I had a turkey hanging out in my freezer that I bought on sale and after roasting it I was a little disappointed in the breast meat, it was a bit bland. So the leftover turkey was lingering in the fridge, time for a repurpose! Leftover Turkey tacos were our Super Bowl Sunday dinner and no one was complaining. I used just half the leftover turkey breast from my 14 lbs turkey, the other side having already been used up in salads this week. If you want to use a whole (both sides) breast just double up on the recipe it will work great.
I served this with a full array of Mexican style condiments: fresh tomato salsa, tomatillo relish and pickled red onions, as well as a bottle of our favorite hot sauce. You should put out whatever you family likes from lettuce to cheese and anything in between go crazy! Here is my recipe for pickled red onions. For the tomatillo relish I dice up fresh tomatillo, onion, jalapenos and cilantro or parsley with a little salt and lime. And if you are still living with boring jar salsa you must check out one of Cook Better Than’s first post: Six Fresh Salsas. Nothing will make a basic taco made from leftover turkey shine like a good homemade fresh salsa. Don’t forget the extra lime wedges they give a nice bite that makes everything taste fresh.
Easy Leftover Turkey Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 half a cooked Turkey breast from a 12-16 lbs turkey
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 small can green chilies
- ½ cup white wine or beer
- 3 tbs tomato paste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 Juice of half a lime
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tbs dry garlic
- 1 tbs Adobo seasoning
- Dry ground chipotle or other pepper to taste
- Salt and Pepper
- 6-8 Tortillas
Instructions
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Shred the meat from the turkey breast using two forks. Put in an oven safe sauté pan over medium heat with a little olive oil. Add the canned tomatoes and chilies as well as the dry spices. Cook over medium heat allowing the liquid to evaporate and sear the meat a little. Deglaze the pan with the wine and Worcestershire. Add the pat of butter to the pan for extra flavor. Taste and adjust flavors as desired. The meat can be held over low heat or in a crock pot until ready to serve.
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Before serving place the pan with meat the in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes until the top browns some. Remove from broiler and squeeze lime juice over the top.
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Serve with any or all of the following: tortillas, fresh salsa, pickled red onion, tomatillo relish, avocado, sour cream, hot sauce, and lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
Chicken could be used in place of the turkey.
This recipe also makes a great salad topping or omelet filling.