Leftover turkey fried rice with lean and delicious cooked turkey, light and fluffy rice, perfectly scrambled eggs, colourful vegetables, and classic Asian seasonings, is just what your healthy meal planning menu needs. Plus, it's made in one skillet in just 10 minutes. Hello new favourite easy weeknight dinner!
With Thanksgiving coming up in less than a week, it's never too early to start planning ahead on what to do with all those delicious turkey leftovers, especially if you are like me and end up with a big stash of crave-worthy turkey meat after the holidays. Turkey fried rice is the perfect way to use it up in another meal that the whole family will love.
I love using turkey meat in fried rice because it is a super versatile protein that just soaks up all of the delicious Asian flavours that are thrown in there.
I have partnered with the Turkey Farmers of Canada to bring you this delicious leftover turkey fried rice recipe. All images and opinions expressed are my own.
Ingredients in Turkey Fried Rice
- leftover cooked turkey - you will need 1.5 cups of leftover shredded or cubed cooked turkey. I used turkey breast (about one-third to half of one breast) but you can use any part of the turkey. This is a great way to use up leftovers that you may have from a whole roasted turkey, roasted turkey breast, or slow cooker turkey breast.
- white rice - freshly cooked works best in this recipe, but you can easily use leftover rice. You will just need to add some water (up to ¼ cup) to soften the rice.
- eggs - a staple in fried rice dishes.
- vegetable oil - required for any stir-fry.
- onions
- garlic
- jalapeño pepper - optional, for a spicy kick
- green onions
- carrots and peas - I used a frozen vegetable mix to make it easy. You can add them into the stir fry directly from the freezer.
- seasonings - soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable stock powder (or chicken stock powder), white pepper, salt and ground black pepper.
- white sesame seeds (for garnish)
You will also need a large wok or skillet.
How to Make the Best Leftover Turkey Fried Rice
Leftover turkey fried rice is so easy and convenient to make. It takes about 5 minutes to prep, and just 10 minutes to stir-fry.
First, heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes until the oil sizzles and shimmers. Add onions and garlic and sauté with a spatula for 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in jalapeño (if using).
Add shredded or cubed turkey and stir to combine, about 1 minute. Move the turkey mixture to one side of the skillet and add eggs to the empty space in the skillet. Stir the eggs until scrambled and cooked through, yet still tender, about 1 minute. The eggs should be springy and bright in colour, and not too dry at this stage. Stir to combine all ingredients together.
Add cooked rice and all seasoning including soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable stock powder, white pepper, salt and black pepper. Stir well to combine, about 2 minutes. If rice is not soft enough, add up to ¼ cup of water to soften it.
Add carrots and peas, and stir fry for 2 minutes to evenly mix and distribute the ingredients. Then, stir in green onions.
Serve hot on a plate and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Leftover Turkey Fried Rice Variations
Turkey is great at taking on different flavours across all cuisines. Here are some ways that you can change up the flavours in this fried rice:
- Customize the vegetables: You can throw in whatever vegetables that you have on hand, just chop them up into bite-sized pieces. Some of my favourites to use are bean sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.
- Customize the seasoning:
- Add in a spoonful of teriyaki sauce for a Japanese twist.
- Add in spoonful of satay sauce for a Malaysian twist.
- Replace the soy sauce with fish sauce and add in some roasted peanuts for a Thai variation.
- Add in a spoonful of BBQ sauce for another variation.
Tips and Tricks
- Prep the ingredients. Have all your ingredients prepped and ready and within hands reach before you begin. Cooking fried rice is a very fast process and things move fast. Being prepared will ensure that the process goes smoothly.
- Continuously stir. Cooking a good stir-fry is all about continuously stirring over high heat. This ensures an even distribution of heat and even cooking. I usually use 2 spatulas to stir fry evenly and quickly.
- How to store. Store fried rice in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can reheat in the microwave or for a few minutes on a skillet.
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
- Leftover Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Creamy Turkey Orzo Soup
- Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- Turkey Tetrazzini with Spinach
- Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich
Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
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Recipe
Leftover Turkey Fried Rice
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Leftover turkey fried rice with turkey, fluffy rice, scrambled eggs, vegetables, and classic Asian seasonings is a one skillet meal made in just 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup onions, finely chopped (approximately half an onion)
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 small jalapeño pepper, sliced (optional for a spicy kick)
- 1 + ½ cups leftover cooked turkey, shredded or cubed into ½-inch thick pieces
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups white rice, cooked
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (or more to taste)
- 1 cup carrots and peas vegetable mix, frozen
- ½ tablespoon green onions, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes until sizzling and hot. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in jalapeño (if using).
- Add shredded or cubed turkey and stir to combine, about 1 minute. Move the turkey mixture to one side of the skillet and add eggs to the empty space in the skillet. Stir the eggs until scrambled and cooked through, yet still tender, about 1 minute. (The eggs should be springy and bright in colour, and not too dry at this stage). Stir to combine all ingredients together.
- Add cooked rice and all seasoning including soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable stock powder, white pepper, salt and black pepper. Stir well to combine, about 2 minutes. If the rice is not soft enough, add up to ¼ cup of water to soften it.
- Add carrots and peas, and stir fry for 2 minutes while evenly mixing and distributing the ingredients. Then, stir in green onions.
- Serve hot on a plate, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Notes
Equipment used: large wok or skillet.
How to use leftover rice: To use leftover rice, add some water (up to ¼ cup) to soften the rice.
Prep the ingredients: Have all your ingredients prepped and ready and within hands reach before you begin. Cooking fried rice is a very fast process and things move fast. Being prepared will ensure that the process goes smoothly.
Continuously stir: Cooking a good stir-fry is all about continuously stirring over high heat. This ensures an even distribution of heat and even cooking. I usually use 2 spatulas to stir fry evenly and quickly.
How to store: Store fried rice in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can reheat in the microwave or for a few minutes on a skillet.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Rice
- Method: Stir Fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
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Julia says
Not only did I make this to a round of applause using my leftover Thanksgiving turkey.... we loved it so much, I went out and bought a whole new turkey breast to roast today, so I can make it as part of my sons birthday dinner tomorrow at his request!! It is so simple and so good.
I went a little light on the pepper and jalapeno but my son added a dash of his own hot sauce and we all agreed this was better than you can find anywhere!
Danny says
Awesome recipe! I just made it with the rest of the leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and my family loved it! I will be using this recipe for all of my fried rice from now on.
I read a comment on here about the pepper being a bit too much, so I cut the amount in half. Also, I used chopped red pepper instead of jalapeño. My kids don't really like spicy food. The pepper was still a bit too much. White pepper is pretty strong, so I'll be cutting that down to 1/4 of the recipe moving forward.
Fried rice is usually better with leftover rice because fresh made rice tends to get mushy when you fry it. A trick that works really well for me is that I put a glass bowl in the freezer before I start the rice. When the rice is done, I let it cool down for about 30 minutes, fluffing it a few times with a fork while it cools. Then I put it in the bowl from freezer and leave the rice in the freezer for 30 min while I prep the rest of the ingredients.
Despite the pepper, everyone still loved it and cleaned their plates!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much for sharing Danny! So happy the recipe was a hit and you were able to make adjustments to the spice to suit your taste.