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Home » Gluten Free Holiday Recipes

Modified: Mar 7, 2025 Published: Nov 26, 2020· Cathy Brak · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Home » Gluten Free Holiday Recipes

Healthy Leftover Turkey Recipes

Do you find yourself looking for healthy leftover turkey recipes? Now you need look no further! This collection of my favourite salad recipes to make with cooked chicken or turkey will give you something to look forward to the day after the big meal.

cooked turkey slices sit on top of a salad in a black bowl

The table is spread with your best dishes, your favourite linens have been pressed into service, the glassware is sparkling, candles have been lit, family is gathered, and the conversation is lively.

Such is my ideal holiday gathering. Usually, if not always, a big turkey or a couple of large chickens are roasting in the oven. Because of the abundance of food, or perhaps some overestimating in obtaining said bird, there is usually lots of leftover turkey. These leftover turkey recipes will have you hoping for lots of extra poultry.

How to Roast a Turkey

First things first. Let's cook a great turkey!

roast turkey on a bed of green with white bowl of red cranberries behind it

Leftover Turkey

The question of what to do with leftovers seems to dominate conversations of the week following the big dinner. I can help you with that, and there are no boring turkey sandwiches here! Sure, some leftover meat can be reheated in gravy and served with leftover mashed potatoes fried in butter. That's great comfort food for me. However, the salads I'm going to give you are more interesting and are ideal for serving to guests.

Refrigerate the leftovers right away

Practice food safety. Refrigerate leftover meat right away. Having lots of handy containers for leftovers really simplifies the cleanup process. I like to use glass ones. Before dessert is served, get that leftover food into covered containers and into the fridge.

Leftover Turkey FAQ's

How long can you safely eat leftover turkey?

As long as you have gotten your leftover turkey meat stored away in the fridge as soon as the meal is finished, it should be fine there for 3 or 4 days.

Can you freeze leftover turkey?

If your meat is sealed in an airtight container, you certainly can freeze it for 2 to 3 months. It can be safe longer than that, but it will decline in quality the longer it is kept.

For the days that follow your big meal, depending on how much turkey is leftover, here are some ideas for some more delicious meals.

Healthy Leftover Turkey Recipes

These recipes use cooked chicken or cooked turkey interchangeably.

Chicken Cranberry Salad

sliced, cooked turkey, dried cranberries, and pecans on a bed of fresh lettuce in black bowl

Festive Cranberry Salad with Chicken and Pecans is a beautifully simple fresh green salad to toss together for a light lunch. The tartness of dried cranberries balances the sweetness of poppy seed dressing and the crunch of candied pecans with some nice, moist cooked chicken or turkey.

Chicken Cranberry Salad
Dried cranberries and candied pecans make leftovers special in this fresh salad!
Check out this recipe
Cranberry Salad with Chicken and Pecans

Chicken Salad with Mango, Red Pepper, and Green Onions

closeup shot of salad with chunks of chicken, mango, and red pepper in creamy dressing

Take your classic chicken salad up a notch with deliciously sweet, juicy mango! Turkey leftovers, or any cooked chicken for that matter, reach a whole new tasty level with red pepper, green onion, and just a touch of heat in the creamy dressing. Because this is so quick and easy to assemble, it's perfect for the day after a big turkey meal.

Chicken Salad with Mango
This sweet, tasty salad is a great thing to make with leftover, cooked turkey or chicken.
Check out this recipe
closeup shot of salad with chunks of chicken, mango, and red pepper in creamy dressing

Mango Avocado Salad with Chicken

cubes of chicken, mango, and avocado sit with slivers of carrot and beet on lettuce and kale salad

If you love a salad with a tang of feta and the sweetness of honey dijon dressing, my Chicken Mango Avocado salad is for you! Add the crunch of kale and colours of beets and carrots, and it forms a most delightful meal in less than 30 minutes!

Mango Avocado Salad with Chicken and Honey Dijon Dressing
This salad is a beautiful combination of sweet mango, creamy avocado, and crunchy vegetables with tangy feta and honey dijon dressing.
Check out this recipe
looking down on a round bowl with slivered carrots and beet, on cubed chicken, mango, avocado, and lettude

Chicken Waldorf Salad

chicken waldorf salad in black bowl on linen napkin

Imagine a combination of apples, grapes, nuts, dried cranberries, and chicken salad served on a nice bed of fresh greens.

Chicken Waldorf Salad
This healthy classic is thrown together in under 10 minutes if you already have the dressing and chicken salad on hand.
Check out this recipe
chicken waldorf salad in black bowl on linen napkin

Easy Chicken Salad

clear bowl of chopped chicken and celery with dressing on lavender napkin with wooden spoons

With the tang of lemon, sweetness of honey, crunch of celery, and the creaminess of mayo, this chicken salad is tasty and nutritious. It has only six ingredients plus salt and pepper, so you can easily whip it up in minutes!

Chicken Salad
This easy chicken salad recipe is the base for great sandwiches and salads.
Check out this recipe
chicken salad with celery in glass bowl on lavender napkin with wooden spoons

Enjoy your holiday and the leftovers!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Megan Stevens says

    November 28, 2018 at 7:34 am

    Aw, lovely variety and inspiration here!! Thanks! We love turkey, but these themes are so helpful.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 28, 2018 at 8:03 am

      Thanks, Megan! I do find these recipes handy to go to often.

      Reply
  2. Hope says

    November 27, 2018 at 1:21 am

    These all look so tasty Cathy! Love the festive cranberry salad!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 27, 2018 at 6:51 am

      Thanks, Hope! It's a very easy one to put together.

      Reply
  3. Renee D Kohley says

    November 25, 2018 at 7:46 pm

    Ooo I just picked up mangos on sale today at the grocery store! I know which one I"m making!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 25, 2018 at 8:49 pm

      Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. jenna urben says

    November 23, 2018 at 9:58 pm

    These all look awesome! Love the one with the avocado 🙂 Looks so nourishing, great way to use up leftovers.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 25, 2018 at 4:45 pm

      Thank you, Jenna! Perfectly ripened avocado is always good, isn't it!

      Reply
  5. Daniela says

    November 20, 2018 at 2:42 pm

    Ah nothing like using up all the leftovers! I like that you provided all these variations! Sounds delicious!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 20, 2018 at 9:44 pm

      They are recipes that I love to make often! Thanks for stopping by, Daniela.

      Reply

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