Creamy Turkey Fricassee

Try making the creamy fricassee with turkey meat. It comes out great and is a lot healthier, and easier to make. You will get tender and juicy meat infused in a rich, savory, and creamy sauce. You can easily add or remove different spices or other vegetables to make it exactly to your taste and preferences.

One of the great things about the turkey fricassee is that it is very versatile. This means that you can easily add, change or remove any ingredients to make it exactly to your liking.

You can also experiment with adding different aromatic herbs like thyme, rosemary, or bay leaf to enhance the flavors of the turkey fricassee.

Another reason why I like this recipe is that it is leftover-friendly. This means that if you have some turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving or Christmas, you can easily follow this recipe and prepare a new dish from the turkey leftovers.

Also, you can add and leftover vegetables at the end of this dish.

As you can see, this recipe is a great option for those who want to enjoy a comfy and satisfying meal using the leftover ingredients without spending half of the day in your kitchen.

Intrigued? Let’s get started!

🥰 Why You Will Love This Recipe?

• It is a versatile recipe in which you can add different vegetables or spices to enhance the flavorful taste.
• You can use the leftover turkey meat that you had left from Thanksgiving, Christmas, or another casual day.
• It is an easy recipe. Even if it looks like a complicated one, the steps you need to follow are very simple and easy to follow.

🥘 Ingredients and Substitutes

• Turkey Meat. Even if the classic fricassee recipe is with chicken, I tried making it using turkey meat and it turned out great! For the best results, choose the turkey thighs because it is juicier than the breast.
• Onions. I used caramelized onions to give the sauce a sweeter taste. If you want, you could replace the onions fully or partially with leek.
• Garlic. I used fresh garlic, but if you don’t have it at hand, you could substitute it with ½ teaspoon of dried garlic powder.
• Spices. I used a mix of bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper. These are the basic spices that you need for the original fricassee recipe. If you want, you can add sage, dried basil, and rosemary. For a more refined and deeper taste, you could also add truffles or truffle-flavored oil at the end.
• Mushrooms. I used champignon mushrooms, but you can also use other types of mushrooms that you prefer to eat. The more intense the flavor of the mushrooms, the more interesting the final taste of the sauce will be.
• Butter. We use butter to fry the meat in it, of course in the French kitchen, butter cannot be replaced with anything, but if you don’t like frying in butter, you could replace it with the refined oil that you are using usually for frying.
• Flour. We use flour to adjust the consistency of the sauce. If you don’t have flour, you could substitute it with starch.
• Broth. You can use vegetable or meat broth. If you don’t have broth, you can replace it with water.
• Cream. I used single cream (18% fat) to reduce the amount of fat in the final product. But of course, for a more authentic French recipe, you need to use heavy cream.
• Oil. I used a little oil just to raise the smoking temperature of the butter and avoid burning it.

👩‍🍳 Step-by-step Directions

Pour a little bit of oil and melt the butter.

When the butter melts, put the meat over it and fry it on high heat.

Quick Note: Be careful not to overload the pan because you risk smothering it instead of frying it.

When the meat is well browned on all sides, remove it from the pan and set it aside on a plate.

In the oil in which I just fried the meat, add the julienned onions. Caramelize the onions a little until they become a little transparent.

After that, add the mushrooms on top of the onions. Cook them for 5-7 minutes.

Quick Note: If the mushrooms vary in size, cut them into smaller pieces to be sure that they are all the same size. Be careful not to cut them too small because they will reduce their volume during cooking.

Now add the chopped garlic. Mix everything well and cook for 2-3 minutes.

After this, add the all-purpose flour. Mix well until the flour is evenly distributed among the vegetables.

Add the broth, and the spices you decided you use. Mix everything well and check the taste. Adjust if necessary.

After this, add the meat and cover it with a lid. Let it cook on low heat for about 35-40 minutes.

Quick Note: The cooking time depends on the size of the turkey meat. The bigger the pieces are – the longer it will take to cook.

The last step is to add the cream. To make it easier for us to mix the cream, I recommend you remove the meat again from the saucepan and put it on a plate aside. Add the cream after this and mix well.

After you have incorporated the sauce well, you can add the meat back into the pan. Cook everything for about 5 minutes so that the flavors combine well.

Our turkey fricassee is ready to be served.

For extra color and freshness on the plate, you can consider sprinkling some freshly chopped parsley on top.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Serve with a side dish that absorbs the sauce well. The classic version is mashed potatoes, but it would also go well with a piece of fresh bread, polenta, or boiled rice.

🏆 Expert Tips. What to Pay Attention To?

• Do not boil the cream on too high heat in the last step because you risk that it will separate.
• Make sure to properly brown the meat on all sides before adding liquid. This will create a rich, flavorful base for the sauce.
• Use a flavorful liquid, such as chicken or beef broth, white wine, or a combination of both, to create a rich and savory sauce.
• If the sauce is too thin, thicken it with flour or cornstarch.

♻️ Make Ahead, Storage and Heating:

📋 Recipe Card: