Banh Mi-inspired "chicken and waffles" (but make it turkey)
Plus, more ways to use leftover turkey!
Hi, and holiday greetings! 🦃 Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and also happens to be the day when I send out a weekly dinner recipe, I am coming to you a little earlier this week with a delicious new recipe, plus some easy ideas for how to use up turkey leftovers (that don’t taste anything like Thanksgiving).
I’m keeping things short and sweet today. If you are knee-deep in Thanksgiving prep and give this a skim, all you need to know is that leftover turkey can transform into a delicious meal inspired by both chicken and waffles AND a traditional Vietnamese banh mi sandwich.
Save this recipe to come back to, one or two or three days after Thanksgiving (or whenever it is that your taste buds are ready for non-Thanksgiving flavors) for all of that leftover turkey at your disposal.
If you like a banh mi sandwich, you’ll like this recipe.
I’ve had the idea in my brain for quite some time, and kept coming back to a chicken and waffle situation. Use chicken if you have it. Or, even better, pan fry some chicken thighs until they’re crisp, and use that. But if you’re completely over cooking this week, use up those turkey leftovers and employ your waffle iron for this easy meal.
All you have to do is make the pickled vegetables, then mix up the savory scallion waffle batter, throw it on the waffle iron (it’ll cook in about 4 minutes), then pile on the toppings (pickled veg, fresh cilantro, sriracha mayo, a squeeze of lime).
I personally LOVE all of the Thanksgiving leftovers but I know some people tire of them quickly, and want a meal that doesn’t taste anything like Thanksgiving.
If you’re in that boat and you’re not really convinced on this turkey + savory waffle idea, here are a few chicken recipes that work wonderfully with turkey!
Do you have the Substack app?
I was chatting with a sweet subscriber this week who was asking for the best way to view all of the recipes that end up in her inbox.
Some of you like to search your email inbox, but if you’re not a fan of that process, I recommend the Substack app! You can find my newsletter, use the search bar to enter in a keyword like “chicken” or “soup” or easily browse the list of every post I’ve ever sent.
The app is also where the subscriber chat is available, and a “news feed” feature of sorts (similar to other social media platforms) where you can find other interesting Substack writers to follow.
I do plan on putting together a recipe index page so you can navigate the recipes a bit easier (coming soon….).
“Chicken and waffles,” but with turkey and banh mi-inspired toppings
We’re taking all of the elements of a banh mi sandwich, but swapping in turkey for the protein and a low-carb, savory, scallion waffle for the baguette.
The pickled vegetables feature a colorful medley of julienned carrots, cucumber, and daikon radish, with sliced jalapeños for some heat. They stay fairly crunchy so if you want them a bit softer, I recommend making them 1-2 hours ahead of time so that the vegetables can get a little more pickled.
What I really love about this recipe is you can use your protein of choice. Since it’s the week of Thanksgiving, I have this pegged as a leftover turkey recipe, but really, it works exceptionally well with chicken, pork, shredded beef, steak, shrimp, or even tofu.
Paid subscribers— the recipe and PDF and nutritional info is below!
At the Table is a reader-supported publication. To receive a weekly, low-carb, low-glycemic, and grain/gluten-free dinner recipe every week, consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Through the end of November, paid annual subscriptions will be discounted 50% — that’s just over $2 a month for an entire year— and a discount I’ve never offered before! p.s. Paid subscriptions also make a wonderful gift! ♥️
I appreciate each one of you and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Leaving you with the recipe below, plus a post on gratitude from Laura Wifler that spoke to me today.
And, really, quick, before you view the recipe, I have a favor to ask. If you could tap the ♥️ on this post or, even better, give it a share, I would be immensely grateful. Thank you!
Yield: 4-5 servings
Prep time: ~30 minutes
Ingredients
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