Ok, people! I am pretty certain that you’ve never seen this take on Thanksgiving leftovers before, and I am super excited to let you in on our family tradition. For as long as I’ve known Bill and his family, which is almost 30 years now, this has been and will always be our breakfast on the day after Thanksgiving.
Most people throw away the turkey carcass after all is said and done. Smarter people make stock with it. And the smartest people make congee. Yep. We said it!
If you don’t have any special plans for that turkey carcass, you need to make this rice congee, because it is insanely good. I look forward to it more than the turkey itself. Don’t get me wrong. I love our turkey, and it is honestly the best-tasting turkey I’ve ever had. With that said, I love this turkey congee more. But that’s just me.
Did I also mention that this has to be the easiest congee recipe ever? It is.
The best part is, the only leftovers you need are the carcass, stripped of most of the meat, and the veggies at the bottom of your roasting pan. You get to keep any leftover turkey meat you have for sandwiches, pot pies, and other leftover recipe ideas you have planned.
The point is, there will be absolutely no waste when all is said and done. You want to get all the goodness you can out of that bird!
Leftover Turkey Congee: Recipe Instructions
Now that you know my feelings on this matter, let me show you how easy it is to make. You’ll only need a few things:
- your leftover turkey carcass and all the vegetables at the bottom of your roasting pan (celery, carrots, onions)
- water
- white rice (you can also use brown rice)
- Salt, to taste
- white pepper, to taste
- chopped scallion
- chopped cilantro
In a very large stock pot, add the turkey carcass and all the veggies. Pour in the water and the rice, and bring everything to a boil. Let it simmer for 90 minutes, until the rice has kind of bloomed and opened up. Use tongs to remove any bones, etc. Season with salt, white pepper, and garnish with scallion and cilantro.
How easy was that, seriously?
Now, that’s the way we’ve always done it. Congee recipes vary and if you want a really smooth congee, you can do it a slightly different way. Rather than adding the rice to the pot at the beginning, simply add the carcass, vegetables, and water to the stock pot. Simmer for 2 hours until you have a rich stock. Remove any large bones and then strain the stock into a clean pot. Add the rice, bring to a boil, and simmer for another 90 minutes. Stir in some leftover shredded turkey, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with scallions and cilantro.
It takes a bit longer, but if you prefer your congee smoother and (for lack of a better word) cleaner, it’s another way to go!
If you’re not into congee, which I highly doubt as you’re still reading this post, definitely at least make stock with the turkey carcass. Just don’t let it go to waste!
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Congee
Ingredients
- your leftover turkey carcass and all the vegetables at the bottom of your roasting pan (celery, carrots, onions)
- 14 cups water
- 1 cup white rice
- Salt (to taste)
- white pepper (to taste)
- chopped scallion
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a very large stock pot, add the turkey carcass and all the veggies. Pour in the water and the rice, and bring everything to a boil. Let it simmer for 90 minutes. Use tongs to remove any bones, etc. Season with salt, white pepper, and garnish with scallion and cilantro.
- Now, that's the way we've always done it. But if you want a really smooth congee, you can do it a slightly different way. Rather than adding the rice to the pot at the beginning, simply add the carcass, vegetables, and water to the stock pot. Simmer for 2 hours until you have a rich stock.
- Remove any large bones and then strain the stock into a clean pot. Add the rice, bring to a boil, and simmer for another 90 minutes. Stir in some leftover shredded turkey, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with scallions and cilantro.
This is a nice recipe! My Chinese/Vietnamese parents make something similar, but add fried shallots and green onions (white part), a little sugar (1 tbsp), and some fish sauce (1/3 of a ladle) and it tastes amazing! These extra ingredients add more flavour and umami! Give it a try, and keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for sharing the tips, Kevin :-)
I made this today with the carcass from our Christmas turkey. I had already used the pan veg to make gravy so I added ginger and the white part of some spring onions and some garlic while it simmered. The fat from the remnant turkey skin and last bits of meat make this congee really silky and delicious. I made a huge pot and will freeze portions for my breakfast and work lunches. I had mine with some toasted sesame oil and a dash of light soy sauce.
Yum! So glad you gave this recipe a try :-)
Every year for 40+ years, my Dad has made enough turkey jook for our entire extended family. It’s not Thanksgiving without it! This year due to the coronavirus, we weren’t able to be together, so I set off to make the jook myself. This was the closest recipe I could find that resembled the way my Dad does it (I used the 2hr simmer method) and it came out perfectly! Will add some dried scallops next time. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Floria!
Yes! Bring on the turkey carcass! Turkey jook was my family’s tradition for the day after Thanksgiving. One is only limited by one’s imagination on what to add to it. My mom added dried bean curd sheets, peanuts, dried scallops, and whatever else would grab her at the moment. I make it regularly now. I just buy a rotisserie turkey thigh to make the jook. It is truly comfort food.
That’s lovely, Linda, we tend to enjoy it plain.
I love congee, discovered it in Cambodia, just a quick point “white rice”? Perhaps it’s worth noting short grain, we use mostly long grain Basmati in our house so my first attempt was a fail, Google put me onto short grain, all good now. Thanks for a great site (courtesy of Nagi @ recipetineats) Stay safe guys, love from Australia.
Great! Hope you can try our 20-minute congee ;-)
We make turkey congee every years the day after thanksgiving. My oldest sister makes it a point to sleep over so she and her family can eat it the morning after. Our secret recipe? We deep fry our turkey. Makes the best Jook (congee) ever!!!
I hear you, Michele. Turkey on Thanksgiving day and Turkey Congee the day after are equally popular in our household. We know how good it is. :-)
Turkey Congee idea is great idea. Love you website.
We always have Hokien second Thanks Giving with Hainanese Turkey Rice, Turkey fried rice and Turkey wonton soup. Wife wife and her family are from Singapore.
Best Regards
All sounds so good, Charles.
I was raised on this soup. Never new that it was called “congee”, until afterI was 60.
Strange…right?!?!
But my family has kept the tecipes & dishes going as part of our heritage. Right down to the great grandkids that never knew our parents.
Hi Patsy, that’s pretty awesome. I wish more families could do the same.
My carcass isn’t ready for the stockpot yet (and neither is my turkey carcass!), but I have stock left over from the batch I made for the gravy. And after the way I ate last night, there is nothing I can imagine that my sore tummy would welcome more. I was planning to make it even before I saw your post!
Hi Cheryl, yes, turkey congee or turkey jook is a much welcomed meal the day after Thanksgiving!
Even without the vegetables from the roasting pan…I puree them and put them into my scratch made gravy (canned and instant powdered gravy suck)…this is a great dish, especially if he day is chilly (like today). Chinese ‘donuts’ are the ideal accompaniment. They are made from unsweetened dough, a bit more glutinous than American donuts, and deep fried. You dip ’em into the hot soup. My mom made this after Thanksgiving, too. But I still can’t get used to calling it “congee.” For our family, it is “JOOK” and always will be.
Mom doesn’t make it any more. She is 99 years old…”100″ if counted the Chinese way…but my turkey carcass is saved for my sister to make it and take to her.
Hi Gene, thanks so much for sharing your story!
Gene, I also was confused about the name congee I never heard that when growing up. My dad always called it Jook as well. He was from southern China so maybe that is what it is called there. He would make it with fish as well which was very good and my nieces and nephews ate it as little ones.
Turkey jook was our after Thanksgiving dish too. But we ate it at other times. Especially loved it when he caught a sturgeon and we had fish jook. It was the very best.
Totally agree, Leslie :-)