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Make this delicious New England Turkey Chowder with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I love Thanksgiving leftovers! As much as I enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, I enjoy turkey leftovers the most – starting with this New England Turkey Chowder.
This easy turkey chowder recipe is a play on my husband Jack’s contest-winning New England clam chowder recipe – swapping in turkey stock instead of clam juice and chunks of cooked turkey instead of clams.
Beyond that, this New England Turkey Chowder is essentially the same. Flavorful, diced salt pork is sautéed along with onions and celery until soft and translucent, then butter and flour are added to make a roux that is seasoned with thyme and white pepper. (You won’t need salt – the salt pork should add enough saltiness to the soup.)
Next, pour homemade turkey stock into the pot. (Whatever you do – don’t throw out that turkey carcass after Thanksgiving dinner! Make this delicious turkey stock instead!)
Bring the stock to a simmer, then add diced potatoes to the pot to cook until tender. Thicken the stock with the salt pork and flour roux you made earlier, add your cooked chunks of turkey and some half-and-half – and you’re done!
Serve your New England Turkey Chowder with some oyster crackers – and enjoy!
You may enjoy these other chowder recipes:
- New England Clam Chowder
- Fall Harvest Vegetarian Corn and Butternut Chowder
- Salmon and Parsnip Chowder
- Manhattan Clam Chowder
- Creamy Cauliflower Chowder
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New England Turkey Chowder
Ingredients
1 cup salt pork (6 ounces) cleaned of any caked salt, then diced small (see our tutorial here)
1 1/2 cups sweet onions diced, such as Vidalia
1/3 cup celery, diced very small
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 quarts turkey stock, see our homemade recipe here
2 pounds New Red potatoes, peeled and diced into half inch pieces
2 pound turkey meat diced into bite sized pieces (white and dark meat)
1 quart half & half
Instructions
In a medium sauté pan, place salt pork and cook over medium heat until browned and crispy, about ten minutes. Add onions and celery and cook for three minutes to soften.
Add butter and once melted, add flour and stir to form a roux. Cook over medium low for about three minutes or until the raw flour smell is gone. Remove from heat and stir in the thyme and pepper.
Fill a 6-quart pot with the turkey stock and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes until tender.
Lower heat to medium and stir in the roux (salt pork mixture) with a wooden spoon.
Once the chowder is creamy and slightly thick, stir in the turkey and the half & half. Heat just to serving temperature, check for seasoning* and serve with oyster crackers.
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Notes
*Because of the salt pork used in this recipe, we don’t call for additional salt to be added at the end. However, after tasting, feel free to season with salt to suit your tastes.
This turned out great! Very flavorful. I added a half apple, chopped. Also added some leftover noodles that I had on hand!
Glad you enjoyed the soup Barb!
What can you use instead of dairy cream?
Hi Samir – We’ve only made it as written, but I’m sure you could swap in one of the many plant-based non-sweetened creamers that are on the market these days. I’d probably avoid coconut milk/creamer but almond or Ripple brand may be a good option.
In your New England turkey chowder recipe the photo is beautiful. Where did you get those adorable crocks?
Thx, Angie
Hi Angie – We bought them at Ipswich Pottery (https://www.ipswichpottery.com/) – I love them too!
My honey and I LOVED this soup. Had some left over smoked turkey I used in this recipe. I also added chopped carrots and a half can of southwrstern corn that was left over from previous meal. The salt pork was an awesome addition to the overall flavor. I served with crusty bread for dipping. Bravo, Martha!!
Thanks Karen! Glad you both enjoyed the soup!