Turkey Potpie

Updated Nov. 15, 2021

Turkey Potpie
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
1 hour and 10 minutes
Rating
4(929)
Comments
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No one knows when people started making pies, but they were common in medieval Middle Eastern and European cooking. “The Oxford Companion to Food” speculates that the English word may come from the word “magpie,” because magpies collect random items in the way a pie often houses varied ingredients. It’s appropriate, then, that this pie is here to accommodate your Thanksgiving leftovers: turkey, of course, but also leftover roasted squash or sautéed mushrooms in place of peas, chop up half a rutabaga instead of carrot and celery, or a stray leek or shallot instead of onion. Any fresh soft herbs can go in the biscuit topping. For an even simpler version, use canned biscuits arranged on top of the filling as the crust, or defrosted puff pastry with a vent cut in the middle. For a more assertive flavor, use the larger amount of mustard.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

    For the Biscuit Topping

    • 2cups all-purpose flour
    • 1tablespoon baking powder
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
    • 8tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
    • ¼cup thinly sliced chives
    • ¼cup chopped, lightly packed fresh soft herbs, such as parsley, dill or tarragon
    • ¾cup buttermilk

    For the Filling

    • 5tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1small red or yellow onion, chopped
    • Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
    • 6garlic cloves, chopped
    • 1small or medium carrot, peeled and chopped
    • 2celery ribs, including leaves, chopped
    • ¼cup all-purpose flour
    • 1teaspoon onion powder
    • 2cups chicken or turkey broth or stock
    • 2teaspoons to 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 generous tablespoon)
    • cups chopped or shredded cooked turkey or chicken
    • ¾cup frozen peas
    • Black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

603 calories; 35 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 640 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the biscuit dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the cold chunks of butter and toss to coat. Using your fingers, pinch, smear and squeeze the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are the size of a penny or the size of a pea. There’s no need for perfection, but the butter should be evenly distributed throughout the flour, and each butter bit should be coated in flour. Stir in the chives and herbs. Pour the buttermilk into the mixture and mix it briefly and gently with a fork, just until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and put the dough in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

  2. Step 2

    Make the filling: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In an oven-safe 10-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and shrunken, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, carrot and celery, and cook, stirring, until fragrant and slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and the onion powder, and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is completely incorporated with the vegetables, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth, mustard, Worcestershire and lemon juice, and cook, whisking, until the mixture comes to a bubble. Let it cook, whisking once or twice, until it thickens to lightly coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Stir in the turkey and the peas. Season generously with black pepper; taste and season with additional salt if desired. Remove pan from the heat.

  3. Step 3

    Evenly scatter the biscuit dough over the top of the filling, in golfball-size clumps. (Don’t press or roll the dough into neat balls, which can make the biscuits tough.) Put the skillet on a foil-lined sheet pan to catch any drips and bake in the oven until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are lightly browned, 35 minutes. (If using canned biscuits or puff pastry, the cook time will be closer to 25 minutes. Check the package directions for a guide.)

Ratings

4 out of 5
929 user ratings
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Comments

I will be trying left over stuffing on top for the crust

I followed the recipe very closely. I’ll delete the lemon juice if I make it again, and use a little white wine instead. The lemon put it in a direction I don’t expect for pot pie; it reminded me of dolmades.

How about using left over stuffing for the crust?

Great way to use Thanksgiving turkey leftovers! I agree with Kirsten that the lemon juice is too much. Next time: half. I added white wine as part of liquid. Happened to have mushroom stock which worked out quite well. Will also use more veggies. Had twice as much biscuit dough as needed. I put the other half in the oven with the pot pie in a round scored into 8 pieces. Will make many times before next Thanksgiving with my frozen turkey pieces. Very tasty!!

Can you freeze this?

Might skip tho onion powder next time. Otherwise, pretty solid

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