Turkey à la King is one of those vintage recipes that never seems to go out of style. A creamy sauce, tender turkey, and veggies all tucked into a puff pastry shell is what this easy recipe is all about. Use leftover turkey and enjoy a stellar meal in no time!
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Turkey à la King has been around forever and was originally served on bread. Fast forward to Chef Jenn’s kitchen, and I’m using puff pastry shells as the buttery, flaky vehicle to hold all the à la king filling.
This is a super easy recipe. You’re basically making a white sauce and filling it with all sorts of goodies like tender veggies, tasty turkey, and plenty of seasoning. It’s ready in no time, and in fact, you can even make the filling ahead of time and then just reheat it while your shells are baking.
I love leftover turkey. I make a colossal turkey a few times a year just to have the leftovers, and this Turkey à la King with leftover turkey is one of my favorite ways to use leftover turkey!
What you’ll love about Turkey à la King
- It’s a fancy-looking recipe that’s really quite simple to make. In fact, other than baking the puff pastry shells, everything is made in one skillet or pot!
- This is a great use of leftover turkey. It’s creamy, chunky, flavorful, and who doesn’t love puff pastry?
- It cooks quickly and can be ready in time for dinner on a busy weeknight.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry shells – Baked according to the directions on the package.
- Butter – I cook with salted butter.
- Mushrooms – Cut or slice them if they’re larger. If they’re button mushrooms, cutting them in half should do. You want them to be fairly chunky.
- Onions – Diced. I use yellow cooking onions.
- Celery – Just 1-2 stalks, diced.
- Carrot – Rather than dice the carrot, I shred it for a prettier presentation.
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken broth or stock – Use low or no sodium added, or better yet, make your own chicken broth.
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Thyme
- Milk
- Bell pepper – I love the look of red bell pepper in this recipe.
- Peas – Frozen peas, thawed.
- Cooked turkey – Use a combination of white and dark meat, or use whatever you have.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Fresh parsley – Chopped.
How to Make Turkey à la King
- Preheat your oven and bake the puff pastry shells according to the package directions. Set them aside to cool.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, celery, and carrot, and cook over medium heat until they’re soft and the onions are translucent. About 7 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the all-purpose flour until the vegetables are well-coated.
- Gradually pour in the chicken broth or stock and mix well to combine. Turn the heat to medium and cook while stirring until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the milk and cream and continue to simmer until thickened. Stir continuously to avoid lumps.
- Add the peas and turkey, cooking until they are heated through.
- Spoon the creamy turkey mixture into the baked puff pastry shells and serve immediately with a sprinkle of parsley on top.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Do all the chopping the day before, and then this recipe is even faster to make.
- If your sauce is too thick, thin it a bit with milk or cream. If it’s too thin, you can thicken it up with a slurry. Combine 1 tablespoon of flour with 3 tablespoons of water and stir until there are no lumps. Add half of the slurry to the sauce and simmer to thicken, adding more as needed.
- Don’t make the puff pastry shells too far in advance. They taste best when just out of the oven.
Make It A Meal
Turkey à la King with puff pastry is a rich and fulfilling dish that can stand on its own, but if you’re looking to round out your meal, consider serving it with a light, crisp green salad. For a heartier meal, beans or a side of braised potatoes make excellent choices.
Storage
Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep in mind the age of the leftover turkey – you should eat any leftover turkey within 5-6 days of roasting it. The puff pastry shells will never be as good as they are when they first come out of the oven, but you can reheat them in a low oven.
Turkey à la King with Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry shells baked according to the directions on the package
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces mushrooms quartered
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 carrot shredded
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1½ cup chicken broth or stock use low or no sodium added to control the salt
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups cooked turkey diced
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- 2-3 sprigs thyme
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven and bake the puff pastry shells according to the package directions. Set them aside to cool.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, celery, and carrot, and cook over medium heat until they’re soft and the onions are translucent. About 7 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the all-purpose flour until the vegetables are well-coated.
- Gradually pour in the chicken broth or stock and mix well to combine. Add the thyme, garlic powder and onion powder. Turn the heat to medium and cook while stirring until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the milk and continue to simmer until thickened. Stir continuously to avoid lumps.
- Add the peas, red bell pepper, turkey, and heavy whipping cream and heat over medium heat until simmering. Turn off the heat and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the creamy turkey mixture into the baked puff pastry shells and serve immediately with a sprinkle of parsley on top.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Do all the chopping the day before and then this recipe is even faster to make.
- If your sauce is too thick, thin it a bit with milk or cream. If it’s too thin, you can thicken it up with a slurry. Combine 1 tablespoon of flour with 3 tablespoons of water and stir until there are no lumps. Add half of the slurry to the sauce and simmer to thicken, adding more as needed.
- Don’t make the puff pastry shells too far in advance. They taste best when just out of the oven.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.