Tired of the same old boring leftover turkey recipes? You should try these fricassee leftover turkey sandwiches! Creamy, cheesy and beyond delicious. So good that you will actually look forward to the day after Thanksgiving!
As much as I love (and take lots of pride in my) Thanksgiving turkey, I must confess I’m not a fan of leftover turkey. It just doesn’t taste the same! And it’s kinda gross when microwaved. So, I’m a leftover turkey recipe freak! Every year I try to come up with something new and delicious that tastes like “new food” instead of “here’s this turkey meat that nobody wanted but I feel bad throwing in the garbage”. I’m especially proud of this year’s creation! Inspired by a popular Brazilian bar sandwich, these little Fricassee Leftover Turkey Sandwiches are nothing like the turkey sandwiches you are used to. They are SO MUCH BETTER! They also require a little more work – as you’ll need to do some sautéing and they’ll need some oven time – but it is all worth it, I promise!
If you’ve ever been to a “boteco paulista” (little neighborhood bars in São Paulo, Brazil), chances are you’ve encountered a Buraco Quente sandwich. Buraco Quente, which translates to “Hot Hole” in English, is a sandwich that consists of a French roll filled with ground beef (or sometimes chopped filet mignon), a tomato based sauce and cheese. You start by removing the crumb (the soft inner portion of bread), making a “hole”, and then filing with the ground beef mixture. The “hot” part of the title comes either because the sandwich is hot out of the oven, or because of it sometimes being spicy, depending on the establishment’s interpretation. As is the case with every popular dish in Brazil, you can now find lots of variations of this traditional sandwich: from chicken/fish/pork versions to vegetarian and vegan as well. My version is inspired by another popular Brazilian dish: chicken fricassee.
Not to be confused with the French fricassee, which is usually a white sauce stew, the Brazilian version comes in the form of a casserole and includes requeijão (Brazilian cream cheese), corn and really thin and crispy shoestring fries. I substituted the shredded chicken for turkey and the requeijão for cream cheese with a splash of heavy cream. However, if you happen to have requeijão on hand, feel free to use that instead! I wouldn’t attempt to substitute the rolls though. You really can’t make these sandwiches with soft yeast rolls. Since the filling is so creamy, we need a sturdy French roll so the sandwiches don’t get soggy!
In Brazil, you can get freshly baked French rolls in every padaria (bread shop). It is common to get them every day for breakfast! Our “pãozinho francês” is truly a Brazilian staple. Here in the U.S. I had to get used to other types of bread, as there isn’t anything quite like it. Until I found the new Pepperidge Farm Stone Baked Artisan Rolls! Now, I’m not trying to hide the fact that this post is sponsored. But, you guys, I’m in love! You have to run to the store and get them now as you won’t believe me until you try them. These rolls taste just like the French rolls we get in Brazil. They are hand crafted, baked on traditional baking stones and are deliciously crispy outside and soft inside! And they are perfect for our fricassee leftover turkey sandwiches!
These sandwiches were so popular here that I recently bought a turkey tenderloin and roasted/shredded it just to make them again! Nothing wrong with that, right? You don’t necessarily have to have leftover turkey to enjoy the most amazing turkey sandwiches ever created. You can even make them with chicken, if you must! Whatever you do, please do not skimp your Thanksgiving guests on turkey just so you have enough for your day-after fricassee sandwiches. ??? Although understandable, that is definitely not cool! ?
