Every year I try to do something new and exciting with my turkey leftovers, no boring old sandwiches around here! I’ve made turkey croquettes and turkey congee, both to rave reviews. This year I wanted something both a little lighter and faster, and a little unexpected. Enter this Vietnamese-inspired turkey salad, and wow—this one’s a winner.
Full disclosure, we struggle to finish turkeys in my house. Why? Because we’re Asian and there’s something in our DNA that doesn’t allow us to enjoy turkey breast. And turkeys have huge breasts. My solution is to look for highly seasoned dishes where other ingredients help boost that dreaded blandness into a fabulous new dish. Bright and zesty, this salad transforms leftover turkey into something vibrant and fresh. Juicy turkey is paired with crisp veggies, fragrant herbs, and an absolutely addictive tangy dressing that’s packed with bold, savory flavors. It’s the perfect antidote to the rich and hearty dishes of Thanksgiving.
While this started as a recipe for Thanksgiving leftovers, you can turn it into a year round favorite by swapping out the turkey for other proteins like roasted chicken, sliced steak, or even some crunchy fried tofu. So grab your turkey leftovers, and let’s get into it!
I start making the turkey salad by making the dressing. If you are familiar with Vietnamese food you’ll recognize it; it’s a riff on nuoc cham, which blends fresh lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chili. It’s a masterclass in balancing sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors. I like mine strong with a bite. Most restaurants use white vinegar instead of lime juice and you can too if you prefer or don’t have limes. I don’t dilute it with water but again you can add a couple of tablespoons if you like it milder.
It’s ridiculously quick to make and keeps well in the fridge for a week or two, so I always make extra. The bright flavors perk up all kinds of foods. Add some on simple steamed veggies, salads, or grilled meats (If you love those flavors as much as I do, check out my Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowls, Bahn Mi sandwich, or this Tofu Rice Salad!)
Once that’s mixed you can set it aside while you assemble the rest of the turkey salad. Or you can make it ahead of time and just keep it chilled until you’re ready to use.
This salad is all about simplicity—most of the work involves chopping crisp veggies and fresh herbs. Once everything is prepped, just toss the turkey, veggies, and herbs together, drizzle with the dressing, and give it a light mix.
The herbs are left almost whole in this salad giving the salad a bright and incredibly fragrant flavor. If you don’t have mint and cilantro, you can use basil, dill, or parsley. Just be generous and don’t chop it too small. Once everything is chopped, I combine it all with the turkey and dress it.
Add the dressing and lightly toss to combine all the ingredients. This is such a beautifully colorful salad, I like to compose it on serving plates with the lettuce leaves.
You can make the salad earlier in the day, just add the dressing right before serving so everything stays fresh.
This vibrant turkey salad is just what you need to brighten up the long food-coma inducing holiday weekend. Try it and let me know what you think; you can leave comments or questions below and of course remember to tag us in your photos @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
Turkey Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced leftover roast turkey (about 10 ounces)
- 1 persian cucumber or ⅓ european cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 2 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
- 1 large shallot, sliced thin
- ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup roughly chopped mint leaves
- 2 Tablespoon crispy shallots
- 1–2 thai bird or other chili, minced (optional)
- 6 lettuce leaves or a small head of lettuce cut in wedges (washed and dried)
Dressing:
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 6 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 2 large limes
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 minced thai bird chili
Instructions
- Combine the dressing ingredients and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Put all of the salad ingredients, except the lettuce, into a large bowl and pour the dressing on top. Lightly toss to combine the ingredients. Divide the lettuce leaves onto 2 plates and mound a portion of the turkey salad onto the lettuce. You can also just put the salad onto one large platter.
- Serve turkey salad immediately.
Notes
*If you would like to make the salad ahead of time, keep the dressing separate. Right before serving, toss the salad with the dressing, plate the salad, and serve.
Keywords: turkey, leftovers, salad, nuoc cham, vietnamese, fast, healthy
