Want to turn leftover chicken or turkey into something truly delicious? Not just the same old leftover dishes? We have you covered with the ultimate gluten free turkey à la king recipe
This is a decadent dish that my family has made every year after Christmas with leftover turkey, for as long as I can remember. When I went gluten free, I had to find a way to continue to enjoy it myself without the use of canned cream of mushroom soup (which contains gluten.) My family believes that the ultimate gluten free turkey à la king recipe is better than the original!
Although the recipe calls for turkey, know that you can use leftover chicken as well. If you don’t have leftover turkey or chicken, you can cut up a rotisserie chicken that you get at the grocery store, providing that it doesn’t contain gluten (on occasion a brine or seasoning might be used, as that could contain gluten.) You could also roast or poach turkey or chicken pieces to make this recipe.
I love serving this over a bed of white rice.
The Ultimate Gluten Free Turkey À La King Recipe
Ingredients:
- 454 g mushroom sliced or two cans of sliced mushrooms
- 283 g of diced white onion or 1 large onion, diced.
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- 7 cups of turkey or chicken, chopped
- 1 chopped roasted red pepper
- 3 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil for roux
- 2tbsp gluten free flour- for the roux I like to use Robin Hood Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend, but any gluten free all-purpose flour will do
- 6 cups milk
- 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 tsp each of black pepper and granulated onion
- 1 tsp salt
Directions
- Using a damp paper towel wipe each mushroom to remove any dirt or debris.
- Once you have wiped down the mushrooms, remove the stem and discard.
- When all the mushrooms are trimmed, slice them thinly and set aside.
Tip: to make this recipe even easier, (and a little faster) you could use two cans of sliced mushrooms so that you don’t have to prep the mushrooms. I happened to have fresh mushrooms, on hand. Know that while using canned mushrooms is faster, there is not a huge difference in the taste. It can often be more economical to use canned mushrooms.
- Dice the onion, and set aside.
Tip: You can use pre-diced onion from the grocery store to save on time.
- Dice one roasted red pepper
Tip: If you would prefer to roast the red pepper yourself, instead of buying a jar of peppers; you can achieve this by either putting it under the broiler and turning it when it blisters or by holding the pepper on a long BBQ fork over a gas element (if you have a gas stove). After it blisters, place the pepper in a paper bag to allow the skin to peel off.
- Debone your leftover turkey or chicken, and be sure to remove any fat, skin, or cartilage.
Tip: As we mentioned above, if you do not have leftover poultry, you can cut up a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Tip: This is a great way to use up poultry that you may have left over from the holidays. I mainly used white meat, but dark meat works just as well. I tend to usually have more white meat left over, so that’s why I used white.
- Once you have removed the skin and bones, dice the turkey into smallish cubes – you want bite-size pieces that will fit nicely on a spoon.
- In a large pot, over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
- To the pot, add your diced onion and sliced mushrooms, and cook until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are softened.
- Remove onions and mushrooms from the pot, place them in a bowl and set aside to use later.
- To the now empty pot, add butter and oil for the roux.
Tip: When making a gluten free roux, you want to add half the amount of flour, as fat. A traditional roux is a one-to-one ratio. I find with gluten free flour, you get a much better roux that does not add a nutty aftertaste to your sauce, by doing two parts fat- to one part flour.
- Add the flour to the butter and oil whisking vigorously, as you do not want any lumps. Allow it to cook over medium heat, stirring continuously. The roux must cook until the flour taste is cooked out. About 3 to 5 minutes.
Tip: If you find that the flour taste is not cooking out after a few minutes, you may want to add additional fat, like a tablespoon of oil or butter.
- Lower the heat and start whisking in your milk, slowly.
Tip: Your milk shouldn’t be used straight from the fridge. Measure your milk, and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes.
- Whisk vigorously as you mix in your milk. The milk should start to thicken, and form a sauce, about 4-6 minutes.
- Once your milk is incorporated, turn up the heat and allow it to come to a simmer.
- You can now whisk in the optional red wine.
Tip: I have made this recipe with and without red wine. Adding wine to this recipe depends on if I have an open bottle of red wine in the fridge. The recipe works perfectly well either way. Do not use cooking wine, as it is very high in sodium. If wine isn’t good enough to drink, it’s not good enough to cook with.
Tip: Also, know that the alcohol cooks out of the wine, and just leaves behind a complex flavour. So it’s safe for children and diabetics to enjoy.
- Add your chopped turkey, onion, and mushroom mixture, plus the chop roasted red pepper to the pot. Stir well to combine.
- Cook until the meat has heated through.
- Separate two eggs, putting the yolks into a small bowl or measuring cup.
Tip: Place the egg whites in an airtight container in the fridge to use in an omelette or other recipes.
- Using a fork or small whisk, beat the two egg yolks in the measuring cup.
- Carefully take about a 1/8 of a cup of sauce from the à la king and slowly stream it into the beaten egg yolks, while whisking them. This is to temper the egg yolks so that they do not scramble when you return the mixture to the hot à la king.
- Slowly mix the tempered egg yolks into the pot. The egg yolks add a velvety richness to the sauce.
- Season the à la king with salt, pepper, and granulated onion.
- Taste and season to your liking, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve over a bed of white rice.
Know that à la king is even better the next day, so if you make too much- know that it will reheat very well, and be just as delicious the next night.
Although the country of origin for Turkey or Chicken à la King is disputed, there is no disputing how delicious this dish is!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
INSTRUCTIONS/NOTES/TIPS