Thanksgiving Leftovers: Asian BBQ Turkey

Spice up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving by making Asian BBQ Turkey to serve in lettuce wraps or as sliders!
Thanksgiving leftovers: Asian BBQ Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends! Still stuffed from yesterday? I am, but that won’t stop me from talking about food.

If you have any turkey leftover, this post is for you.

I’ve had a whole turkey chilling in my freezer since receiving it last year from work, and I finally worked up the courage to tackle cooking the extra-large bird. I don’t know why I felt so intimidated about roasting a whole turkey, but after doing my research and following this simple guide on how to cook a turkey, it really was quite easy! But I didn’t roast this turkey for Thanksgiving; I just finally decided it was time to make some room in the freezer the week BEFORE Thanksgiving. Maybe I should have thought that through more…

So basically, this is my way of using up turkey in a less than the traditional way. I also made a turkey corn chowder, turkey spinach omelets, and even gave some turkey to friends to help use up the 11-pound bird.

The Asian BBQ sauce takes less than 10 minutes to whip together, then you can add leftover shredded turkey to use any way you’d like. I love fresh, crunchy lettuce wraps, especially with the sweet and spicy turkey.

Note: Lettuce wraps are always messy, and the meat is so juicy and tender in this recipe that you DO NOT want to start eating these without a napkin close by.

[bctt tweet=”Lots of turkey leftover from #Thanksgiving? Time to make Asian BBQ Turkey!”]

Asian BBQ Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Author: Karman Meyer, Dietitian at The Nutrition Adventure

Ingredients

Asian BBQ Sauce adapted from All Recipes

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chile-garlic suace
  • 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 tablespoon water
  • 4 cups cooked shredded turkey breast
  • 8 Boston lettuce leaves rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
  • 1/2 cup diced cucumber
  • 1/2 cup diced carrots

Instructions

  • 1. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chile-garlic sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and sesame oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Add cornstarch mixture to boiling mixture and stir well. Reduce heat to low and allow to sauce to cook for 5 minutes to thicken.
  • 2. Add shredded turkey breast to sauce and stir to coat. Allow turkey to heat through on low heat.
  • 3. Once heated, assemble lettuce wraps by adding 1/2 cup shredded turkey to each lettuce leaf and top with diced cucumber and carrots.
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Oh, and if you have leftover rolls from Thanksgiving and prefer to turn this into a sandwich, this Asian BBQ Turkey is great as a slider too!

Thanksgiving leftovers: Asian BBQ Turkey Sandwich

 

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