Diner-Worthy Hot Turkey Sandwich

Any meal that reminds me of eating at a diner is a great meal in my books.

When I was a teenager, we would walk across the street from our high school (General Amherst High School) to eat at Maria’s, our town’s beloved diner.  One of my favourite meals to order was a good ole Hot Turkey Sandwich.  All that glorious tender turkey breast, heaps of gravy, a side of fries (or mash) and some green beans or carrots for some colour.  And of course cranberry sauce.  And so today, when I roast a turkey, I always make sure I have set aside extra thinly sliced turkey for homemade sammies!

How to Satisfy the Craving at Home

Sure, if it is a day or two after a turkey dinner, it really isn’t hard to make this wondrous meal.  I mean, you already have the turkey, gravy, mash, stuffing and even leftover veggies.  Just heat it all up and make a sandwich, and tuck in.  But if you get a craving in the middle of winter or on some random April day, here is what you will do.

You will need turkey breast.  These days you can often pick up a single turkey breast from the butcher.  Or else a rolled and tied off turkey breast from the grocery store.  I usually have one in the freezer since I know it will come in handy at some point during the winter or spring.  *See below if you don’t want to roast off a turkey breast.

I’m going to share a simple method for roasting off the turkey breast and make the gravy.  You can also refer to my Sage Butter Roasted Turkey and Gravy (this is often what I will do, but it does require more ingredients than I am sharing in this simple recipe)  

When it comes time to make your Hot Turkey Sandwich, you will also need soft, fresh bread (sure you can use sourdough, but I would stay away from any too firm, too dense bread.  You want the softness of the bread to soak up the gravy and become a lovely pillow under the thinly sliced turkey slices.  Bread that is too dry will make it difficult to cut and enjoy this meal as it was meant to be enjoyed (hence the Diner Worthy part of the title!) 

Yes, you can serve mashed potatoes on the side, but if you want that side of crinkle fries like I do, then heat up some fries in the air fryer while the gravy warms up. 

A side of cranberry sauce is classic, but in a pinch, Lingonberry preserves (the berry jam I serve on the side of my Swedish Meatballs) works.  The wonderful sweet tart nature of the preserves or cranberry sauce is a great balance to the richness of the turkey and gravy.  You can also serve warm green beans on the side, as per the meal from my teenage memories.

Method

1. Roast off the turkey breast.  I like a boneless turkey breast, tied several times to ensure even roasting. This is best done in advance, like the day before.  Getting those perfect thin slices is so much easier from a roasted turkey breast that has been chilled overnight.
2. Make the gravy, this can also be made the day before and re-warmed for serving. *See below for a quick method to make gravy if you want to use deli sliced turkey breast

Assemble

1. Always warm your bread slightly.  You don’t need to toast it to crisp, but warmed bread will be softer, and will accept the gravy easier.
2. Heat the gravy in a skillet until bubbling.  You can thin it out with a bit of turkey or chicken stock if it is too thick.
3. Place slices of the turkey breast into the skillet and let them warm up in the gravy. Turn to coat both sides with the gravy.
4. Pour some of the warmed gravy over the bread.  This gives you the head start on a juicy meal.  Think Monica’s Moist Maker Turkey Sandwich that Ross went nuts for on Friends.  It was that centre slice of bread that was doused in gravy that made all the difference in the final sandwich.  The same with this version.
5. Lay out thin slices of turkey over your gravy covered bread.  Don’t skimp on the turkey. Finish with a copious amount of gravy.  And yes, gravy on the fries is soooo good.   

Disclaimer: Yes, I could layer in stuffing, lettuce, mayo, cranberry sauce etc.  But then to me this is a Leftover Turkey Dinner Sammie (like the one in my Book)  Today I am making a Diner-Worthy Hot Turkey Sandwich, and back in the day, diner cooks would not layer everything onto the bread slices, only the turkey and gravy.  This is a fork and knife meal, not a sandwich you pick up with your hands.

Final Thoughts

Yes, this meal can be achieved with purchased deli counter turkey breast. Feel free to have your deli counter slice up turkey breast for you.  It is already roasted, and can be sliced a bit thicker if you desire.  Too thin, and it becomes more of a shaved turkey breast, which will fall apart in the skillet with the stock and create more of a Turkey a la King vibe.

Make Fresh Gravy for Your Sandwiches: Oh dear, you didn’t roast off a turkey breast, so there’s no gravy. Here’s what to do: Whisk two tablespoons each of butter and flour and cook in a skillet over medium heat till bubbly and smooth.  Let it cook enough to get rid of the raw flour flavour.  Slowly whisk in two cups of chicken stock, and 1-2 tsp of Turkey bouillon. Stir till smooth and thickened.  Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch each of fresh or dried sage, dried thyme and dried rosemary.

If you make this Diner-Worthy Hot Turkey Sandwich, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

5 from 1 vote

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Diner-Worthy Hot Turkey Sandwich

Retro goodness on a plate with these Hot Turkey Sandwiches. Whether you use deli sliced turkey, or roast off a turkey breast for just such occasions, the gravy, and side of fries will make you feel like you are eating at your favourite diner! Use the amounts as guidelines, if you want more of anything, go for it!

Course Main Course

Cuisine North American

Keyword easy turkey gravy, hot turkey sandwich, roast turkey

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Roasted Turkey Breast and Gravy 2 hours

Servings 4

Ingredients

Hot Turkey Sandwiches

• 1 1/2-2 cups gravy, either homemade, or leftover from a roast turkey dinner, see below
• 1 cups low sodium chicken stock, more if needed
• 1 1/2 lbs sliced turkey breast, DELI sliced, or from a homemade roast turkey, see below
• 4 slices soft fresh bread, if the slices are small, use two per person
• french fries
• cranberry sauce or lingonberry preserves

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast, makes more than you will need for the four sandwiches, but better to have extra turkey

• 1 stick softened butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, sage and parsley
• kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 boneless turkey breasts, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds each
• Olive oil

Homemade Gravy, can be made in advance

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp AP flour, can also use cup for cup gf blend
• 2 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 1-2 tsp Turkey Better Than Bouillon (or my Faux Chicken Bouillon Powder)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs like sage, parsley or thyme

Instructions

Assemble Hot Turkey Sandwiches

1. Place the gravy in a small stock pot to warm up over medium low heat
2. Place the chicken stock into a large skillet which can hold all the sliced turkey. Add in 1/4 cup of the warmed gravy to the chicken stock. Place all the sliced turkey into the chicken stock mixture. If it won't all fit at one time, work in batches. Heat the turkey slices over medium low heat till warmed through. Turn over for even warming.
3. Meanwhile, lightly toast (just to warm the bread through) the bread and place onto four plates.
4. Pour a little gravy over the slices of bread. Divide the turkey between the four slices of bread.
5. Pour more gravy over the turkey.
6. Serve with a side of air fryer french fries, or mashed or roasted potatoes, pouring some gravy over these as well.
7. Finish with a scoop of cranberry sauce or lingonberry preserves.

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking dish with olive oil.
2. Place the butter, chopped herbs, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Loosen the skin of the turkey breasts. Spread half of the butter underneath the skin of the turkey, saving the rest for basting.
4. Roll each breast tightly together, using kitchen twine to tie off the breast, spaced about 1 inch apart. Have the knots underneath, and the skin side up on top.

5. Place the turkey in the baking dish. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until skin has just started to brown.

6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining butter and any pan juices.
7. Check the temperature of the turkey by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. The turkey can come out of the oven when the thermometer registers just over 160F.
8. Cover the turkey with foil and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, or until thermometer registers at least 165F.
9. Serve as is, as part of turkey dinner, or allow to cool and then store in a sealed container to be used for sandwiches. I find getting thin slices works once the turkey has cooled down to room temperature or beyond.

Gravy

1. Place the butter in a stock pot over medium high heat. Once it has melted add the flour and whisk till completely smooth. Cook for one minute to remove the raw flavour from the flour.
2. SLOWLY add the chicken stock, whisking the whole while to avoid creating lumps. If you roasted off a turkey breast, feel free to use the pan juices to replace part of the chicken stock.

3. Add the bouillon to taste. Whisk and let is simmer over medium heat till thickened. Depending on the bouillon you used, you may need to season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the fresh chopped herbs.

4. This can be used right away or stored in a sealed container in the fridge. To re-warm, set it in a pot over medium low heat, adding extra stock or water to thin it out if necessary.
5. See blog post for more details and suggestions.

Recipe Notes

If you have leftover roast turkey, use it for enchiladas, tacos, soup, etc