Roast Turkey Briyani Recipe - Use Holiday Leftovers! (2024)

This leftover roast turkey biryani is a quick, easy and delicious one pot meal for all the family to enjoy after Christmas or Thanksgiving to use up the leftover roast turkey. Recipe includes instructions for Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker and detailed notes on ingredient substitutions and additions as well as WeightWatchers Points.

Leftover Roast Turkey Biryani

I’m always keen to make the most of leftovers, and Christmas and Thanksgiving means a leftover bonanza. This recipe for leftover roast turkey biryani is simple, tasty and adaptable: just adjust the spicing to your preference.

A traditional biryrani will have layers of rice and meat, this dish mixes everything together, but is no less delicious. You can make your own stock, or use good quality ready made, pot or cube.

If you make your own stock (easy, thrifty and highly recommended), then you can make the stock using the turkey carcass, to really eke out every morsel of flavour from the bird.

I first made this recipe (and prefer it with) basmati rice, but any long-grain rice will also work. You could also use brown rice, but you would need to adjust cooking times.

Recipe was photographed using long grain rice.

How To Make Leftover Roast Turkey Biryani – Step by Step

Step 1 – measure out all the ingredients. I find a few moments organizing at the start of any cooking pays dividends later: I’m much less likely to leave something out, or use the wrong quantity, if it’s sitting in a small bowl in front of me. Heat your oven to 180C / 350F / GM4.

Step 2 – Heat a large casserole dish on the stove top over a medium heat, and add the oil. Chop the onion, and fry until it starts to turn translucent, stirring frequently. Crush the garlic and add it to the onion, along with the spices.

If you are using fresh chicken or turkey instead of cooked leftovers add it and fry the same time as the onion.

Step 3 – Stir the spices in, and cook until they start to release those delicious aromas.

Step 4 – Add the rice and turkey, and mix well to coat the rice and turkey in the spice mixture.

Step 5 – Add the stock, stir, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook in the oven for 25 minutes or until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Whilst it is cooking put the peas and corn in a bowl and cover with boiling water to defrost them.

Step 6 – Drain the peas and corn and add to the pot along with the spinach and cranberry sauce, stir well and return to the oven to cook for a further 5 minutes.

Step 7 – It’s ready to serve! Garnish with some fresh herbs, a wedge of lemon and some almond flakes and enjoy!

Leftover Roast Turkey Biryani Recipe Notes & Substitutions

This is a very forgiving dish providing you get the rice to liquid ratio right.

Ingredient Substitutions

Rice – We’ve tested this with both basmati and long grain rice (shown in the photos). It is far better with basmati rice which has that lovely fragrance. If you use long grain rice you will need to cook in the oven for about another 5 minutes.

Use Leftover Roast Chicken, Pork or Lamb – We used leftover roast turkey, you can equally well use leftover roast chicken, pork or lamb.

No Leftover Roast Meat? – If you are using fresh, raw meat then cut into chunks and fry along with the onion at the start of cooking.

Make it Vegetarian or Vegan – leave out the meat and add a can of rinsed chickpeas or other beans and use vegetable stock.

No Cranberry Sauce? Add mango or other chutney in its place. Or make your own cranberry sauce.

Add more vegetables – This leftover roast turkey is the perfect dish for adding extra veg to. Add chopped leftover roast vegetables (potatoes, parsnip and carrots work well), stir in florets of cauliflower and broccoli 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time or substitute any leafy green for the spinach.

Garnishes – Again use what you have, I love fresh coriander (cilantro) but any fresh herbs are delicious. Garnish with toasted flaked almonds, cashews or pine nuts for some texture and crunch.

Cooking Times

Oven cooking time will be about 25 minutes for basmati rice when you add boiling hot stock, or bring the pot to a simmer before you put it in the oven. With different types of rice or cold stock allow another 5-15 minutes. I’d check after 25 minutes and then adjust the extra cooking time

How To Make Leftover Roast Turkey Biryani in an Instant Pot

Absolutely, yes this dish is perfect for the Instant Pot or any other electric pressure cooker!

Use the sauté function to cook the onion, garlic and spice as above.

Add the rice and an equal volume of stock stir in the turkey, and set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for three minutes.

Let the pressure release naturally for eighteen minutes with the keep warm setting.

Add in the defrosted peas and corn, with the spinach and cranberry sauce, stir, replace the lid and leave on warm for 5 minutes.

Can I Freeze Leftover Roast Turkey Biryani?

Absolutely. I pack into plastic takeout trays and freeze then microwave from frozen. Remember to freeze as soon as the dish has cooled.

Easy Leftover Turkey Recipes

Here are some more ideas for using that leftover turkey – remember that you can also substitute turkey in any recipe that uses leftover chicken!

• Leftover turkey curry
• Leftover turkey pasta bake
• Leftover turkey stuffed baked potatoes
• Leftover turkey soup
• Leftover turkey pies
• Leftover turkey frittata
• Leftover turkey croquettes
• Leftover turkey slaw
• My leftover turkey recipes roundup has many more easy and delicious ideas for leftover turkey

More Rice One Pots and Rice Dishes

• Spanish chicken
• Greek chicken
• Moroccan chicken
• Nandos rice
• Spicy rice
• Mushroom rice
• Pilau rice (Pressure Cooker Pilau rice)
• Leftover chicken biryani
• Leftover lamb biryani
• Other easy rice recipes