- Cooked Turkey: Any chopped, cooked turkey (or chicken) will work in this recipe. For the most flavor, use a mix of light and dark meat. Our Test Kitchen doesn't recommend using deli turkey in this recipe.
- White Wine: Just a tablespoon of dry white wine or sherry adds depth to the sauce. Substitute chicken or turkey stock instead.
How to Make Turkey à la King
This turkey à la king recipe is a great weeknight dinner because it cooks in just one pan. This skillet meal comes together in just 25 minutes total.
- Sautee the vegetables in butter until they are golden brown and tender.
- Add flour and cook for a few minutes. Add the half and half to create the sauce.
- To thicken the dish, add the egg and lemon juice mixture and cook until thick.
- Toss in the cooked turkey, pimentos, dry wine, and fresh parsley.
- Once heated through, the dish is done.
How to Serve Turkey à la King
Turkey à la king is often served over pastry shells, toast, or pasta. It's also great dished over biscuits or even baked dinner rolls. You can also serve turkey à la king over potatoes, steamed veggies, and rice. Try adding a fresh green salad to round out the meal.
Ingredients
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1/4 cup butter
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1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
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1/3 cup finely chopped green sweet pepper
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2 tablespoons all purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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2 1/2 cups half and half or milk
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3 egg yolks
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
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1/2 teaspoon paprika
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3 cups chopped cooked turkey
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2 tablespoons diced pimiento, drained
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1 tablespoon dry sherry or dry white wine
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6 baked puff pastry shells or toast points
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Fresh snipped parsley (optional)
Directions
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In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until melted. Add mushrooms and sweet pepper; cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt. Gradually stir in half-and-half. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, and paprika. Gradually whisk about 1 cup of the hot half-and-half mixture into egg yolk mixture; return mixture to skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Stir in turkey, pimiento, and sherry; heat through. Serve over baked puff pastry shells, split and toasted croissants, or toast points. Top with parsley, if desired.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 579 | Calories |
| 29g | Fat |
| 44g | Carbs |
| 34g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 6 | |
| Calories 579.3 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 29.3g | 38% |
| Saturated Fat 14.9g | 75% |
| Cholesterol 252.9mg | 84% |
| Sodium 420.1mg | 18% |
| Total Carbohydrate 44g | 16% |
| Dietary Fiber 2.9g | 10% |
| Total Sugars 5.9g | |
| Protein 33.5g | 67% |
| Vitamin D 1mcg | 5% |
| Vitamin C 11.2mg | 12% |
| Calcium 149mg | 11% |
| Iron 3.5mg | 19% |
| Potassium 506.3mg | 11% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0.9g | |
| Vitamin D 40.9IU | |
| Alanine 1.6g | |
| Arginine 1.7g | |
| Ash 2.9g | |
| Aspartic acid 2.5g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 13.7mcg | |
| Choline, total 190mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0.3mg | |
| Cystine 0.4g | |
| Energy 2422.5kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 15.9mcg | |
| Folate, total 115.7mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 6.1g | |
| Glycine 1.4g | |
| Histidine 0.8g | |
| Isoleucine 1.2g | |
| Leucine 2.4g | |
| Lysine 2.1g | |
| Methionine 0.8g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 58.8mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.5mg | |
| Niacin 9.9mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 401.6mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 2.4mg | |
| Phenylalanine 1.3g | |
| Phytosterols 1.4mg | |
| Proline 2.4g | |
| Retinol 217.9mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 65.6mcg | |
| Serine 1.5g | |
| Starch 27.3g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 1.2g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1.1mg | |
| Tryptophan 0.4g | |
| Tyrosine 1g | |
| Valine 1.4g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 1031IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 233.2mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 1.2mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.6mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 4.1mcg | |
| Water 251.5g | |
| Zinc, Zn 3.3mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.