If roasting turkey is labor then making Turkey Bone Broth is the glorious afterbirth. Shall we get into it?
Turkey bone broth is a versatile and flavorful ingredient that can elevate many dishes. From soups and stews to gravies and risottos, the possibilities are endless for recipes you can make with turkey broth.
After spending time and care preparing a beautiful turkey dinner, it seems a shame to waste the remaining bones and scraps. Transforming them into a rich, homemade broth captures all that delicious turkey flavor. It’s simple to make and allows you to get the most out of your holiday bird.
In this article, I’ll share 18 of my favorite ways to use up turkey bone broth. With nourishing, comforting recipes perfect for chilly weather, you’ll look forward to leftovers like never before!
Soups and Stews
Warm, fragrant soups and stews are my favorite way to utilize turkey bone broth. It adds a depth of savory flavor that enhances classics into gourmet bowls of goodness.
1. Turkey Noodle Soup
A steaming bowl of turkey noodle soup with egg noodles or rice noodles swimming in the broth is pure comfort food. Vegetables like carrots, celery, and onion bulk it up. Shredded turkey meat can be also added for a heartier soup
2. Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
The nuttiness of wild rice combines perfectly with the savoriness of the broth. Cook the rice right in the broth for extra flavor infusion. Diced turkey vegetables, and cream make this a creamy robust soup.
3. Turkey Tortilla Soup
Spice up your soup with classic Mexican flavors. Saute onions, garlic, and chili powder as the base. Simmer the broth with tomatoes, corn, black beans and cilantro. Top with crispy tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, and lime.
4. Turkey Chili
Ground turkey and beans create a protein-packed, satisfying chili. Saute the ground turkey with veggies, chili powder, and cumin. Add broth then tomatoes, beans, and corn. Simmer until thickened. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, or avocado.
5. Turkey and Dumplings
For the ultimate comfort food, make fluffy dumplings to float in your savory broth. Cook carrots, celery, onion, and turkey in the broth. Drop spoonfuls of a simple dough mixture on top, cover, and steam until the dumplings are cooked through.
6. Turkey Vegetable Stew
Simmer broth with potatoes, carrots, peas, and corn to make a hearty vegetable stew. Dice leftover turkey and add during the last 5 minutes so it doesn’t overcook. Serve stew piping hot in bread bowls.
Gravies and Sauces
Deliciously rich pan sauces and gravies take well to the addition of turkey bone broth. From gravy for the holidays to sauces for weeknight chicken, these recipes transform ordinary into extraordinary.
7. Classic Turkey Gravy
An easy way to fancy up the turkey or dress up your leftovers. Melt butter in the pan you roasted the turkey in to pick up the browned bits. Sprinkle flour and whisk to form a roux. Slowly add turkey broth while whisking until thickened.
8. Pan Sauce for Chicken
Saute chicken breasts or thighs in a skillet until browned. Remove chicken and add minced shallots to the pan drippings. Deglaze with turkey broth and simmer until reduced. Add lemon juice and capers or olives. Pour sauce over chicken.
9. Mushroom Gravy
Saute mushrooms and shallots in butter. Sprinkle flour to make a roux then whisk in broth, cooking until thickened. Finish with herbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper for an earthy, flavorful gravy.
10. Turkey Pot Pie
Make this comforting casserole with your broth. Cook carrots, peas, onion, and cubed turkey in the broth. Thicken broth into a sauce. Pour into a baking dish, top with biscuit dough, and bake until golden.
Risottos
The richness of turkey bone broth is perfect for making creamy, comforting risottos. As the rice slowly simmers, it absorbs the broth’s savory notes and becomes infused with flavor.
11. Butternut Squash Risotto
Puree roasted butternut squash with broth to get a bright orange, creamy base. Cook onions and Arborio rice, adding in the broth mixture. Top with sage, Parmesan cheese, and toasted walnuts.
12. Turkey and Mushroom Risotto
Saute mushrooms and shallots before adding the rice to toast it. Add turkey stock gradually while cooking the rice until al dente. Fold in diced turkey, parsley, lemon zest, and Parmesan before serving.
13. Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto
Saute shrimp and asparagus with garlic and chili flakes to start. Follow standard risotto cooking, gradually adding warm turkey broth until rice is done. Garnish with lemon and extra asparagus.
Savory Braises
Low and slow braised dishes get a major boost of flavor when cooked in turkey broth. It keeps lean meats tender and juicy while infusing them with taste.
14. Brisket
Sear beef brisket all over then cook low and slow in broth with onions, garlic, dried thyme, Worcestershire, mustard, and red wine vinegar until fall-apart tender. Make gravy from the braising liquid.
15. Chicken Cacciatore
Braise bone-in chicken thighs in broth with mushrooms, onion, peppers, tomatoes, white wine, and Italian seasoning. The broth soaks up all the delicious flavors. Serve over creamy polenta or pasta.
16. Vegetarian Lentil Stew
Warm spices complement the earthy lentils which break down into the broth, creating a rich stew. Cook lentils, veggies, and Indian spices in broth. Finish with lemon and cilantro.
17. Turkey and White Bean Chili
Saute onion, garlic, chili powder, and cumin to start. Add broth, canned beans, corn, jalapeno, and cube turkey. Simmer until thick and creamy. Finish with lime juice and cilantro.
Sipping Broth
Don’t forget you can drink turkey bone broth straight up for a dose of nourishing comfort. It’s packed with collagen, protein, and minerals that are great for your gut and overall health.
18. Sip as a hot tea
Reheat broth and enjoy as is, like a savory tea. Add lemon, herbs, or a dash of hot sauce if you wish. Savor the rich, soothing broth on its own.
Make it into Congee
Congee is a Chinese rice porridge made by simmering rice in broth until it breaks down into a creamy soup. Top withgreen onions, shredded chicken, and ginger. It’s nurturing food.
Time to Get Cooking!
As you can see, the possibilities are endless when it comes to using every last bit of flavor from your holiday bird. Homemade turkey broth is liquid gold.
With a little planning after your feast, you can create your own turkey bone broth. Use it right away or freeze in batches for later. I hope you’re inspired to start whipping up these delicious recipes.
Instructions for How to Make Turkey Bone Broth
I wasnt kidding when I said if you can boil water, you can make Turkey Bone Broth. Literally put everything in a large pot, bring to boil, then simmer for hours. Once the broth has simmered out, there are just a few additional steps to filter and cool.
Here are the high-level steps to make a glorious golden Roast Turkey bone Broth:
1. Place bones and apple cider vinegar in large pot, fill with water to cover bones by an inch, then simmer 8-12 hours. Add vegetables in last hour, herbs in last 20 minutes.
2. Strain broth into a large bowl fit inside a larger bowl filled with ice water to turbo-cool the broth before putting in refrigerator.
3. Chill the bone broth in the refrigerator overnight to let any fat rise to the top and solidify.
4. Scrape off solidified fat from surface of broth, and transfer the gelled broth to storage containers to future enjoyment!
Difference Between Bone Broth and Stock
Wait, so whats the difference between bone broth and stock? So glad you asked because theyre kind of the same thing, made in similar ways, but different depending on the application.
In regular cooking terms, a broth generally refers to a liquid made from meat and maybe a few bones and simmered for a shorter period of time, i.e. 1-2 hours. The resulting broth is lighter in both color and flavor, and doesnt gel. Broth is great as base for soups.
Stock, on the other hand, refers to a liquid made primarily from bones with some bits of meat and skin attached and simmered for a long time to extract flavor. The resulting stock is deeper in color, sometimes because the bones are roasted before simmering, and flavor. Stock usually sets into a gel texture when chilled and is great for braises in which you want a thick braising liquid, sauces, and gravies.
Bone broth, confusingly enough, is actually more like a stock, and when its called “bone broth,” these days we consider it a liquid that has simmered for even longer than plain stock to truly extract as much collagen, glucosamine, and amino acids out of the bones.
How to Make Bone Broth with Leftover turkey bones| Delicious and Nutritious!
FAQ
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