An easy, breezy way to use up your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we love to turn our leftover ingredients into simple yet exciting dishes of their own!
Turkey afritada is a Filipino American tomato-based stew consisting of turkey, tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, and peas. This dish is a twist on Afritadang Manok (Chicken Afritada) and is an easy recipe to make in one pot.
Get ready to turn your post-Thanksgiving meal into feast number two! Read on for the recipe.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclaimer policy for details. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
The dish Afritada originates from Spanish influence in the Philippines.
The word is derived from the Spanish word “fritada” (fried) since the meat is pan-fried as the first step in cooking. After pan-frying, the meat is braised in a tomato-based sauce.
Traditional afritada involves cooking chicken or pork, then braising it in tomato sauce or banana ketchup. Other main ingredients include potatoes, carrots, and peas.
Afritada is a casual, hearty meal that Filipinos enjoy making for family dinner.
In our Filipino American recipe, we had Thanksgiving leftovers in mind. Cooked turkey acts as our main protein, which we added at the end instead of pan-frying first.
Serve this with steamed white rice and let the tomato sauce soak into the rice!
Why You Should Make Turkey Afritada
Hearty and healthy – Our recipe is vegetable forward and uses many whole, unprocessed foods. You can also opt to use low sodium tomato sauce and turkey stock, and use leaner cuts of turkey.
Efficient and convenient– This one-pot recipe will use up your turkey leftovers, and uses low-cost ingredients!
Comforting – A warm stew with rice is perfect cozying up in fall and winter, don’t you agree?
What cut of turkey should I use?
This recipe gives you the flexibility of using whatever turkey you have, dark or light. You can also find pre-cooked turkey breast at your local grocery store.
During this recipe shoot, we used cooked turkey breast from Trader Joe’s. We’ve also used it using leftovers from a turkey we cooked. Either option was perfect!
And of course, if you prefer not to have turkey, you can swap it out for chicken.
Ingredients
oil for the pan
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2 roma tomatoes chopped
1 tbsp patis (filipino fish sauce)
2 lbs cooked turkey, cut in medium sized pieces (we used turkey breast)
1 cup tomato sauce
1½ cup turkey stock
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
6 baby potatoes or 1 large potato
2 carrots sliced
½ cup peas
salt and pepper to taste
parsley for garnish
Many home afritada recipes don’t include this, but patis (Filipino fish sauce) and oyster sauce are ingredients we love to add because it adds more depth to the flavor.
Our Place
Discover stylish and multifunctional kitchen items including the viral, bestselling Always Pan!
In a stewing pot or pan, heat oil at medium heat. Saute garlic and onion until slightly browned and fragrant.
Add bell pepper, tomatoes, and fish sauce. Cook for 5 min or until they are softened. The tomato should keep its structure but it slightly softens to the touch.
Add turkey broth. Bring the pot to a simmer, stir occasionally.
Add potatoes, carrots, and peas. Stir well. Cover the pot and let it cook for 10 min.
Lower the heat to maintain a very low simmer (gentle bubbles). Add cooked turkey to the pan. Stir to incorporate. Cover and let it cook about 3-5 min. If needed, cook additional time until potatoes are fork-tender.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. We enjoy adding a generous amount of black pepper.
Garnish with parsley and serve with rice.
Tips on Cooking Turkey Afritada
For convenience, you may use frozen peas and carrots.
When cutting turkey meat into smaller pieces (1-2 bites), aim to cut against the grain. This will improve the texture and tenderness of the meat when you chew.
While any potato is fine, our favorite potatoes to use in this recipe are baby red potatoes, yellow dutch baby potatoes, or chopped russet potatoes. For baby potatoes, you can throw them in whole. For large potatoes, we recommend you cut them into pieces for faster cooking.
Final Thoughts
Get the most out of your Thanksgiving turkey with our effortless recipe. You’ll definitely reach for seconds for this warm, hearty tomato-based stew!
Our Place
Discover stylish and multifunctional kitchen items including the viral, bestselling Always Pan!
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this recipe, please give a star rating and review on the recipe card below + share your creations on Instagram and tag us @itsforkandspoon!
2lbscooked turkeycut in medium sized pieces (we used turkey breast)
1cuptomato sauce
1½cupturkey stock
2bay leaves
2tbsp tomato paste
2tbspsugar
1tbsp oyster sauce
6baby potatoesor 1 large potato
2carrotssliced
½cuppeas
salt and pepperto taste
parsleyfor garnish
Instructions
In a stewing pot or pan, heat oil at medium heat. Saute garlic and onion until slightly browned and fragrant.
Add bell pepper, tomatoes, and fish sauce. Cook for 5 min or until they are softened. The tomato should keep its structure but it slightly softens to the touch.
Add turkey broth. Bring the pot to a simmer, stir occasionally.
Add potatoes, carrots, and peas. Stir well. Cover the pot and let it cook for 10 min.
Lower the heat to maintain a very low simmer (gentle bubbles). Add cooked turkey to the pan. Stir to incorporate. Cover and let it cook about 3-5 min. If needed, cook additional time until potatoes are fork-tender.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. We enjoy adding a generous amount of black pepper.
Garnish with parsley and serve with rice.
Notes
This recipe gives you the flexibility of using whatever turkey you have, dark or light. You can also find pre-cooked turkey breast at your local grocery store. And of course, if you prefer not to have turkey, you can swap it out for chicken.
For convenience, you may use frozen peas and carrots.
When cutting turkey meat into smaller pieces (1-2 bites), aim to cut against the grain. This will improve the texture and tenderness of the meat when you chew.
While any potato is fine, our favorite potatoes to use in this recipe are baby red potatoes, yellow dutch baby potatoes, or chopped russet potatoes. For baby potatoes, you can throw them in whole. For large potatoes, we recommend you cut them into pieces for faster cooking.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Longganisa Aglio e Olio
For a quick & easy weeknight meal, you need to try this Filipino-style longanisa pasta. Sweet sausage, fragrant garlic, and al dente noodles will tempt you into making this a permanent menu item in your kitchen!
With this recipe, you'll enjoy all the satisfying flavor of Lumpia Shanghai with no meat, less fat, and less calories. You might want to double or triple this recipe, because the pieces are sure to disappear in the blink of an eye!
A Filipino version of chicken noodle soup, this one-pot recipe utilizes glass noodles and upo squash to absorb a lightly seasoned broth. If you're looking for something warm and healthy to bring you back to the days of Lola's cooking, look no further!
Noelle Noriesta, a Filipino-American home cook, is the principal creator of Fork and Spoon. Her recipes have a modern and playful approach inspired by her food experiences growing up in the Bay Area and now in Los Angeles. --Read more about me