These mini turkey pot pies with drop biscuit topping are my favorite thing to make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. They can be made ahead and reheated through the post-Thanksgiving sales so you can Christmas shop (or decorate, study for finals, watch football, etc) instead of cook!
Remember that juicy, drool-worthy slow cooker turkey breast we made for Thanksgiving? Well, chances are, if you made it for 4 people or less, you've got leftovers to deal with! And even if you didn't make that particular turkey, my greatest wish for you today is that you have some type of turkey leftovers, because I don't want you to miss out on these pot pies! Seriously though, I'm really close to proclaiming that these Mini Turkey Pot Pies with Drop Biscuit Topping were better than the actual Thanksgiving meal itself. Almost better, and definitely just as good!
The best part about these mini pot pies is the fact that they reheat AMAZINGLY well after you have baked them. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want to do during the post-Thanksgiving weekend and the Monday after is cook. So I'll make a batch of these and have them for dinner (with a salad) at least two nights in a row! We welcome and embrace leftovers in my house, but these leftovers are next-level!
Modifications
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if you have 3 cups of leftover gravy, you could make this recipe with gravy instead of the chicken stock/flour/cider vinegar/syrup mixture. So check out the notes for that in the recipe. Omitting the bacon isn't a big deal if you don't want it - I just add a tiny bit for depth of flavor. And if you want to bake this in a big pie dish or casserole pan instead of ramekins, by all means, go ahead!
Tools
- 8-ounce ramekins - because mini/individual pot pies are fun.
- 2-ounce cookie dough scoop - for the perfect drop biscuits
- Heavy-bottomed braiser or Dutch oven - consistently cooks faster and more evenly, resulting in root veggies that are perfectly tender throughout and a silky texture for your filling.
- Good chef's knife - invaluable for cutting root veggies. This is the one I use, and I'll sharpen it from time to time with this sharpener.
Similar recipes
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Recipe
Mini Turkey Pot Pies with Drop Biscuit Topping
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 3 slices uncured, center-cut bacon, diced
- 1 large shallot, minced (about ½ cup)
- 3 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into ½’’ cubes (about 1 ½ pounds)
- 1 cup peeled turnips, cut into ½’’ cubes (about 2 medium turnips)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken stock, more as needed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dark maple syrup
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 cups cooked turkey breast, shredded or diced into bite-sized pieces
- Salt and pepper, to taste to taste
For the biscuit topping:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup white whole wheat)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold low-fat buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly for a few minutes
Instructions
For the filling:
- Place a large Dutch oven or cast iron braiser over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Remove all but one tablespoon of bacon drippings from the pot.
- Return the pot to medium-low heat. Add the shallots, squash and turnips to the pot. Cook the veggies, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour and stir to coat everything in the pot. Cook for about a minute.
- Slowly add in the chicken stock while stirring to incorporate. Scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as you stir. Stir in the apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. Add the sprigs of thyme.
- Bring the everything in the pot to a low boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 5-10 minutes until a few pieces of squash that you test are fork-tender. The mixture will thicken quite a bit as it cooks, so add extra stock as needed. You want the mixture to be the consistency of gravy. Remove the thyme sprigs and add the bacon and turkey to the pot. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper as desired. Remove pot from heat and allow to the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
For the drop biscuits:
- While the mixture cools, make the biscuit topping. Preheat oven to 425℉. Spray 6 (eight-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray and place them on a baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
- Add the melted butter to the buttermilk, and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir to combine until small clumps form into the mixture.
- Add the clumped buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Use a rubber spatula to lightly fold the ingredients together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Use a 2-ounce cookie dough scoop to drop 3 dollops of biscuit dough onto each ramekin.
- Bake the pot pies for 20-25 minutes until they are bubbly and the biscuits are lightly golden. Serve hot!
Notes
- For later reheating, let pot pies cool before covering with foil. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, preheat oven to 350℉. Place the covered pot pies on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, increase heat to 375℉, and bake an additional 15 minutes until bubbly.
- To make with gravy: Omit the flour, stock, cider vinegar, and maple syrup. Add 3 cups of leftover gravy to the veggie mixture in the pot and simmer until the veggies are tender. Proceed with the recipe as written.
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Coleen says
This recipe is excellent with the combination of butternut squash and turnip--who but Chef Whitney would have thought of making this combination. It is so nutritious and very filling. I couldn't wait for the left over turkey to try it so made it with slow cooked chicken thighs! I also substituted my gluten free flour mixture in the dough mix and it worked really well! Thanks so much for this very filling and delicious recipe!
Whitney Reist says
Hi Mrs. Coleen - this makes my day that you tried the recipe and enjoyed it so much! Thank you for trying it and for this wonderful feedback. I'm so happy you enjoyed it and that the chicken and gluten-free flour made nice substitutes!