Leftover Turkey Banh Mi
Twenty minutes to a Vietnamese-American holiday snack: crisp warm baguette spread with mayo and a splash of Maggi or soy, filled with peppery reheated turkey, tangy daikon and carrot pickle, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño.
Edited by JP Lambiase
Change the estimate
Swaps change the price only: cook any meat to its own safe temperature. Where these numbers come from
Banh mi joins Vietnamese and French influences: NPR's 2014 interview with Andrea Nguyen about "The Banh Mi Handbook" notes that the baguette is a lasting legacy of French colonial rule in Vietnam, that northern banh mi tends to be simple and southern banh mi piles on herbs, pickles and many kinds of meat, and that Nguyen's family fled Vietnam in 1975 and settled in Southern California, where her mother made sandwiches at home. The book excerpt NPR printed says to substitute slices of leftover turkey for the rotisserie chicken in her recipe, and to turn the turkey skin into cracklings. In a 2018 post on Thanksgiving leftovers Nguyen calls a leftover turkey banh mi "a Vietnamese-American holiday snack".
🎬 The full story: 10 Leftover Turkey Recipes From Around the World (One Is a Sitcom Sandwich)
🇺🇸 This one is American
Twenty minutes to a Vietnamese-American holiday snack: crisp warm baguette spread with mayo and a splash of Maggi or soy, filled with peppery reheated turkey, tangy daikon and carrot pickle, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño.
🇺🇸 The original
The oldest American leftover recipe here is 1896 scalloped turkey: cold turkey layered with buttered crumbs and gravy and baked. See the Scalloped Turkey (Fannie Farmer, 1896) recipe.
📖 Origin story: What Is the Moist Maker Sandwich? →
Why it works the kitchen science
Bread warmed, then cooled briefly
A few minutes in the oven re-crisps the crust, and the short rest keeps the mayonnaise from melting into the crumb.
Pickle against richness
The sweet-sour daikon and carrot cut through the turkey and mayonnaise, the way banh mi pickles balance pâté and pork.
🧰 You'll need 4 items
Everything the steps call for. Tick off what you have before you start.
Appliances
Pans and pots
Tools
Step by step
- Step 1
Ahead: peel the carrot and daikon and cut them into thick matchsticks. Toss with the salt and 2 tsp sugar and knead about 3 minutes, until a piece of daikon bends without breaking. Rinse, press out the water, cover with the 1/2 cup sugar stirred into the vinegar and water, and marinate at least 1 hour (it keeps 4 weeks in the refrigerator).
✓ What it should look like - Step 2
Heat the oven to 350°F. Warm the bread on the oven rack 5 to 7 minutes, until the crust is crisp and the inside still soft, then let it cool 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, season with salt and lots of pepper and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until hot (165°F).
- Step 4
Split each piece of bread lengthwise, leaving a hinge, and pull out a little of the soft crumb. Spread mayonnaise to the edges and sprinkle with Maggi or soy sauce.
- Step 5
Fill each with turkey, a small handful of drained pickle, cucumber spears, cilantro and jalapeño slices. Serve right away.
Leftover Turkey Banh Mi
Serves 4 · 4 sandwiches · 20 min total
Daikon and carrot pickle (make at least 1 hour ahead; makes about 3 cups, use about 1 cup)
- 1 large carrot
- 1 lb daikon, no more than 2 inches across
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar, plus 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup lukewarm water
Sandwiches
- 1 baguette (about 22 inches), cut into 4 pieces, or 4 soft Vietnamese-style rolls
- 13 oz leftover roast turkey, torn into finger-size pieces
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- Salt and plenty of black pepper
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Maggi Seasoning or soy sauce
- 1/2 English cucumber, cut into thin spears
- 1/2 cup cilantro sprigs
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
Equipment: Oven, Skillet, Chef's knife and cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons
Method
- Ahead: peel the carrot and daikon and cut them into thick matchsticks. Toss with the salt and 2 tsp sugar and knead about 3 minutes, until a piece of daikon bends without breaking. Rinse, press out the water, cover with the 1/2 cup sugar stirred into the vinegar and water, and marinate at least 1 hour (it keeps 4 weeks in the refrigerator).
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Warm the bread on the oven rack 5 to 7 minutes, until the crust is crisp and the inside still soft, then let it cool 2 to 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, season with salt and lots of pepper and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until hot (165°F).
- Split each piece of bread lengthwise, leaving a hinge, and pull out a little of the soft crumb. Spread mayonnaise to the edges and sprinkle with Maggi or soy sauce.
- Fill each with turkey, a small handful of drained pickle, cucumber spears, cilantro and jalapeño slices. Serve right away.
Adapted from Andrea Nguyen's "Rotisserie Chicken and Cracklings" and assembly method from "The Banh Mi Handbook" (Ten Speed Press, 2014), as excerpted by NPR (November 29, 2014; reprinted by KPBS), using her stated swap of leftover turkey for the chicken. Her recipe makes enough for 6 from about 1 1/4 lb of meat; we scale to 4 with 13 oz. The excerpt names a snow pea pickle without amounts, so we use Nguyen's own daikon and carrot pickle (do chua), as written, from Viet World Kitchen. The 350°F oven and 5 to 7 minutes for the bread and the 165°F check are ours. KPBS. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Have turkey skin? Cut it into strips and cook it in a skillet over medium heat about 6 minutes into cracklings, as Nguyen does with chicken skin.
- Nguyen likes a 2-to-1 ratio of daikon to carrot in her pickle (search summary of Viet World Kitchen).
- Use the 20-minute version on a weeknight by keeping a jar of pickle in the fridge; it lasts 4 weeks.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Banh mi is a French sandwich. Disputed wording: NPR's piece credits the baguette to the French colonial period, while the fillings, pickles and herbs are Vietnamese.
- A leftover turkey banh mi is a Vietnamese-American holiday snack. Documented as Andrea Nguyen's description (Viet World Kitchen, 2018), not as a survey of how many families make it.
- Banh mi needs pâté. Folklore as a rule: NPR's piece says northern banh mi is simple meat, salt and pepper, and southern versions vary widely.
Every other leftover turkey recipe
Scalloped Turkey (Fannie Farmer, 1896)
The oldest American leftover-turkey casserole we found in print: cold roast turkey in a simple white sauce made with stock from the bones, between layers of buttered cracker crumbs, baked in a hot oven until brown.
The Moist Maker Leftover Turkey Sandwich
A double-decker of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce with an extra slice of bread soaked in hot gravy hidden in the middle. Inspired by a 1998 sitcom episode, not official.
Leftover Turkey Pho
The day-after carcass becomes pho: toasted star anise, cloves, coriander and cinnamon, charred-sweet onion and ginger, a little apple and cabbage, simmered into a clear broth and ladled over rice noodles, sliced turkey and fresh herbs.
Turkey Pot Pie with a Stuffing Crust
A creamy skillet filling of leftover turkey, onion, celery, peas and carrots, topped with wedges of leftover stuffing bound with an egg and baked crisp at 475°F, in about half an hour and one pan.
Diner Hot Turkey Sandwich with Gravy
The diner classic, open-faced: toasted white bread, leftover turkey warmed in stock, a scoop of mashed potatoes and a peppery, egg-enriched gravy ladled over everything.
Croquetas de Pavo (Spanish Turkey Croquettes)
Spain's favorite way to stretch leftover meat: finely chopped turkey cooked into a very thick bechamel of milk and turkey broth, chilled, shaped into little logs, coated in egg and crumbs and fried until crisp outside and creamy inside.
Turkey Korokke (Japanese Potato Croquettes)
Japan's home-style croquette with Thanksgiving leftovers inside: fluffy mashed russet potatoes folded with leftover turkey and slowly cooked onion, shaped into ovals, rolled in flour, egg and panko and fried golden, with tonkatsu sauce.
Stuffing Waffles with Turkey and Gravy
Leftover stuffing bound with egg and parsley, pressed into a hot waffle iron until crisp in every square, then topped with turkey warmed right in the iron, hot gravy and cranberry sauce.
Turkey Chilaquiles Verdes
Mexico's own leftover rescue with turkey: a broiled tomatillo and serrano salsa simmered with broth and shredded turkey, tortilla chips stirred in and softened for 4 minutes, finished with crema, aged cheese, onion, cilantro and a fried egg.
Turkey Carcass Noodle Soup
The last thing the bird gives you: the roast turkey carcass simmered four hours with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, white wine and herbs into a rich stock, then made into soup with fresh vegetables, pasta shells and the meat picked from the bones.
Turkey Cobb Salad
Cubed leftover turkey breast in neat rows with chopped egg, avocado, crisp bacon, grape tomatoes, blue cheese and chives on romaine and watercress, every part tossed in its own share of a mustardy red wine vinaigrette.
Turkey Bubble and Squeak
Britain's day-after fry-up with turkey: leftover mashed potatoes, chopped Brussels sprouts and shredded turkey bound with egg yolk, pan-fried in oil and butter until browned on both sides and finished in the oven.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.