Crack Turkey Salad

Piled high on a sandwich, or scooped up with your favourite snacking crackers, this is a recipe you won’t be able to get enough of! This salad is called Crack Turkey Salad for a reason!

We had a huge turkey for Christmas dinner. The problem is that only two of us eat turkey. And, both of us don’t care for white meat. Whenever I roast a whole turkey, once it’s done, I simply remove both of the breasts and set them aside. The rest of the turkey is what we want! The leftover breast meat in our house is perfect for Crack Turkey Salad.

So two days after Christmas, I had two very large turkey breasts sitting in the fridge. I needed to do something with them, but I wasn’t in the mood for Leftover Turkey Soup. I’m always in the mood for a sandwich though! So that’s just how those turkey breasts were put to use.

As a side note, you don’t need to use breast meat for this. Any leftover, cold turkey will do just fine. Just be sure to remove the skin or any fatty bits first.

CRACK TURKEY SALAD

I should start by addressing the name of this recipe. You might have guessed that the word crack is most certainly used to express the fact that this salad is addictive. Please note that I do not think addictions are a laughing matter.

The term has been used for many years to describe certain dishes that have the following ingredients: bacon, ranch dressing, cheese, and chicken/turkey. The point of which is to express the fact that the recipe is addictive. Crack, because you just won’t be able to get enough of it.

That was certainly the case with this particular version of Crack Turkey Salad. John.e doesn’t eat meat at all, so the entire amount was left for me and McKenna. She ate quite a bit of it over two days. In fact, she had it on a wrap for breakfast. Teens!

It didn’t take long for it to disappear. While she made wraps, I was feasting on a bowl of the salad with triscuits. I can put anything on a triscuit and be completely happy and content!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE:

1. Turkey – The best turkey to use is thick slices of leftover roasted turkey. Could you use chicken? Yes, absolutely! A roasted or rotisserie chicken would be great.
2. Bacon – Whichever bacon you like can be used. Turkey bacon would be great. I used just regular maple smoked Canadian bacon that I cooked in the oven.
3. Cheese – I shredded cheddar cheese. Any shredded cheese will do. Use your personal favourite.
4. Mayonnaise – Regular, light, fat-free, olive oil based, etc. It will all work.
5. Ranch Dressing – Use a good ranch; one that you would eat on a salad. I love Hidden Valley brand, but any brand you have will be fine.
6. Chives/Green Onions – Either of these will do just fine. The bright, fresh, onion-y flavour is great in this salad.
7. Worcestershire Sauce – I love the tanginess of this sauce. It’s completely underused, in my opinion. It really adds a nice flavour profile.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE THIS CRACK TURKEY SALAD RECIPE:

1. Place the cubed turkey, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese into a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper.
3. Next, add the chives or green onions. Fold into the mayonnaise mixture.
4. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the turkey, bacon, and cheese.
5. Use a rubber spatula to mix everything together until well coated.
6. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

HOW TO EAT CRACK TURKEY SALAD:

Remember back when I said McKenna piled her salad on a wrap? And, I ate mine with triscuit crackers? Well, there’s so many ways to eat this salad. Some are traditional, while most of these ideas are most certainly not!

Sure, you can stuff it between two slices of bread or a burger bun with some lettuce and tomato. It will be a great sandwich. You could skip the carbs and use lettuce leaves instead of bread for a healthier option. Or, transfer it to an oven-proof dish bake it until is gooey. What a great, baked, hot dip idea!

Try cooking pasta, draining it well, and tossing it with Crack Turkey Salad. Before you toss the pasta with the salad, heat the salad in a skillet so that it’s cream and gooey.

Spread the Crack Turkey Salad out over a store-bought pizza crust. Bake it until the crust is browned and the salad is bubbling hot. How’s that for a different type of pizza? You can even place the whole lot into a casserole dish and layer it with frozen tater tots. Bake at 350 degrees F until the tots are browned. Yum!

ADD MORE FLAVOURS WITH THIS OPTIONAL ADD-INS:

Toss in a can of spicy Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies for more zing and heat. Some chopped fresh tomatoes would be great too. Sometimes, I add some French’s Fried Onions to the top, especially if I bake it like a casserole.

So, how will you make your version? What will you add? Will you keep it simple like mine, or will you jazz it up? Lastly, I want to know how you’ll serve it. Will you just dig in with a fork? Or will you use it as an ingredient to completely different dish?

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