Soft and fluffy no-yeast naan is stuffed with leftover shredded turkey mixed with chopped fresh ingredients and spices. A quick bake follows this in the oven. All you need to make the meal perfect is some green coconut chutney, cilantro chutney, cucumber raita, or a raita recipe for a Pakistani cilantro sauce.
Why you’ll love this leftover turkey recipe
Unique and creative—Are you bored with the usual recipes for your turkey leftovers? This recipe is a fun and creative way to use those pesky leftovers in the fridge. No dry turkey—The added vegetables moisten the leftover turkey. Once wrapped in soft and fluffy naan dough and dipped in chutney, this meal is anything but dry. Easy to batch - This leftover turkey recipe is easy to double up. I’ve often made a large batch for a crowd with minimal extra effort. Versatile recipe - This naan can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a fun snack. Need an appetizer idea? Make mini stuffed naan and serve it with chutney.
Ingredients for this leftover turkey recipe
Naan dough—Naan dough is very easy to make in a Kitchen Aid mixer or by hand. If you’ve tried my easy naan recipe, you probably already know how easy it is. All-purpose flour - The dough for the naan needs to be a little sticky for the flatbread to be soft and fluffy. I like to keep some flour on hand to help with this. Shredded turkey - Remove the skin from your leftover turkey and shred it into pieces with two forks. This makes the stuffing easier to work with. Powdered spices - A mixture of salt, Kashmiri chili powder, and amchur powder adds flavor to the turkey without making it spicy. Whole spices—A combination of earthy cumin seeds and pungent mustard seeds adds flavor to the filling. Butter—When the leftover turkey naan comes out of the oven, Melted butter is brushed on it. This adds flavor and moisture and helps the cilantro stick to the surface. Dried cilantro - I find that dried cilantro works better than fresh as a topping for the naan in this leftover turkey recipe.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
Use other meats and veggies—These stuffed naan are a great way to repurpose leftovers. Leftover mashed potatoes and any other veggies and meats you cooked for the holiday can be spiced up and added as filling to this recipe. Make it a wrap—If you prefer, use storebought naan or parathas and the spiced turkey filling and chutney to make a wrap. Turn it into a pizza—Spread some tomato sauce, butter chicken sauce, or tikka masala sauce on the naan, top with the spiced turkey, add your favorite cheese and make naan pizzas. Stuff the filling in puff pastry - Try my Pakistani bakery-style chicken patties with this spiced turkey filling for a light lunch or fun snack. Make samosas - Use the turkey filling to make samosas. Follow my easy potato samosa recipe and see how simple these are.
How to make leftover turkey naan
Prepping the naan
First step - Remove the skin from the leftover turkey, shred it using a fork, and mix all the other ingredients. Second step: Take the dough that has been resting, flour your hands, and break it into eight equal-sized balls. Third step - Spread some flour on your work surface and roll each ball into a round about ½ inch thick. Fourth step: Scoop about ⅓-1/2 cup of the turkey mixture and place it in the center of the dough. Wrap the dough around this mixture, making a stuffed ball, and stretch it to seal it shut tight.
Shaping the naan
Fifth step - Roll out the stuffed balls into circles that are ¼ inch thick. Sixth step - Place the raw stuffed naan on a piece of foil, working until you have all of them rolled out, layering each one with some foil to prevent them from sticking to each other. Seventh step - Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and place as many naan as will fit on a baking sheet without overlapping. Eighth step - Prick holes in each naan with a fork to ensure air release. The naan will rise, but we don’t want it to puff and create a pocket.
Finishing the naan
Ninth step—Bake for 3-5 minutes, depending on your oven. You want to cook just enough to have light brown blisters on the surface. If, after 5 minutes, the naan seems too pale, use the broiler for 30 seconds, watching closely, until you have the perfect color. Tenth step - After removing the naan from the oven, brush it with melted butter and dried cilantro. Eleventh step: Leave on the cooking sheet for a minute or two, and then place your leftover turkey recipe on your serving platter. Twelfth step - I like to slice each naan in half using a pizza cutter to make eating and dipping in chutney easier.
Expert Tips
For more Pakistani recipes like this, check out 20 popular Pakistani recipes. If you decide to try this recipe, Please don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture, tag me on Instagram! Thank You!
