Southern Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

What do you usually do with your turkey leftovers?   

You could use your Thanksgiving leftovers to make a creamy comfort food dish with a bonus flakey pie crust. Also known as a Southern leftover turkey pot pie recipe! It’s a Southern tradition and another down-home cooking recipe I’m delighted to share.   

What makes a Southern leftover turkey pot pie recipe?

The day after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, all that turkey meets home-style goodness in this remarkable turkey pot pie recipe and leftover turkey recipe that’ll make your taste buds sing. 

With its fresh-from-the-oven taste, leftover turkey meat, Southern staple pantry ingredients, and seasoned-to-perfection flavors, this recipe will satisfy your craving for soul food and warm comfort food all baked into this one pie!

What is Southern leftover turkey pot pie made of?

The ingredients for this soul food recipe are day-old cooked turkey, savory gravy, mixed vegetables, vegetable broth, chicken bouillon, and pie dough for a buttery, flakey crust. Plus, a handful of hearty seasonings and smooth heavy cream. 

What a delicious and soulful comfort-food way to use up that turkey meat you spent hours preparing. Don’t you think?

What kind of bakeware do you need?

Check out my list below of easy countertop appliances and kitchen tools to use.

Kitchen equipment for a Southern turkey pot pie 

• Instant Pot electric pressure cooker (optional)
• Instant Pot Omni Plus oven
• 9-inch deep-dish pie pan
• Aluminum foil to cover the pie crust edges (or a pie crust shield)

Shop my kitchenware HERE!

Ingredients for Southern leftover turkey pot pie

• 2 pie crusts, homemade or store-bought (I used Pillsbury’s 2 soft pie crusts)
• 2 cups of shredded or cubed cooked turkey breast or turkey meat 
• 12 oz of mixed vegetables with the vegetable broth (frozen mixed vegetables or canned – add 4 oz. of vegetable or chicken broth if using frozen vegetables)
• ¼ cup of cold water
• ¼ cup of turkey or chicken gravy
• ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon
• ½ teaspoon of Famous Dave’s Country Roast Chicken Seasoning
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme to garnish (optional)

Instructions for Southern leftover turkey pot pie

1. Grease a 9-inch pie pan.
2. Add the bottom pie crust to the pan and set it aside.
3. Add the turkey or chicken gravy and the chicken bouillon in a large pot on low (I used my Instant Pot, with the lid off and on the ‘keep warm’ setting).
4. Once the bouillon has dissolved into the gravy, pour in the mixed vegetables (with their broth) and the heavy whipping cream.
5. Use a small mixing bowl, add the cold water and the cornstarch, mix until smooth, and then pour into the vegetable mixture for the pot pie.
6. Stir the pot pie filling to combine the ingredients.
7. Season the poultry with Famous Dave’s chicken seasoning, and add it to the pot pie filling.
8. Add the salt and pepper and stir to mix.
9. Pour the pie filling into the pie pan lined with the pie dough.
10. Top the filling with the second pie crust.
11. Seal the edges by crimping or fluting, and cut off any excess overhang. You can use a fork to crimp and seal the double pie crust.
12. Slit the middle of the top pie crust with an “X” for venting while baking.
13. Bake the pot pie at 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes if you’re using a conventional oven. If you’re using the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven, bake for 17-20 minutes. Bake until the top crust is golden-brown and you see bubbling through the open vent in the center of the pie.
14. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
15. Serve this Southern leftover turkey pot pie recipe warm, and enjoy!

Pro tips:

• You can make this pie with either shredded turkey or chicken.
• Cover the crust’s edge with foil strips to prevent them from overcooking or burning. Or use a pie crust shield.
• Once the pot pie has cooled enough to serve, use a pizza cutter to make neat and even slices. 
• Make the easiest Southern dessert – pie crust cookies– with any leftover pie dough!
• Use a pizza cutter to slice the pot pie for easy, even slices!

What do you pair with turkey pot pie?

So, what goes good with turkey pot pie? Pot pie is a main dish that holds its own because the pie filling is made with vegetables, gravy, and meat. (And the crust is basically bread.)

But if you still want to add a side dish to this entrée, you may enjoy one of these favorite soul food recipe dinner ideas:

• Soul food homemade cornbread
• Southern creamed corm pudding
• Southern creamy mashed potatoes

Southern leftover turkey pot pie FAQs

How do you fix bland turkey pot pie?

This is a problem that many people have. But it’s not a problem for you if you’re following the instructions for this Southern turkey pot pie recipe!

The problem has often been that folks make an excellent pot pie, but it lacks flavor, and the taste is bland. Sure, you could add some seasoning to your recipe, but what if you don’t know where to start? 

No worries – just follow these guided recipe instructions that call for soul food flavors from chicken broth, the intense seasoning of chicken bouillon, turkey gravy or chicken gravy, the precise amounts of salt and pepper, and a final flavor kick from your favorite Southern poultry seasoning. 

Can you use canned or frozen vegetables?

Then, there are the vegetables. You can use canned mixed vegetables, frozen mixed vegetables, or sliced fresh veggies to add to the turkey pot pie filling. To pair with the turkey mixture, consider vegetables like frozen peas, carrots, corn, celery, potato, butternut squash, and green beans. 

I’ve even made little homemade pot pies with staple ingredients like biscuits! While super cute, beware – the instructions and baking time differ from this recipe.

Are there any good ingredient swaps for a soul food Southern turkey pot pie recipe?

As long as you follow this recipe’s seasoning ingredients, you can use other ingredient substitutes without affecting the savory soul food flavoring of this homemade turkey pot pie recipe.

• If you don’t have gravy, you could substitute it with a cream of mushroom soup. Or half and half in place of heavy whipping cream. 
• While you won’t need these seasonings, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, a teaspoon of dried thyme, onion powder, or garlic powder are also good additions but not necessary.
• While not required for this recipe, some folks brush their pie crust or puff pastry pie dough with an egg wash before baking, then butter or olive oil after the baking dish is out of the oven.

What part of the turkey should you use to make the best Southern turkey pot pie recipe?

You’ll want leftover turkey for this recipe. Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner works well. Skinless turkey breast is best, so all you have to do is chop, cube, or shred it and add the meat to the pie filling. 

Can this turkey pot pie be made ahead of time?

This pie can be made ahead and frozen, cooked or uncooked, and sealed in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 90 days.

How do you store leftover turkey pot pie?

This leftover turkey pot pie can be made in advance and will last 3-5 days when refrigerated and covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

How do you thicken turkey pot pie filling?

Several methods exist for thickening turkey pot pie filling. One way is to use flour as an alternative thickener for the pot pie filling. You can gradually whisk in one tablespoon of flour at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.

For this Southern turkey pot pie recipe, the filling will thicken as it bakes in the oven with the addition of cornstarch to help it along, as cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour.

You could also use a roux as a thickener for your turkey pot pie filling. A roux is made by cooking flour and butter until it becomes golden brown. Once you have the desired consistency, add it to the boiling saucepan with the other ingredients. 

How do you keep the bottom of turkey pot pie from getting soggy?

As many people know, a good pie crust is the key to making delicious and flaky pastries. 

To ensure that your dish is as fluffy and light as possible, pay attention to the following details when preparing it:

The first thing you could try is making the filling thicker. If it has a similar texture as soup, then your crust is likely to get soggy because of this. So check to ensure you’ve followed the recipe instructions and added cornstarch to the filling.

How does this turn out with a double crust?

This recipe calls for a double crust (pie crust on the top and bottom). 

• Seal the edges by crimping or fluting, and cut off any excess overhang. You can use a fork to crimp and seal the double pie crust.
• Remember to grease the pie dish before adding the bottom crust. And slit the middle of the top pie crust with an “X” for venting while baking.
• Cover the edge of the crust with strips of foil to prevent them from overcooking or burning.

How do you make pie crust from scratch?

• Check out my easy homemade almond flour pie crust recipe HERE. 
• Use a rolling pin for the homemade pie crust before placing it on top of the pie filling to top the pie crust.

Can you freeze the filling alone to make it later?

Asked another way, “How do you freeze homemade meat pies?”

Yes! You can freeze the filling for turkey pot pie and bake it later. A fantastic idea for planning freezer meals! 

Or freeze the whole finished pie. Either way, seal it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 90 days.

What did you think about this Southern leftover turkey pot pie recipe?

Who doesn’t love turkey leftovers? Especially when you can turn them into creamy comfort food with a bonus flakey pie crust? Like magic!

That’s why turkey pot pie is a favorite here! It’s a soul food Southern turkey recipe tradition and another down-home cooking recipe I’m delighted to share.

Would you make this recipe with chicken or turkey? 

Have you had it?

Would you make it? 

Comment below and lemme know. 

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