Top 20 Ways to Repurpose That Leftover Turkey or Chicken

Thanksgiving, also known by some as Turkey Day, has come and gone. And for many of you, especially those who hosted large crowds, that means that after the date your fridge and freezer are filled with lots of leftovers, especially turkey. People often enjoy the roasted turkey at the Thanksgiving meal, but especially when you have lots of leftovers, the thought of eating it again and again, either plain or with the standard Thanksgiving sides of gravy and cranberry sauce, might sound less than appealing.

And so, I've compiled this list of ideas of ways to repurpose that leftover turkey without getting bored.

Of course, all of these can also be done with any leftover chicken as well, and are things I do regularly do with my chicken.

Here's my top 20 favorite ways to use up that turkey!

20. Turkey soup. What are you doing with that giant turkey carcass? Aka the bones that are left after you carve the turkey? Stick them all into a pot, cover with water, add veggies and salt, and boil up. You'll get some really rich and delicious soup this way. Then pick off the turkey meat from the carcass and add it to the soup.

19. Sloppy Turkey. Shred your turkey- I like to use a fork for this if I don't just use my fingers. Then add it to a nice sweet and sour sauce, sloppy Joe style. I usually just wing it, making my sauce with ketchup or tomato sauce and sugar and mustard and garlic. Then you serve it on buns, or if you don't like that, you can do it over pasta or rice or mashed potatoes.

18. Sloppy Turkey BBQ. Same as sloppy turkey, only use BBQ sauce instead of sloppy Joe sauce.

17. Turkey Salad. Shred or chop up your turkey, add mayo, and if you want, more seasonings. My favorite to add is sweet chili sauce, but ketchup also works, or curry powder. Eat any way you'd eat tuna salad.

16. Turkey and Greens Salad. Take a lot of leafy greens, like lettuce or spinach or whatever other greens you like, add some other salad veggies, like cucumbers or tomatoes, add your turkey, either shredded or chopped, and add a nice dressing. This salad would be even better if you add some fruit to it, like craisins, or pomegranates.

15. Turkey Shepherd's Pie. Like regular shepherd's pie, only with diced or shredded turkey instead of ground meat.

14. Turkey Pot Pie. Mix carrots and peas and celery and cubed potatoes and onions and mix it with chicken or beef broth and cook until soft, then add some corn or potato starch, add your turkey, and possibly some milk or non dairy milk and put it in a pie crust and cake.

13. Dad's "Moussaka". This isn't an authentic moussaka recipe, to be honest, not by a long shot, but one my dad made up. He sauted onions and eggplant, added chopped hot dogs, tomato sauce, and turkey. It was divine.

12. Wraps. Mix and match your wraps, add whatever toppings you enjoy, plus your turkey. See here for topping ideas.

11. Sandwiches. Same as wraps.

10. Turkey Burgers. Ever have tuna patties, with canned tuna, chopped onion, and egg? Good, now replace the tuna with turkey.

9. Turkey Stir Fry. Make a veggie stir fry, add turkey at the end, then add your stir fry sauce.

8. Okonomiyaki. Japanese pancakes made with egg and veggies and other things like meat. Add your turkey. Top with spicy mayo and soy sauce.

7. Tacos. Add your favorite taco fixings. See here for ideas.

6. Turkey Chili. Beans, turkey, veggies, tomato sauce, chili powder.

5. Turkey Bolognese. Turkey. Tomato sauce. Onions. Nutmeg. Pasta.

4. Turkey Noodle Casserole. Like tuna noodle casserole, but with turkey instead of tuna. Turkey. Broth. Noodles. Mushrooms. Fake cheese sauce or real cheese. Green beans. Baking optional.

3. Enchiladas. Tortillas. Turkey. Enchilada sauce. Cheese or fake cheese sauce. Roll up. Top with more sauce and cheese. Bake.

2. Ramen. This recipe is awesome.

1. Bibimbap. Korean mixed rice bowl with lots of toppings. Use turkey as one of the toppings.

Awesome! Now I wish I actually had turkey leftovers this year!

This is only just a handful of recipes! What other ideas do you have for repurposing your turkey?