This leftover turkey recipe (for naan) is a fun and creative way to use your holiday leftovers. This easy and unique recipe is perfect for a cozy family meal the whole family will love.
Soft and fluffy no-yeast naan is stuffed with leftover shredded turkey mixed with chopped fresh ingredients and spices. A quick bake follows this in the oven. All you need to make the meal perfect is some green coconut chutney, cilantro chutney, cucumber raita, or a raita recipe for a Pakistani cilantro sauce.
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Why you'll love this leftover turkey recipe
- Unique and creative—Are you bored with the usual recipes for your turkey leftovers? This recipe is a fun and creative way to use those pesky leftovers in the fridge.
- No dry turkey—The added vegetables moisten the leftover turkey. Once wrapped in soft and fluffy naan dough and dipped in chutney, this meal is anything but dry.
- Easy to batch - This leftover turkey recipe is easy to double up. I've often made a large batch for a crowd with minimal extra effort.
- Versatile recipe - This naan can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a fun snack. Need an appetizer idea? Make mini stuffed naan and serve it with chutney.
Ingredients for this leftover turkey recipe
- Naan dough—Naan dough is very easy to make in a Kitchen Aid mixer or by hand. If you've tried my easy naan recipe, you probably already know how easy it is.
- All-purpose flour - The dough for the naan needs to be a little sticky for the flatbread to be soft and fluffy. I like to keep some flour on hand to help with this.
- Shredded turkey - Remove the skin from your leftover turkey and shred it into pieces with two forks. This makes the stuffing easier to work with.
- Powdered spices - A mixture of salt, Kashmiri chili powder, and amchur powder adds flavor to the turkey without making it spicy.
- Whole spices—A combination of earthy cumin seeds and pungent mustard seeds adds flavor to the filling.
- Butter—When the leftover turkey naan comes out of the oven, Melted butter is brushed on it. This adds flavor and moisture and helps the cilantro stick to the surface.
- Dried cilantro - I find that dried cilantro works better than fresh as a topping for the naan in this leftover turkey recipe.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
- Use other meats and veggies—These stuffed naan are a great way to repurpose leftovers. Leftover mashed potatoes and any other veggies and meats you cooked for the holiday can be spiced up and added as filling to this recipe.
- Make it a wrap—If you prefer, use storebought naan or parathas and the spiced turkey filling and chutney to make a wrap.
- Turn it into a pizza—Spread some tomato sauce, butter chicken sauce, or tikka masala sauce on the naan, top with the spiced turkey, add your favorite cheese and make naan pizzas.
- Stuff the filling in puff pastry - Try my Pakistani bakery-style chicken patties with this spiced turkey filling for a light lunch or fun snack.
- Make samosas - Use the turkey filling to make samosas. Follow my easy potato samosa recipe and see how simple these are.
How to make leftover turkey naan
Prepping the naan
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- First step - Remove the skin from the leftover turkey, shred it using a fork, and mix all the other ingredients.
- Second step: Take the dough that has been resting, flour your hands, and break it into eight equal-sized balls.
- Third step - Spread some flour on your work surface and roll each ball into a round about ½ inch thick.
- Fourth step: Scoop about ⅓-1/2 cup of the turkey mixture and place it in the center of the dough. Wrap the dough around this mixture, making a stuffed ball, and stretch it to seal it shut tight.
Shaping the naan
- Fifth step - Roll out the stuffed balls into circles that are ¼ inch thick.
- Sixth step - Place the raw stuffed naan on a piece of foil, working until you have all of them rolled out, layering each one with some foil to prevent them from sticking to each other.
- Seventh step - Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and place as many naan as will fit on a baking sheet without overlapping.
- Eighth step - Prick holes in each naan with a fork to ensure air release. The naan will rise, but we don't want it to puff and create a pocket.
Finishing the naan
- Ninth step—Bake for 3-5 minutes, depending on your oven. You want to cook just enough to have light brown blisters on the surface. If, after 5 minutes, the naan seems too pale, use the broiler for 30 seconds, watching closely, until you have the perfect color.
- Tenth step - After removing the naan from the oven, brush it with melted butter and dried cilantro.
- Eleventh step: Leave on the cooking sheet for a minute or two, and then place your leftover turkey recipe on your serving platter.
- Twelfth step - I like to slice each naan in half using a pizza cutter to make eating and dipping in chutney easier.
Expert Tips
- Cooking the naan: Be very vigilant, especially when baking multiple batches. I usually start watching the naan closely at 3 minutes to ensure they don't overcook, which can make them hard and chewy. Remove the naan at the first sign of brown spots on the surface. If you've cooked for 5 minutes and still don't see any brown spots, broil for 15-30 seconds rather than cooking them longer.
- Stuffing the naan—Overstuffing the naan can create holes when you roll it out. This will cause the stuffing to fall out, so roll it out just until you have a well-shaped naan with the stuffing intact.
- Remember to prick the naan - Pricking the naan is essential for that perfect texture. If this is not done correctly, the naan will puff up, and you will have a pocket like pita bread.
Recipe FAQS
Why is my naan dough sticky?
Naan dough needs to be sticky for a soft and fluffy texture. The best way to handle it is to coat the balls with flour and use some flour on your work surface when rolling them out. Adding more flour will produce a hard, chewy texture.
How do I store leftover naan?
Leftover naan can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
How do I reheat leftover naan?
To reheat the naan, defrost them in the fridge overnight. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the naan directly on the rack for 5 minutes.
Other flatbread recipes you may like
For more Pakistani recipes like this, check out 20 popular Pakistani recipes. If you decide to try this recipe, Please don't forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture, tag me on Instagram! Thank You!
Leftover Turkey Recipe (For Naan)
This leftover turkey recipe (for naan) involves adding spices and herbs to shredded turkey leftovers and stuffing them in oven-baked naan.
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Ingredients
The Naan
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tbsp full fat plain yogurt
- ¾ cup full-fat milk
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tsp dried cilantro
The turkey Filling
- 2 cups shredded leftover turkey
- ½ chopped yellow onion
- 2 diced serrano chilies (see notes)
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp amchur powder
Instructions
The Naan Dough
- Add the 3 ½ cups of flour and other dry ingredients to a mixing bowl or Kitchen Aid mixer and stir to combine.
- Add the olive oil and yogurt and mix in till fully incorporated.
- Add in the milk, ¼ cup at a time, and knead the dough until you have a firm but sticky mixture. (see notes)
- Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside for 30 minutes.
The Turkey Filling
- Remove the skin from your leftover turkey and shred it using two forks.
- Add the chopped onion, chilies, cilantro, and all the spices (whole and powdered).
Making The Naan
- After 30 minutes, take your prepared dough and divide it into 8 equal portions. (see notes)
- Roll into round balls, flatten, and stretch slightly until you have a small 3"x3" round.
- Place approximately ½ a cup of the turkey filling in the middle of each round. (see notes)
- Wrap the dough around the filling, shaping it into a round ball and stretching until it is completely sealed.
- Dust your work surface and roll the stuffed dough until you have a round naan, about ¼ inch thick. (see notes)
- Once you have all the naan prepped, preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and place the naan on a baking sheet.
- Prick the surface of each naan with a fork to release air as they cook.
- Bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes until you can see light brown blisters on the surface.
- Remove the naan and brush with melted butter and dried cilantro and serve.
Notes
The serrano chilies - The chilies add a lovely flavor and aroma. If you don't like food that's too spicy, deseed them.
Making the dough—The dough can be kneaded by hand or in a Kitchen Aid. Mix until the milk is fully incorporated, and then continue kneading for 5 minutes to help release the gluten in the flour. The resting period, a crucial step, will allow the gluten to relax, resulting in the perfect texture of the naan.
Preparing the dough for the filling - Naan dough is slightly sticky and challenging to handle. Adding too much flour to the mixture will result in dense naan. Instead, keep the half cup of flour nearby and use it to dust your hands and work surfaces to help shape your dough.
Filling the naan - Don't overfill the naan; leave half an inch around the filling to seal it tightly in the dough. If you find ½ a cup of filling too much, feel free to reduce it to ⅓ of a cup. Too much filling causes the naan to break during the rolling process.
Rolling the naan - The perfect thickness for naan is ¼ inch; however, if you feel that the filling is causing the dough to crack, don't flatten the dough any further.
Nutrition
Serving: 1naanCalories: 436kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 22gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 749mgPotassium: 344mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 417IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 5mg
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