Turkey Salad Recipe (Perfect for Leftover Turkey)

This turkey salad is a classic deli-style salad recipe and one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey. Cooking and eating an entire turkey can be a big commitment, often stretching over several days of leftovers. As much as I enjoy turkey, and especially a good gobbler sandwich, turkey salad is another reliable option that helps prevent perfectly good food from going to waste. I also enjoy other deli-style salads like ham salad, egg salad, and even seafood salad when I can find it without shrimp, which I’m allergic to.

Nutritional Information

The provided nutritional information has been compiled from various online sources and should be regarded as an estimate. Actual nutritional values may vary based on factors such as specific ingredients used, variations in portion sizes, and individual preparation methods. It is advisable to consider these numbers as general guidelines rather than precise measurements. For accurate nutritional information, it is recommended to consult with a registered dietitian or utilize specialized nutritional analysis tools based on the exact ingredients and quantities used in your preparation.

• Serving Size: 1/4 total

• Calories: 479

• Protein: 29 g

• Fat: 38 g

• Net Carbohydrates: 2 g

Ingredients- Turkey Salad

• 8-12 Ounces of Leftover Turkey

  (Amount and type is flexible depending on what leftovers you have available)

• 1 Small Onion, chopped

• 3 Stalks of Celery, chopped

• 3 Hard-boiled Eggs, peeled

• 1 Pickle Spear or a few Gherkins, chopped

• 3/4 Cup of Mayonnaise or to desired consistency

• Seasonings (Salt, Pepper, Poultry Seasonings, etc)

Special Equipment (Optional)-

• Food Processor

  
  

This recipe takes the chopped ingredients and pulses them through a food processor to achieve the finished consistency. This is an optional step, and this turkey salad could also be made by finely dicing all of the ingredients by hand before mixing together in a bowl.

Instructions- Turkey Salad

Prep

To make turkey salad, a majority of the work is in the prep. We are going to roughly chop everything here because it is going to go into the food processor. If you aren't using a food processor, then you can finely dice all of these ingredients instead and place them directly into a mixing bowl.

For this recipe, three hard-boiled eggs works well for 8–12 ounces of leftover turkey. You can boil the eggs using whatever method you prefer. I typically bring a pot of water to a full boil, gently lower in the eggs, and cook them for 12 minutes. Once the timer goes off, I drain the hot water and immediately cool the eggs in ice water before peeling.

To prepare the onion, start by cutting off the top and bottom. This removes the root and stem and creates a flat surface so the onion sits safely on your cutting board. Cut the onion in half, peel away the outer skin, then cut it into rough chunks and set aside.

Celery adds a lot of texture to the salad. Wash the stalks, remove any leaves, and trim off the thick white base and the tips. Cut the remaining celery into chunks small enough to fit into the food processor.

The pickle can be substituted with a couple of tablespoons of relish. Either way, chop it into pieces small enough to fit into the food processor.

The turkey is the most flexible part of this recipe, since it’s designed to use leftovers. The exact cut doesn’t matter, use whatever you have available. The photos here show turkey breast, which is often how I prepare turkey. I like to remove the breast from the carcass, tie it with butcher’s twine so it cooks evenly, brine it overnight, and cook it in the air fryer. This gives us enough turkey for dinner with just enough left over to make a batch of turkey salad. We often do this because turkey breast-only birds go on deep discount at our local grocery store after the holidays.

Food Processor

Add all of the prepared ingredients to the food processor. When I make this, I include the turkey skin as well, since it’s usually cooked with butter and already well seasoned.

If your food processor is small, work in batches. Pulse the ingredients until everything is chopped to a small, uniform size. Stop once you reach the texture you like, overprocessing can turn the mixture into a thick, lumpy paste, which we want to avoid.

Once processed, transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and prepare to add the mayonnaise and seasonings.

Mixing

With all of the processed ingredients in a mixing bowl, it’s time to build the salad. Start by adding ¾ cup of mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. This will give you a clear idea of the final consistency so you can decide if additional mayonnaise is needed.

Seasoning is flexible and should be adjusted to your taste. Start with salt and pepper, then add any additional seasonings you like, such as onion powder or garlic powder. I also like to reinforce the flavors already used on the turkey, a little seasoned salt, paprika, sage, or a premixed poultry seasoning works well here and helps round out the salad.

Serving

Once everything is mixed and well incorporated, refrigerate the turkey salad for a few hours or overnight before serving. This resting time allows the flavors to meld and improves the overall texture.

Stir briefly before serving and adjust seasoning if necessary, this can be eaten with crackers or chips, or use it as a filling for sandwiches or wraps. It can also be used anywhere you would serve a classic deli-style salad, such as ham salad, or Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad.