Need recipe ideas for those Thanksgiving leftovers? Try this family favorite, Turkey Pot Pie with Cheddar Herb Biscuit Topping!
This Turkey Pot Pie with Cheddar Herb Biscuit Topping is a comforting winter meal and a great recipe to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey or chicken. Even better is the fact that you probably have leftovers of all the recipe ingredients in your fridge right now!
Hey y’all! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Just like most things, I felt so excited the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and then the day of went by so fast; with travel, playing with nieces and nephews and of course eating a delicious meal with loved ones. But even though Thanksgiving flew by this year, it was absolutely perfect!
This year we were blessed to attend three different Thanksgiving dinners. We helped host our 5th annual Friendsgiving. We then had Thanksgiving Day dinner with my family and then another Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with my in-laws.
Each dinner had some of the same fixin’s, green bean casserole, Hawaiian rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes; but each dinner also had its own unique dishes.
Like for Friendsgiving I made my famous Citrus Herb Roasted Turkey (the juiciest and most flavorful roasted turkey ever!) and beloved Cranberry Apple Stuffing. Then a friend brought the most delicious Sweet Potato Pie and another friend made these amazing Spicy Tomato Braised Green Beans.
Then at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner, we had my favorite southern Thanksgiving dishes – a Greenburg Smoked Turkey (a Thanksgiving tradition for at least 4 generations), Garlic Cheese Grits, Creamy Squash Casserole, Southern Cornbread Dressing and my Mom’s Pecan Pie, which is always first to go!
And my in-laws have a pretty traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but always do a fried turkey, which is a nice change from a roasted turkey. Needles to say, we’ve had our fill of Thanksgiving foods and have a ton of leftovers.
In fact, I wish I still had my extra fridge with freezer to store all these leftovers so that I don’t have to grocery shop or do much cooking over the next few weeks. Instead, I will freeze what I can and transform all those leftover into something new for the next few days. Things like these Smoked Turkey Enchiladas, or this Smoky Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe (but with turkey), or this Hearty Italian Tortellini Soup with Turkey.
First up I made this family favorite, Turkey Pot Pie with Cheddar Herb Biscuit Topping! I’ve been making this Turkey Pot Pie for a while and will change it up and make a Chicken Pot Pie version, using leftover shredded chicken or turkey depending on what I have. The filling is rich and flavorful, and the biscuit topping is my go to recipe for quick and easy drop biscuits. Together the combination is perfect and makes for a hearty, comforting dinner!
Helpful Tips and Information:
Serving Suggestion: Make this a complete meal by serving it with this Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Maple Vinaigrette or this Kale Caesar Salad.
Freezer Tip: This recipe makes one 9×13-inch pan of Turkey Pot Pie OR two 8-inch pie plates. Since this recipe makes so much, it is great for a crowd (say visiting out of town guests) OR is a great meal for two smaller families (for example if you wanted to make a take in meal for a friend and dinner for your own family).
You can also freeze the other Turkey Pot Pie with Cheddar Herb Biscuit Topping for up to three months. To do this, allow the turkey pot pie filling to cool completely then top with the biscuit dough. Wrap the pot pie with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and place in the freezer.
To cook the frozen turkey pot pie, remove the pot pie from the freezer and unwrap. Bake in a preheated 400-degree F oven until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 35 to 45 minutes. Once cooked, brush the biscuit topping with the herb butter as directed in the recipe.
If you like this leftover Thanksgiving turkey recipe, then you’ll love these other turkey recipes:
Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Cranberry and Brie Turkey Quesadillas with Avocado and Candied Jalapenos
Cajun Turkey Tetrazzini
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Pesto Panini
Spicy Tomato and Turkey Soup
- For Turkey Pot Pie Filling:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 leek, cleaned and sliced*
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- 1 medium Russet potato, peeled and diced*
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk or half and half
- 3 cups shredded leftover turkey or chicken
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon each Kosher salt and black pepper, or to taste
- --
- Cheddar Herb Biscuit Topping:
- Cheddar Biscuits:
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- --
- Herb Butter Topping:
- 4 ½ tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease one 9×13-inch baking dish or two 8-inch pie plates. Set aside.
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In a large heavy pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and leeks and cook for 5-7 minutes.
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Add the carrots, celery and potatoes and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Stir in the peas and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
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Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes.
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Stirring quickly, add one cup of chicken broth. Continue stirring broth and vegetables until flour has completely dissolved.
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Stir in remaining chicken broth and shredded turkey and cook for 3-4 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly.
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Reduce heat to low and stir in the milk, fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes and remove from heat. Pour filling into the prepared baking dish. Set aside.
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Meanwhile, to make biscuit topping, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers, cut in butter until coarse, sand-like crumbs are formed. Lightly mix in grated cheese. Make a well in the middle of the bowl, pushing the flour mixture to the sides. Add buttermilk and slowly mix, using a wooden spoon, just until moist- do not over mix.
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Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, drop the biscuit dough by the spoonful on top of the pot pie filling in the baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees F or until biscuits are golden brown and filling is bubbly.
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While the pot pie is baking, in a small bowl stir together melted butter, dried herbs, and garlic powder. When the pot pie comes out of the oven, evenly brush the butter/herb mixture over the biscuits. Serve immediately.
If you can’t find a leek, it can be omitted or substituted with an additional half of a large onion.
5-6 red potatoes can be substituted. No need to peel, just wash and quarter them.
See notes in blog post about freezing the extra pot pie.
