Leftover Turkey Fried Rice

Make easy turkey fried rice with leftover Thanksgiving turkey! It includes simple ingredients and is packed with a lot of flavor. Plus, it’s ready in less than 30 minutes. You can serve it for dinner or lunch, or use chicken as a substitute.

fried rice on yellow plate with chopsticks.

Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy a feast with your family and friends, but it also means having a lot of leftover turkey. Instead of eating the same thing for days, you can make different recipes such as turkey salad, turkey pot pie, creamy white chili (use turkey instead of chicken), or this turkey fried rice!

This recipe transforms Thanksgiving leftovers into a delicious quick and easy Asian-style dish. Enjoy it as a main dish to serve overnight guests over the holiday weekend, for lunch or dinner.

Why You’ll Love It

  • It’s easy and saves time because the turkey is already cooked.
  • It’s a wonderful alternative way to serve leftovers.
  • This dish can be doubled or tripled depending on how much turkey you have leftover
  • You can use cooked chicken and enjoy it for an Asian themed dinner party or ladies luncheon year round.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Sesame oil. This fragrant oil is used to give the rice delicious aromatic Asian flavors.
  • Red pepper. The recipe as written calls for fresh diced red bell pepper, but I used roasted red peppers I already had on hand and added it with the peas.
  • Yellow onion. I used yellow onions but you can use white onion or shallots.
  • Garlic. Use two small garlic cloves or 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.
  • Green onions. I used half for cooking and half for garnishing at the end.
  • Cooked rice. You can use white or brown rice for this recipe.
  • Turkey. Use leftover turkey or chicken for this recipe.
  • Peas. Thaw frozen peas before adding to the recipe. 
  • Egg. Beat one large egg before adding to the fried rice.
  • Soy sauce. To add a delicious umami flavor.
  • Worcestershire sauce. For savory flavor and color.

Expert Tips

You can add even more flavor to your fried rice by tossing in some pineapple bits. Or customize with your favorite vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, or water chestnuts.

It’s important to use higher heat. This will ensure that the rice and the other ingredients are cooked quickly and evenly, and that they get a nice texture. High heat will also prevent the rice from sticking to the pan.

If you can, use rice that has been cooked and stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. This will give the rice a firmer and drier texture that is ideal for frying.

fried rice on yellow plate with chopsticks.

More Asian Inspired Recipes

If you love leftover turkey fried rice I think you’ll also love these Asian style dishes, too.

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fried rice on yellow plate with chopsticks.

Turkey Fried Rice

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Transform leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, into this Asian-style turkey fried rice. It's quick, easy and delicious!

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 of a yellow onion, diced
  • 2 small cloves garlic (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 2 stalks green onions, diced (I saved about half in the cooking, and the rest to garnish at the end)
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked white or brown rice
  • 4-5 ounces leftover turkey, diced (or chicken)
  • 4 Tablespoon frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Pinch black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat sesame oil in a wok or large saucepan, on medium-high heat. Add red pepper, onion and rice and saute for 5 minutes until the rice starts to get a bit crispy on the edges.
  2. Add garlic, green onions and diced turkey and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add peas and cook for 2 1/2 minutes tossing well, all together.
  4. Make a well in the center of the wok and add the beaten egg; stir until cooked, breaking up into small pieces to scramble.
  5. Combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire and black pepper and stir into the rice, cooking for 30 seconds, and serve.

Did you make this recipe?

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