Use your leftover turkey to make these Turkey hand pies. Leftover Thanksgiving turkey hand pie with cooked turkey and vegetable filling wrapped in a buttery and flaky pie crust. These hand pies are tasty and easy to make.
After every Thanksgiving, many turkeys are left, so I turned them into a hand pies. These make a perfect breakfast meal and on-the-go snacks too. I usually start with uncooked meat for pie filling, but the leftover turkey worked perfectly, and I was surprised by how this filling turned out. The pies are delicious and full of flavor from the spices added. I also added a few fresh vegetables to increase the flavor profile.
Why you will like the recipe
- Easy to make with any pie dough.
- A delicious all-in-one meal in your hand
- They are freezer-friendly meals for the family
- Great for kid’s lunch box
- You can vary the filling to your taste buds.
Ingredients
This recipe is straightforward, and you can start with homemade pie crust or store-bought pie crust. If you don’t have any vegetables, you can swap them for your favorite ones. This recipe can also work with puff pastry.
Ingredients in the Turkey hand pie filling
This turkey filling is similar to my chicken hand pie; the only difference is the use of cooked turkey. For this recipe, you need the following:
- Olive oil: I like to use olive oil for pie filling for flavor and taste.
- Mirepoix: it is the use of chopped vegetables such as carrot, onion, and celery, which is cooked as a base for a sauce. This trio of vegetables adds another level of flavor to your filling.
- Garlic: this goes well with turkey
- Herbs and spices: I used similar spices and herbs in the turkey seasoning to increase the flavor. Thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper improve taste and aroma.
- Broth/ stock: you can use chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth as the liquid. Water works well too.
- Corn flour: corn flour is used as the thickener for the filling.
- Cooked turkey: cut them into pieces or shred them. If you are using uncooked turkey, you can reduce the stock or broth since most uncooked meats have a lot more juice.
- Vegetables: frozen and thawed peas and carrot or green bell pepper. Other vegetables can be used.
Step-by-step instructions on how to make the Turkey Hand Pie
Step one: Make the pie crust
You can skip this step if you are using store-bought pie dough.
In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder and mix. Cut the cold butter into pieces and add them to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender until well mixed. You can also rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining.
Add the cold water to the mixture slowly and mix to form a dough. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it in a plastic bag or cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Step two: Making the Turkey Filling
Cook chopped onions, celery, and carrot until tender. Add the herbs and spices to the mixture, then mix the corn flour with the stock and add it to the filling. Add the turkey and the remaining vegetables and allow the filling to simmer until it thickens. Let it cool completely before filling the pie crust with it.
Step three: Filling and Molding the Hand Pies
Roll the cold pie dough on a floured board into 1/8- ¼th inch thick. Using your cookie cutter or pie mold, cut into circles. Re-roll any scraps and repeat the process until all the dough is used.
Add one tablespoon of filling to each circle, brush the edges with egg wash and fold and crimp edges to seal with the tip of a fork or the thongs.
Step four: Baking the Hand Pies
Transfer the meat pie onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Place them 2 inches apart.
Poke the top of the pie with a fork to create a hole to help the steam escape when baking. Brush the top with egg wash. Bake in a preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top and under the pie
Expert tips for making the recipe
- Roll the cold pie dough starting from the center out. When rolling, rotate the dough as you go along so it does not stick to the board.
- Allow the filling to cool completely before using.
- If the pie dough feels soft, place it in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to firm up before proceeding.
- Do not overfill the pies to prevent leaking of filling.
- Seal the edges well to prevent the edges from opening during baking. Make sure there is no filling on the edges, or it will break the seal, and the filling will leak through.
How to store the Turkey Hand Pie
The pie crust dough can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
The Turkey pie filling can also be made ahead of time. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
Assembled and Unbaked Turkey Hand Pies can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, there is no need to thaw before baking; add extra minutes of baking time.
Baked Turkey Hand Pies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then reheat in the oven until heated through.
Other Cooking Method
Most people are used to baking hand pies, but did you know you can also deep fry them or air fry them too. Below is the instruction on how to fry them.
Deep fried Turkey Hand Pies
- Prepare your hand pies and use a fork to dock holes on the top, as seen in the picture. If the pie is soft, put them into the fridge to chill for at least one hour.
- heat oil in a deep pan with at least 4 inches high oil to 37f F. I like to use the stove’s back burner for frying, especially when my kids are home. Since oil can be very hot and dangerous.
- Place 3- 4 hand pies in the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. The number of pies you fry at a time will depend on the size of your pan.
- Drain on a paper towel and allow to cool down before serving.
Air Fried Turkey Hand Pies
Air frying is now part of our life; most recipes made in the oven or deep fried can be air fried. The air fryer is more convenient, quick, and less messy compared to deep frying.
- Prepare your hand pie according to the recipe given.
- Brush the top of the pie with eggwash
- Set your temperature to 400ºF on your air fryer.
- Place your hand pies inside the air fryer basket and fry for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Start checking on the hand pie after 10 minutes since every air fryer is different.
Video Tutorial on How to Make Chicken Hand Pie Recipe
More Recipes you will like
Turkey PinwheelTurkey and Vegetable Puff Pastry (leftover dish)
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Thanks for reading. As always, know that God loves you, and stay blessed!
Happy baking
Linda
Turkey Hand Pies
Ingredients
- Pie Crust/ Pastry
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold butter
- ½ cup ice water / cold water
- Turkey Filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium size onion 1/2 cup chopped
- 1 medium carrot 1/2 cup chopped
- 1 stalk 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp dried rosemary
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tablespoons corn flour
- 1 cup stock
- 1 cup frozen and thawed mixed vegetables carrot and peas
- 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 1 egg egg wash
Instructions
- Making the Pie Dough/ Crust
- In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder and mix.
- Cut the butter into pieces and add them to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender until well mixed. You can also rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining.
- Add the cold water to the mixture slowly and mix to form a dough. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it in a plastic bag or cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Making theTurkey Filling
- In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat, add chopped onion, carrot, and celery, and cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper, and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the corn flour mixed with the broth or stock. Let it simmer for about 3 minutes or until the filling thickens. Stir in the turkey and the thawed carrot and peas. Taste and correct seasoning to your preference. Take it off the heat and set it aside to cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)
- Rolling and Molding the Turkey Pie
- Roll the cold pie dough on a floured board into 1/8- ¼th inch thick. Use your round cookie cutter or pie mold to cut into circles.
- Re-roll any scraps and repeat the process until all the dough is used.
- Add one tablespoon of filling to each circle, brush the edges with egg wash and fold and crimp edges to seal with the tip of a fork or the thongs.
- Baking the Turkey Hand Pie
- Transfer the hand pie onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Place them 2 inches apart.
- Poke the top of the pie with a fork to create a hole to help the steam escape when baking. Brush the top with egg wash.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top and under.
- Serve the hand pie warm or allow it to cool down.
Air Fried Hand Pie
- Prepare your hand pie according to the recipe given. Brush the top of the pie with eggwash Set your temperature to 400ºF on your air fryer. Place your hand pies inside the air fryer basket and fry for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Start checking on the hand pie after 10 minutes since every air fryer is different.
Deep Fried Hand Pies
- Prepare your hand pies and use a fork to make holes on the top, as seen in the picture. If the pie dough is soft, put them into the fridge to chill for at least one hour.Heat oil in a deep pan with at least 4 inches high oil to 370 °F. I like to use the stove’s back burner for frying, especially when my kids are home. Since oil can be very hot and dangerous. Place 3- 4 hand pies in the hot oil and fry for 3-4minutes or until golden brown. The number of pies you fry at a time will depend on the size of your pan. Drain on a paper towel and allow to cool down before serving.
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