Turn yesterday’s turkey into today’s star-studded feast with this quick and easy recipe for The Best Leftover Turkey Salad loaded with fresh veggies and herbs.
If you’re reading this post, chances are you’re staring down a mountain of leftover turkey (or perhaps even chicken!). And whether it’s the result of your Thanksgiving feast, or just the remnants from an ordinary dinner, the bottom line here is you’ve got leftover turkey and you need to put that poultry to work.
Have I ever got you covered! Grab your knife and get ready for The Best Leftover Turkey Salad to ever cross your lips.
When I was a culinary intern at Food Network, it was my job to prepare the staff meal each day, and one of my favorite ways to make the most of all of the insanely delicious leftover odds and ends from Food Network Kitchens was to make any variety of chicken or turkey salad. So let’s just say that over the course of several months, I got my turkey salad recipe nailed down.
What separates this from all other leftover turkey salad recipes? Two simple tricks and tips:
- The Mayo to Mustard Ratio: I’m a mayo enthusiast, but when it comes to chicken or turkey salad, I like to go light. Too much mayo can yield a very thick and heavy salad, while just the right balance of mayo and Dijon mustard produces a medley of flavors that don’t overpower the refreshing crispness of the veggies and herbs.
- My Not-So-Secret Ingredient: Are you ready for this one? We all know I’m a big fan of secret ingredients in my chocolate chip cookies, smoothies and mashed potatoes, and this time, I’m upping the flavor profile with … sugar! It sounds strange in a savory turkey salad, but one taste and I guarantee you’ll never go without it.
So grab that surplus poultry and get your preferred carb (or crisp lettuce leaf) of choice ready for The Best Leftover Turkey Salad piled high with lettuce and tomato to complete your Turkey-on-Day-2 feast. (And don’t forget to check out the endless other ways of putting those leftover mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pie dough scraps to work!)
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Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped leftover turkey
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (See Kelly's Notes)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery
- 1/4 cup sliced scallions
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped turkey, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, celery, scallions and dill, stirring until well combined.
- Taste and season the turkey salad with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
Kelly's Notes:
- I prefer less mayo in my turkey salad, but you can easily add more based on your taste preferences. For an extra-creamy turkey salad, increase the mayo to 2/3 cup.
- I always think turkey salad tastes best after refrigerating, so this leftovers-inspired recipe tastes just as great on day 2 and onward!
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Kelly,
This recipe is simply amazing! I have made it with the original recipe and also the creamier version.
Both was equally as good. Thank you so much for my go-to turkey salad recipe.
If you are a person that is looking over these reviews and questioning whether or not it’s as good as everybody says it is. Well I challenge you to give this a try. You will not be disappointed.
This makes me so happy to read, David! Thank you!
Added extra celery, whole grain old style mustard instead instead of Dijon Mustard, salt and pepper to taste, decrease mayo, increased lemon juice to taste, and 1 teaspoon dried dill instead of fresh.
Thanks for your note!
Best turkey salad I’ve ever had! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Robin!
Instead of adding sugar add sweet relish. Delicious
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Maxine!
Best turkey salad recipe I’ve made by far! I was looking for an easy and creative way to use up the Thanksgiving leftovers and my kids ate it all in one day! (They usually hate turkey leftovers!) We are making it again today but with chicken!
I’m so thrilled to hear that you and your kids enjoy the recipe, Savannah!
So far, so good. Sampled it, and was delish. Refrigerating now for lunch tomorrow: stuffed beefsteak tomato with chopped avocado. Hope there’s some extra dressing to toss the avocado in. Always glad to find recipes which include in-house ingredients. I was tempted to add a little dill relish or capers, but wanted to rate this recipe as advertised. A winner in my cookbook
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, John!