This is the best thing that happens to your leftover turkey all year. You crack the golden crust with a spoon, red curry coconut sauce comes bubbling up, and whoever is sitting next to you leans over to ask what’s in it. We’ve been making this curry turkey pot pie for years, and it’s pot pie, only better, and it’s the most unexpected flavor combo nobody see’s coming.
Curry paste is the trick to adding epic flavor no one expects. But the thing is, curry paste can go from mild to hot quickly if you’re too heavy-handed with it. If you’re not sure how much heat your family can handle, start with less, and fry it in the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk. You can always add more later and bump up the heat as you continue to build the sauce.
🔪 Ingredients for Curry Turkey Pot Pie
Want the classic version with no curry? We’ve got you covered. This one trades the gravy for red curry and coconut milk and bakes in one big skillet for a crowd.
For the filling
- Full-fat coconut milk: leave the can unshaken. The firm cream that settles on top is the fat you fry the curry paste in, and light coconut milk won’t give you that layer.
- Avocado oil
- Onion, celery and carrots: diced small so they soften in the 5 minute sauté.
- Red curry paste: Thai red curry paste from a jar or tub. Heat varies a lot by brand, so start low and add more once the sauce is built.
- All-purpose flour: thickens the sauce so it holds together under the crust.
- Chicken stock: keep a little extra warm on the stove to loosen the sauce if it tightens.
- Yukon gold potatoes: they hold their shape through the simmer and the bake. A 1/2-inch dice cooks through in 12 to 15 minutes.
- Leftover cooked turkey: white meat, dark meat, roasted or smoked, all of it works. Still on the bone? Here’s how to carve it. Cut it into bite-sized pieces. Leftover chicken works the same way.
- Granny Smith apple: tart and firm, so it keeps its shape in the sauce. Turkey and apple is a pairing we keep coming back to, and it’s the backbone of our Turkey Apple Chili too.
- Frozen peas
- Fresh cilantro
- Kosher salt and black pepper
For the crust
- Single pie crust: store-bought or homemade. Thaw it first if it’s frozen.
- Egg white: brushed over the top for a glossy, deep golden crust.
Equipment
- 12-inch cast iron or oven-safe skillet, at least 2 inches deep: the filling cooks and bakes in the same pan, and the depth gives the sauce room to bubble.
- Small saucepan: warms the stock and coconut liquid so they whisk into the flour smooth.
- Whisk
- Rolling pin: the crust needs to end up about 1 inch wider than the skillet.
- Paring knife: cuts the steam vents.
- Pastry brush: for the egg white.
- Rimmed baking sheet and foil: sits under the skillet to catch drips.
- Dutch oven and 3-quart baking dish (optional): if your skillet isn’t deep enough, build the filling in the Dutch oven and bake in the dish.
📝 How to Make Curry Turkey Pot Pie
- Heat the oven to 425°F.
- Open the coconut milk without shaking the can. Spoon the firm white cream off the top into a small bowl, about 1/3 cup, and set it aside. Pour the thin liquid left behind into a small saucepan with the chicken stock and warm it over low heat.
- Heat the avocado oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and the celery is soft.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the reserved coconut cream and the curry paste. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes, until the paste darkens a shade and you can see the oil separating out around the edges.
- Sprinkle in the flour. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until it looks wet and sandy and smells toasted instead of raw.
- Whisk in the warm stock and coconut liquid a little at a time, working each addition completely smooth before adding the next. Bring it to a boil, then drop the heat to medium-low. Want more heat? Add more curry paste a tablespoon at a time, cooking 1 minute after each addition.
- Add the potatoes. Simmer uncovered 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until a fork slides into a piece of potato with no resistance. The sauce reduces while the potatoes cook and should end up mounding on a spoon and closing slowly when you drag a line through it. If it tightens past that, loosen it with warm stock a splash at a time.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the turkey, peas, apple and cilantro. Cooking in a Dutch oven? Transfer the filling to a 3-quart baking dish now.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the crust about 1 inch wider than your skillet. Lay it over the filling and pinch and pleat the edges against the rim to seal. Cut 4 or 5 vents through the top with a paring knife and brush the crust with egg white. Set the skillet on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any drips.
- Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is actively bubbling up through the vents, not just steaming. If the rim browns before the center bubbles, tent the edge with foil and keep going.
- Rest 5 to 7 minutes before slicing.
🔄 Substitutions
- Leftover cooked chicken for the turkey: same amount, same point in the recipe. It’s already cooked, so it only has to heat through in the bake.
- A Dutch oven for the skillet: build the filling in the Dutch oven, then move it to a 3-quart baking dish before the crust goes on.
- Yellow curry paste for red: milder heat and a more golden sauce.
- A whole beaten egg for the egg white: the yolk browns the crust darker, so start checking at 20 minutes.
- Another firm, tart apple for the Granny Smith: Pink Lady or Honeycrisp hold their shape too, with a little more sweetness.
- Vegetable or canola oil for the avocado oil: any neutral oil works the same in the sauté.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- Leave the can alone. Shake the coconut milk and the cream mixes back into the liquid, and the fat you need to fry the curry paste is gone. Open it still, skim the top, and send the thin liquid into the stock.
- Watch for the split. The curry paste is ready when it darkens a shade and oil pools around the edges, about 2 minutes in. That’s your cue it’s frying in the fat, not just warming up.
- Set the thickness before the crust goes on. Once the crust is on, you can’t fix the sauce. It should mound on a spoon and close slowly when you drag a line through it. If it tightens past that, loosen it with warm stock a splash at a time.
- Bubbles, not steam. Steam out of the vents only tells you the top is hot. Filling bubbling up through the vents tells you the center is hot all the way down. If the rim gets there first, tent it with foil and keep baking.
🍽️ What to Serve with Curry Turkey Pot Pie
- A sharp green salad: a mustardy vinaigrette cuts through the coconut cream sauce.
- The leftover cranberry sauce: spoon it on the side like a chutney, where its sweet-tart bite plays against the red curry.
- Cucumber yogurt: plain yogurt, grated cucumber and a pinch of salt cools things down if you went heavy on the curry paste.
🧊 Leftovers and Storage
- Fridge: cool, then cover the skillet or move portions to airtight containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. It keeps 3 to 4 days.
- Oven reheat: 350°F, loosely covered with foil, until the filling bubbles and the center reads 165°F. Pull the foil for the last few minutes so the crust crisps back up.
- Air fryer reheat: single slices at 350°F until hot through to 165°F. The crust comes back crisp.
- Freezer: freeze cooled portions airtight for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the oven. The potatoes come out a little softer than fresh.
- More turkey left? Dig through our turkey recipes and leftover recipes for the next night.
You’re about to put red curry in a pot pie, and leftover turkey is about to become the most requested dinner of the holiday weekend. We’ve been making it for years, and it’s still the pot pie we’d pick over the classic.
Prevent your screen from going to sleep
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12-inch cast iron or other oven-safe skillet, at least 2 inches deep
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Small saucepan
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small bowl
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Whisk
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Rolling Pin
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Paring knife
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Pastry brush
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Rimmed baking sheet
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Aluminum foil
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Dutch oven and 3-quart baking dish (optional)
Sauté the Vegetables
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Heat the avocado oil in a 12-inch cast iron or other oven-safe skillet at least 2 inches deep over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Sauté for 5 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and the celery is soft.
Fry the Curry Paste
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Add 3 tablespoons of the reserved coconut cream and the curry paste. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until the paste darkens a shade and you can see the oil separating out around the edges.
Make the Sauce
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Whisk in the warmed stock and coconut liquid a little at a time, working each addition completely smooth before adding the next. Bring to a boil, then drop to medium-low. Add more curry paste a tablespoon at a time if you want more heat, cooking 1 minute after each addition.
Simmer the Potatoes
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Add the potatoes. Simmer uncovered 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until a fork slides into a piece of potato with no resistance. The sauce will reduce while the potatoes cook and should end up mounding on a spoon and closing slowly when you drag a line through it. If it tightens past that, loosen with warm stock a splash at a time.
Finish the Filling
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Stir in the turkey, peas, apple, and cilantro. If you cooked in a Dutch oven, transfer the filling to a 3-quart baking dish now.
Top with the Crust
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On a lightly floured surface, roll the crust about 1 inch wider than your skillet. Lay it over the filling and pinch and pleat the edges against the rim to seal. Cut 4 or 5 vents through the top with a paring knife. Brush the crust with egg white. Set the skillet over a foil lined baking sheet to catch any drips.
Bake
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Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is actively bubbling up through the vents, not just steaming. If the rim browns before the center bubbles, tent the edge with foil and keep going.
Rest
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Rest 5 to 7 minutes before slicing and spooning out onto plates. This is a single crust, so it will pool out, not stay in a pie shape.
- Leftover cooked chicken works in place of the turkey, same amount, no other changes.
- Curry paste heat varies a lot by brand. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more in Step 6.
- No deep skillet? Build the filling in a Dutch oven and bake in a 3-quart baking dish.
- Store covered in the fridge up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a 350F oven, loosely covered with foil, until the center reaches 165F; uncover for the last few minutes to re-crisp the crust.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 462mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3276IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg
Quick Summary
Curry turkey pot pie turns leftover turkey into a red curry coconut filling baked under a single crust in one skillet. Fry the curry paste in the cream skimmed off an unshaken can of coconut milk, simmer the sauce until it mounds on a spoon, and bake at 425°F until the filling bubbles up through the vents.
❓ FAQs
Yes. Leftover cooked chicken goes in the same way, in bite-sized pieces, at the same point in the recipe. Nothing else changes.
Get the sauce right on the stove before the crust ever goes on: it should mound on a spoon and close slowly when you drag a line through it. Then bake until the filling bubbles up through the vents and rest it 5 to 7 minutes before you slice.
That depends on your curry paste, because the heat varies a lot from brand to brand. Start with 2 tablespoons, taste once the sauce boils, and add more a tablespoon at a time, cooking 1 minute after each.
Make the filling up to a day ahead, cool it and refrigerate it covered. Warm it back to a simmer on the stove before you lay on the crust so the center heats through in the same 20 to 30 minute bake.
Yes. Freeze baked, cooled portions airtight for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, and reheat in a 350°F oven until the center reaches 165°F. The potatoes come out a little softer than fresh.