Instant Pot Turkey Soup (Leftover Turkey Carcass Soup)
This Instant Pot Turkey Soup is the perfect way to use up leftover turkey. A quick and easy meal that's all done in 40 minutes, with simple ingredients and a citrusy flavor profile that's a great change from your holiday flavors.
Start the instant pot in sauté mode and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add chopped yellow onion. Crush the garlic cloves gently with the side of the knife, remove the peel, and add the garlic to the instant pot as well. Sauté on Medium or High/More, without the onion and garlic browning, for 5 minutes.
Make sure the sauté setting is on "More" or "High" and pour in the white wine. Simmer for 1 minute.
½ cup dry white wine
Press "Cancel" to turn off the instant pot. Bring out your turkey bones, and crack them a bit if possible. Then add them to the instant pot together with water, whole peppercorns, bay leaves and salt. Mix as well as possible.
turkey bones, 4 cups water, 10 whole black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon fine table salt
Close the lid tightly and choose "Soup" mode if you have it. Set it to run for 7 minutes. If you don't have a soup setting, set it to pressure cook on High for 7 minutes instead.
When the pressure cooking cycle is done, let it sit and release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then do a quick release to release the last of the pressure.
Remove the turkey bones and bay leaves from the pot. Mix in lemon juice and the turkey meat in pieces. Close the lid and make sure the pressure cooker is set to "Keep Warm", then let it sit for 5 minutes to allow for the turkey meat to heat up.
2 cups cooked turkey meat, 3 tablespoon lemon juice
Taste test and adjust seasoning as needed, then serve on its own, or with a piece of bread.
Video
Notes
Cooked turkey bones - use as many as you have, for maximum flavor. For best results use bones from at least half a 10 pound turkey.
Turkey bones and water can be swapped for turkey or chicken broth
Turkey can be swapped for chicken
Lemons should be fresh, bottled lemon juice will not be enough
Keep the carrot pieces pretty large or it might become mushy
Crack the bones a bit if you can, to increase flavor
Store leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 4 days
Freeze leftovers to keep them for up to 3 months
Reheat leftoverson the stove over medium heat, until warmed through
Reheat leftovers in the microwave starting with 1 minute and following with 30 second increments. Stir between each.