This Grilled Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Sandwich is the perfect light meal after a decadent Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Creamy and tart on the inside, toasty on the outside. It’s worth cooking chicken for all on its own!
This post contains affiliate links.
Grilled Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Sandwich. Well that’s a mouthful. But really, it will be a literal mouthful if you make this sandwich, because it’s just so d@mn good that you won’t be able to stop eating it. 🙂
This sandwich is an awesome, delicious way to use up leftovers after Thanksgiving or Christmas (along with our Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie (which is a perfect freezer meal, by the way!).
I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually feel like sitting down to another huge plate of turkey dinner right after the big day.
Go-to recipes like this are the perfect solution! All the lovely flavors of Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, without the discomfort of overeating.
Because, personally, I can’t have Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner without overeating. That’s just how it is, and I accept that.
I’ve also made this sandwich many, many times outside the holidays. I just think it’s a super delicious lunch munch. I sometimes don’t include the stuffing, and if you don’t have any don’t worry about it.
Sliced chicken breast or leftover turkey
+ cranberry sauce (which is super easy to make and keeps in the fridge FOR-EV-ER),
+ cream cheese (for goodness’ sake, don’t skip the cream cheese – you only need a little bit but it is SO GOOD with the cranberry sauce and it really steps up this sandwich).
If you have a panini press it’s even easier to make this, but if not it’s still pretty simple to grill it in a frying pan.
FAQ about this Turkey Cream Cheese Sandwich
There are lots of directions you can take a turkey sandwich in, but in my opinion the combination of cream cheese and cranberry sauce makes a fantastic condiment.
Cream cheese is great with turkey because turkey can be a little dry. Cranberry sauce is great because turkey has a very mild flavor.
The combination of cream cheese and cranberry sauce is so delicious and a perfect compliment for turkey!
Cream cheese has some surprising health benefits, according to this article by Healthline. It contains lots of Vitamin A, and is a decent source of antioxidants and Vitamin B2.
However, it can be high in fat. If you’re looking for a slightly lighter option – choose a whipped cream cheese instead of a traditional block.
Sure! I really love the warm melty-ness of the cream cheese when you grill it and I’d be tempted to either grill my wrap/bagel sandwich or microwave it for a few seconds to get everything warm and yummy.
Grilled Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Sandwich – Step-by-Step Instructions
Grilled Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Sandwich – Ingredients
Spread a little mayo on each slice of bread.
Top one side with stuffing (optional – but if you’re looking for a great recipe, try our Light and Fluffy Stuffing) and the other side with softened cream cheese (not optional). 😊
On top of the cream cheese, spread some cranberry sauce.
On the stuffing, put some turkey or chicken.
Tip: Don’t use turkey straight out of the fridge – it probably won’t warm up in time and you’ll have cold turkey in the middle of your sandwich. Pop it in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds before adding it to the sandwich, to make sure it’s at least a little warm.
Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat.
I love cast iron for cooking grilled sandwiches, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Amazon has one very similar to mine.
If you’re shopping from the US it’s an amazing price and from Canada it’s still not too bad. If you’re in Canada, have a look in unexpected places. I got mine at the Superstore and I LOVE it.
Anyway, once it’s warm, melt a bit of butter and set your sandwich on top of it. Then butter the top half of the sandwich.
Cook it slowly, so that the middle is getting warm while the outside is slowly browning.
Then carefully flip it over and do the same thing on the other side.
Yes, you can cook a grilled cheese faster, but I think the few extra minutes is worth it for the warm gooey inside. 🙂
Serve hot and enjoy! 🙂
What to serve with this sandwich
This sandwich is a cozy, warm kind of sandwich. I’d serve it with a creamy soup (like cream of mushroom, or a creamy chicken soup), or a small green salad lightly dressed with a vinaigrette.
Storing
I really don’t recommend storing this sandwich, unless you have no choice. I’d make it fresh and then eat it right away.
If you have leftovers, wrap them up and put them in the fridge. When you want to reaheat it, here’s what I would do (I realize this sounds a little fussy but it’s your best chance at having a yummy leftover sandwich).
- Preheat a frying pan on low on the stove top.
- While the frying pan/skillet is warming up, gently warm the sandwich in the microwave so that the filling is warm.
- Toast the outside of the sandwich in the skillet so that it crisps up again.
- Eat immediately!
Grilled Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 slices bread
- turkey or chicken leftovers work great for this!
- cranberry sauce
- Stuffing (optional)
- 1 tbsp cream cheese (softened)
- 1 tbsp mayo
- 1 tsp butter
Instructions
- Spread a light coat of mayo on each slice of bread.
- One one side, spread the softened cream cheese. On the other side pile on some stuffing (if you’re using it) and press it down.
- Spread cranberry sauce on top of the cream cheese. I like a lot, but you can use less if you want. Press sliced turkey or chicken onto stuffing.
- Assemble sandwich. Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat and melt 1/2 a teaspoon of butter in it. Place sandwich on the melted butter and butter the top half.
- Cook slowly until the bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook the other side until it’s brown and the middle is warmed and deliciously melty.
- Serve hot and enjoy! 🙂
GiGi Eats says
Turkey and CREAM CHEESE!? What an interesting combo – never would have thought to put the two together!
Myra says
I know, right!? Sounds strange, but it’s SO GOOD. It’s really more about the cream cheese and cranberry combo actually. Try it! You won’t be disappointed! 🙂