Showing posts with label Thanksgiving turkey. Show all posts

Friday, November 21, 2025

Roast Turkey Breast – Perfect for Small Thanksgiving Dinner, from Vicki Delany #Thanksgiving #Recipe

Canadian Thanksgiving was a few weeks so, and this year the celebration was very pared down for me as most of my family were travelling. There was only my eldest daughter, my mother, and me this year. So I did a turkey breast rather than the entire beast. My daughter is a big fan of the Israeli-English chef Yotam Ottolenghi, and this recipe is from his book, Ottolenghi, the Cookbook.

It was the perfect amount to serve eaters, with some left-overs for those essential post-feast sandwiches.

Note that the turkey breast needs to marinade overnight.

Roast Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

4 tbsp mint leaves

4 tbsp parsley leaves

4 tbsp coriander leaves

1 garlic clove, peeled

60 ml lemon juice

60 ml olive oil

125 ml white wine

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 small turkey breast on the bone. About 1 kg.

Directions:

Put all the ingredients except the turkey breast in a food processor or blender and process for 1–2 minutes to get a smooth marinade. Put the turkey in a non-metallic container and pour the marinade over it. Massage the marinade into the meat, cover the container and leave in the fridge for 24 hours. Make sure the turkey is immersed in the sauce.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Remove the turkey from the marinade (keep the marinade for later) and put it on a roasting tray.
Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 400 °F. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature again to 350°F. Cook until the turkey is done – another 30–45 minutes. To check, stick a small knife all the way into the centre; it should come out hot. If the meat goes dark before it is ready, cover it with foil.
To prepare the sauce, heat up the turkey marinade in a small saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes, until reduced by about half.
Taste and season with some more salt and pepper.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice it thinly and serve with the warm sauce.

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact. She’s on Bluesky at @vickidelany.bsky.social

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Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Easy "Leftover Turkey" Pot Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust from @CleoCoyle #Thanksgiving #Leftovers

From Cleo Coyle: Need a recipe idea for your Thanksgiving leftovers? I've got you covered with this simple, one-dish dinner. This Turkey Pot Pie (with cheddar cheese crust) is so good! And it's easy to make, which is why I bake it every year on the weekend after Thanksgiving. As for my writing life...

Marc and I are giving thanks to our readers this week after our editor shared happy news about our latest Coffeehouse Mystery, HONEY ROASTED, which earned out its advance in record time. To learn more and join our online celebration, click here to jump to our Facebook post...

To learn more about our 19th Coffeehouse Mystery,
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Now for today's Thanksgiving Week recipe...

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery

series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

A Recipe Note from Cleo

This is a wonderfully tasty way to make use of your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. You only need two to three cups of diced roasted turkey meat. The pie keeps well in the fridge, too, so it tastes just as good reheated the day after you make it.

I keep the PDF of this recipe handy all year because this pot pie recipe will work equally well with roasted chicken. Another reason I keep it handy is because it includes a recipe for making an easy WHITE SAUCE as well as an (optional) CHEESE SAUCE that's delicious drizzled over vegetables, especially broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and asparagus.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. May you eat with plenty of joy!

~ Cleo

To download this recipe in a PDF

document that you can print,

save, or share, click here.

Click here for Cleo's free
downloadable PDF.

🍂 Cleo Coyle's
Easy Turkey Pot Pie
with Cheddar Cheese Crust

Servings: 6 slices (fills one 9-inch pie pan)

For Easy White Sauce
1 cup cold whole milk (with a splash more, if needed to smooth lumps)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt (or table salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Wondra Flour (see product picture below)

For Pie Filling
2 to 3 cups cooked turkey cut up into bite size pieces (leftovers will do nicely)
2 to 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (do not thaw!)

For Crust
1 package pre-made pie crusts (room temperature; I use Pillsbury)
2 cups mild cheddar cheese shredded

Directions

Step 1 – Make an easy white sauce: Wondra flour is the key. It’s a super-fine flour that dissolves quickly into liquids, allowing you to thicken sauces and gravies. (See my note at the end of this recipe for turning this white sauce into an easy cheese sauce.) FOR THE WHITE SAUCE: Into a saucepan, add your whole milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Warm the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts. When the butter is melted, get out your whisk! Sprinkle the Wondra flour over the milk mixture and whisk continually until the sauce comes to a boil. Continue to boil and whisk for one full minute. During the cooking, whisk vigorously to smooth any lumps out of the sauce and (if needed) splash in a little more milk, which will help the smoothing process. (Yields 1 cup of white sauce.)

Step 2 – Add frozen veggies and cooked turkey: Once your white sauce is finished, turn off the heat. Dump the frozen* mixed vegetables into the pan with the white sauce & stir to coat. Add the turkey and stir again, until the veggies and turkey are well mixed in with the white sauce. Set aside. *NOTE: You are not cooking or thawing the frozen veggies. The vegetables will thaw during the baking process, which will give them the perfect texture by the time the pie is fully baked.

Step 3 – Cheese-ify your pie dough (optional): This is a "quick and easy" recipe, which is why I'm using pre-made pie crusts. One package of "Pillsbury Pie Crusts" is all you'll need since it contains 2 unbaked pie shells, enough for 1 turkey pot pie. The pre-made crusts come rolled up inside the box. Allow both dough rolls to come to room temperature (about 15 minutes out of fridge or 10 seconds in the microwave). Gently unroll the crusts on a flat surface and sprinkle each crust with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar. Lightly press the cheese into the softened dough. If the dough is too hard, it's still too cold from coming out of the fridge. Let it sit for another few minutes until soft. (If you aren't a big fan of cheddar cheese, try Swiss, gruyere, or another favorite.) Fusing it with the dough may seem odd, but it's a shortcut that really works, and a better way to use the cheese than just dumping it into the filling where it can overpower your other flavors. This way, the cheese crosses your taste buds during your chewing of the flaky, buttery crust. It's a more delicious eating experience.

Step 4 – Fill your pie: To prevent sticking, spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray or lightly grease with butter or margarine. Line the pan with one of the pre-made pie crusts (cheese side up). Fill with your veggie-turkey-white-sauce mixture. Cover with the second pie shell (cheese side down, i.e. facing the filling). Now seal the edges and make a few thin slits with a knife on the top of the shell to let steam escape. To prevent the edges of your pie from browning too much or burning, loosely curl strips of aluminum foil around the crust edges or use a pie shield. (I also like to lightly brush the top of the crust with chilled heavy cream to enhance browning.)

Step 5 – Bake at 425° Fahrenheit for 30 to 35 minutes, until crust is golden. Then reduce the heat to 375° F. Remove the foil strips or pie shield from the crust edges and return the pie to the oven for 10 minutes of final baking.

COOL for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting to allow the pie to set.

CLEO NOTE (Cheese Sauce variation): If you've never used Wondra Flour, look for its blue cardboard canister in the same grocery store aisle that shelves all-purpose flour. It's a handy little helper for thickening gravies and making quick sauces. You can make an easy cheese sauce for vegetables by adding 1/2 cup of your favorite cheese to the white sauce recipe above. Add the cheese at the end of the cooking process and stir until the cheese is melted. Then whisk gently for smoothness.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries and
Haunted Bookshop Mysteries

Cleo (Alice) with her husband Marc

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Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Cleo Coyle's Cozy Turkey: How to Roast a Smaller Turkey for a Cozy #Thanksgiving #Dinner

It's Thanksgiving Recipes Week here at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, and Marc and I are kicking it off today. Be sure to stop back every day from now until Thanksgiving to get new recipe ideas for your big feast!

Now for today's recipe...

A Note from Cleo

Cleo Coyle has a partner in

crime-writing—her husband.

Learn about their books

by clicking here and here.

My childhood Thanksgivings were always large family gatherings. My mother and Aunt Mary would routinely rise at six AM and work together most of the day to roast a fully-stuffed 25 to 30 pound bird, as well prepare all the sides and desserts.

These days, my husband and I have much cozier gatherings than our younger years. That's why we're sharing our easy recipe for roasting a beautiful 6 to 8 pound turkey breast, a wonderful choice for smaller dinner gatherings, especially if you prefer white meat.

And for those of you having larger parties, this recipe makes a great second turkey, giving the table plenty of extra breast meat and providing more leftovers for delicious turkey sandwiches and turkey salads in the days following your big Thanksgiving feast...

OUR SECRET

Above is a standard turkey breast of about 7 pounds. Our secret to making a really terrific Thanksgiving dinner using a small turkey breast (rather than a whole turkey) is the additional purchase of turkey wings. Why?

Small turkey breasts come without wings, so we buy them separately for roasting right along with the bird. The wings aren't so much for eating, although they are delicious. While they cook, they render plenty of extra juices for making a rich homemade gravy, a must for a truly delicious turkey dinner. (See our gravy recipe below this one.)

As for the turkey wings, if you've never bought them before, look for them in the poultry section of your grocery store. They're usually sold in pairs and packaged similar to chicken wings. Now let's get that turkey started...

🍴

To download this recipe in
a free PDF that you can print,
save, or share, click here.

For free recipe guide, click here.

Cleo Coyle's

Cozy Thanksgiving Turkey Breast

with Homemade Gravy

Ingredients

6 to 8 pound turkey breast* (see note below on fresh vs frozen)**

+ 2 to 4 turkey wings (optional, for extra gravy juices)

3/4 stick (6 T) softened butter

1 teaspoon Bell Seasoning

1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground sage

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon cooking oil or cooking spray (to grease the rack)

**FRESH VS. FROZEN: We recommend using fresh turkey breast, though frozen will work just fine, BUT be sure to allow at least 24 hours to thaw the frozen breast in the refrigerator before cooking. NOTE: Larger turkeys take several days to thaw in the fridge (about 24 hours per 5 pounds of meat). To learn more about how to thaw a turkey, click here.

*FOR LARGER TURKEYS: To adapt this recipe for a larger whole turkey, double the amount of "slurry" for birds 12-16 pounds. Triple it for birds 17-25 pounds. And follow the package directions on cooking time and temperature. To prevent over-browning, cover loosely with foil near the end of cooking time. If your bird is frozen, allow several days for thawing (24 hours in the fridge for every 5 pounds). To learn more about how to thaw a turkey, click here.

Directions

Step 1—Prep the oven and slurry: First preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (When adapting this recipe for a larger, whole turkey, we roast at 325° F.) Place softened butter into a bowl and add your Bell Seasoning, Poultry Seasoning, white and black peppers, ground sage, and kosher salt. Blend everything well with a fork until you have a soft slurry (as shown below)...

Step 2—Prep the bird: Wash the turkey breast and pat dry. If using wings, remove the wing tips, then wash the wings and and pat them dry. Line a shallow baking or roasting pan with aluminum foil. Grease the rack that sits on top (with oil or cooking spray). Place the turkey on the rack, and (if using) position wings on either side of the breast. Slather the breast with the slurry you made in Step 1.

The wings in my photo above are not attached. As I mentioned, small turkey breasts come without wings. Marc and I like to buy the wings separately and roast them with the turkey for extra pan juices. You can coat them with a bit of the slurry or simply salt and pepper them, your call.

For even more pan dripping, we often roast a
second pair of wings in a separate pan.

(See photo below...)

Step 3—Roast and cool: Roast the breast, uncovered, according to package instructions, or about 20 minutes per pound. Turn the pan a few times during the cooking to make sure the turkey roasts evenly.

During the last hour, baste the meat in its own juices every fifteen minutes or so. At the end of the cooking time, use a meat thermometer to measure the turkey breast's temperature. You're looking for 165 degrees F. to confirm that the turkey meat is properly cooked.*

*Note for Larger Turkeys: If adapting this recipe to a larger, whole bird, watch the breast skin near the end of the cooking time and cover loosely with foil to prevent over-browning

Remove the turkey from the oven, tent loosely with foil, and let sit for AT LEAST 30 MINUTES before slicing. The resting period will keep your turkey nice and moist. If you slice it too soon after removing it from the oven, the juices will run out and the turkey meat will taste dry.

Extra pan juices come from the wings,
which we use to whip up our Homemade
Turkey Gravy, recipe below...

Cleo's Homemade Turkey Gravy

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Ingredients:

2 cups pan drippings (or add enough
chicken or turkey stock to make 2 cups)

2 Tablespoons Wondra flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Step 1—Make a roux: While the turkey is cooling, pour off the pan drippings into a bowl and let them cool, allowing the fat to separate. Skim off two tablespoons of fat from the top of the cooled drippings and warm this small amount of fat in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour until the mixture thickens. You’ve just created a roux. Now gently cook until the roux turns slightly brown (1-3 minutes).

Step 2—Finish the gravy: Measure your remaining pan drippings. If you have less than 2 cups, pour in enough chicken or turkey stock to make the full two. Whisk these two cups of drippings (and/or stock) into the roux that you made in Step 1. Heat the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly.

Lower the heat and continue to whisk gently while letting the gravy simmer until it thickens and the flour cooks (4 to 5 minutes). The key here (to prevent the gravy from breaking) is continually whisking. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve hot, and...

For free recipe guide, click here.

☕

Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Alice and Marc in Central Park.

Together we write as Cleo Coyle.

Learn more about us here.
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