Butter Turkey Curry (With Leftover Roast Turkey)
A rich & creamy butter turkey curry made with leftover roast turkey instead of classic chicken. This is designed to use up Christmas leftovers & is perfect for Boxing Day!
If you’re a fan of a classic butter chicken curry then you’re going to love this butter turkey curry recipe! It’s designed to use up leftover roasted turkey from your Christmas dinner (or Thanksgiving or Easter) & it’s super easy to make, so is the perfect choice for a no fuss Boxing Day meal.
Although we’re making this curry from scratch, it really doesn’t take that long to make. And because we’re using leftover roast turkey, the meat just needs to be reheated in the sauce, to serve. I’d highly recommend serving this curry the classic way, with rice, poppadoms, naan & chutney but it would be good with some leftover roast potatoes as well though!
For more festive recipes, take a look at our collection of Christmas recipes! You’ll find all the classics here, including roast turkey, cranberry sauce, Christmas pudding, mince pies & lots more…
Components Of This Curry
- Leftover Roast Turkey – This curry is designed to use up leftover roast turkey! I used leftovers from my roasted spatchcock turkey & I used a mix of white & dark meat. As the turkey is already cooked, we’ll be reheating the meat in the sauce once it’s ready.
- Butter Curry Sauce – We’re making a classic butter chicken sauce (but using turkey instead!). This is a tomato based curry sauce that’s made with onions, garlic, ginger, lemon, dried spices, cashews, double cream & of course, butter.
- Double Cream – Butter curry sauce is finished with double cream (heavy cream), which gives it a creamy, mild flavour. There’s a drizzle of cream on top of the finished curry as well.
- Coriander – Topping your curry with chopped coriander is optional but adds extra flavour & colour.
How To Make Butter Turkey Curry
This butter turkey curry is made the same way as a classic butter chicken curry, except the meat is already cooked (we’re using roast turkey), so it’s just a case of making the sauce then reheating the turkey in it.
Curry Sauce
This is a tomato based curry sauce, with added double cream & lemon juice. It’s rich, creamy & mild. However you can up the level of heat by adding in extra spices if you’d prefer. Here’s how we make it;
- Cook sliced onions in butter until soft then stir in sliced garlic, grated ginger, cashews, garam masala, paprika, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, cinnamon & chilli powder. Cook this out for a minute, stirring frequently.
- Stir in tomato paste, cook out for 1 minute then add in a tin of chopped tomatoes. Rinse the tin out with 300ml of cold water & add this into the sauce as well.
- Cook the curry sauce over a low heat until the spices have cooked out (they won’t be gritty anymore!), stirring regularly. This will take around 20 minutes & the sauce will be thick as well.
- Once cooked, blend the sauce smooth in a jug blender, adding in double cream & lemon juice. Season to taste with salt at this point then add the sauce back into the pan.
To Finish & Reheat Leftover Turkey
All we need to do now, is to warm the sauce back up on the stove then gradually add in cubed butter. Make sure to add the butter in a small piece at a time, so that it emulsifies into the sauce properly!
Once the butter has been mixed in, we can add in our shredded leftover turkey then cover the pan with a lid & cook for another 5-10 minutes until the meat is piping hot. To serve, we drizzle over a small amount of double cream then sprinkle the top of the curry with some chopped coriander.
Serving Suggestions
I’d highly recommend serving this turkey curry the same way as a classic butter chicken curry; with steamed rice, poppadoms, naan, chutney & raita! However, butter turkey curry also makes a fantastic jacket potato topping or it can be served with crispy chips. You can pretty much serve this curry with whatever you like though, it’s good with most things.
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook butter turkey curry on an Aga, cook the onions for the sauce on the boiling plate then move over to the simmering plate when you add in the tomatoes. Use the simmering plate when finishing the sauce as well.
Leftover butter turkey curry will keep for a day or two in the fridge, depending on when you roasted turkey.
You can use either white or brown turkey meat for curry, or a mix of both. Just make sure to discard any bones or cartilage from the turkey before adding it to the curry!
The best way to reheat leftover turkey curry is to warm it in a pan over a medium-low heat, until the meat is piping hot. If the curry sauce gets toot thick, you can adjust the consistency with a splash of water.
More Christmas Recipes To Try!
- Leftover Turkey & Ham Slab Pie
- Leftover Turkey Caesar Salad
- Leftover Pigs In Blankets Mac & Cheese
- Leftover Christmas Dinner Pie
- Hot Honey & Sage Pigs In Blankets
- Sticky Toffee Glazed Ham
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Butter Turkey Curry
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Microplane/Grater
- Juicer
- Jug Blender
Ingredients
- 500 g Leftover Roast Turkey (Shredded)
Curry Sauce
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 50 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 White Onions (Thinly Sliced)
- 4 Garlic Cloves (Thinly Sliced)
- A 2″ Piece Of Fresh Ginger (Grated)
- 75 g Cashews
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Ground Fenugreek
- ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Chilli Powder
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 400 g Tin Of Chopped Tomatoes
- 300 ml Water (Use To Rinse Out Tomato Tin!)
- 150 g Double Cream (Plus Extra To Serve)
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
To Finish
- 100 g Unsalted Butter (Cut Into Small Pieces)
- Finely Chopped Coriander
Instructions
Curry Sauce
- Set a large saucepan over a medium heat then add in the veg oil & butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the sliced onions & a good pinch of salt then cook, stirring frequently until soft & lightly browned. This will take around 15 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, cashews, garam masala, paprika, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, cinnamon & chilli powder. Cook this out for a minute, stirring frequently.
- Next, stir in the tomato paste, cook out for another minute then add in the chopped tomatoes & the water (use this to rinse out the empty tomato tin).
- Reduce the heat to low & cook the curry sauce for 20-30 minutes, stirring regularly until it has thickened & the spices have cooked out.You'll know when the spices have cooked out when the sauce doesn't taste gritty. If your sauce gets too thick, thin it out with a splash of water. The tomatoes should have reduced by roughly half.
- Next, transfer the sauce into a jug blender then blend briefly to break up the onions & cashews. Add in the double cream & lemon juice then continue blending until the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt then pour the sauce back into the pan.A stick blender will also work!
- Set the pan of sauce back over a low heat then once hot, stir in the butter a small piece at a time. Make sure to let each piece of butter melt completely before adding more.
- Add the shredded turkey into the sauce then cover the pan with a lid & cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the meat is piping hot. Make sure to stir the curry regularly.
- To serve, top the curry with a drizzle of double cream & a sprinkle of chopped coriander.
