A classic Southern dish featuring turkey that is layered over toasted bread and covered in a creamy béchamel sauce then broiled to perfection with some bacon. It’s the ultimate open-faced sandwich that uses up your left-overs.
The Best Southern Open Faced Sandwich
Whether you have turkey left over from a holiday meal or some rotisserie chicken lurking in your fridge, make this quick and easy dinner in 20 minutes. With a simple béchamel sauce you’ll have Southern comfort food that doesn’t have to be reserved for after the holidays.
It’s tradition in our house that we have hot browns with left-over turkey and left-over dinner rolls, the day after Thanksgiving. I forget about fixing hot browns at other times of the year. However, it’s tastes the same if you use a rotisserie chicken and it’s a quick weeknight dinner that everyone will love. You can also make it into a hot brown sandwiches with a few tweaks.
After a holiday meal, I’ll use whatever bread is left over, dinner rolls or buttermilk biscuits are what I typically use. If there are no left overs, French bread is a great choice, or Texas toast, anything that will serve as a base for an open-faced sandwich.
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The sandwich is topped with a slightly cheesy béchamel sauce, that is easy to prepare. You can make this in a casserole dish but we prefer individual baking dishes so that everyone can make it just the way they want.
Never Had a Kentucky Hot Brown?
I grew up in Kentucky and my husband is from Kentucky so I feel I’m an expert on this particular dish. This classic Southern dish consists of any type of toasted bread covered with turkey and smothered in cheese sauce. Top with a little bacon and a tomato slice, although I never have a tomato when I’m making hot browns.
You can make this as cheesy as you like but we prefer just a little cheese added to a wonderful creamy béchamel sauce. Throw a little bacon on top and you have a Hot Brown made famous at The Brown Hotel in Louisville. People come from all over just to have the original version, including me on a visit one summer.
I think my recipe is pretty close to the one they serve at The Brown Hotel. I actually ate this, or part of it anyway, for breakfast!
What You’ll Need
- Roast turkey or chicken – either will work, but traditionally it is made with turkey.
- Bread – this will be toasted first so it can be a little stale. Try biscuits, dinner rolls, Hawaiian rolls, French bread or sandwich bread.
- Cheese – I prefer a pecorino romano, but parmesan cheese is very similar or try a cheddar instead.
- Bacon – This should be cooked first, so leftovers from breakfast work great. It’s even better if you use candied bacon.
- Pantry items – butter, flour, milk and a pinch of nutmeg. You can use heavy cream instead of milk if you want a richer sauce.
Simple Steps For My Kentucky Hot Brown Recipe
Step 1: Toast the bread
Toast the roll, bread or biscuit so that it’s slightly toasted and place in a large baking dish or in individual baking dishes.
Step 2: Layer
Top the toasted bread with slices of turkey or chicken.
Step 3: Make the sauce
Melt butter in a medium saucepan and once melted add flour and whisk for a minute. Then gradually add milk, whisking until it thickens. Once thickened, add the cheese and nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Pore about ½ cup of cheese sauce over the turkey. If you prefer a thinner cheddar cheese sauce, try the sauce that I use in my Broccoli Cheese Casserole.
Step 4: Broil
Place under the oven broiler until it bubbly and brown. Remove and add cooked bacon and a tomato slice and broil for an additional minute.
You’ll need to eat this hot brown sandwich with a fork, the cheese sauce is like gravy.
This doesn’t really make good leftovers unless you don’t mind soggy bread so prep just what you’re going to eat. You can store the cheese sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to assemble you might need to thin it down a bit with some milk.
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Classic Kentucky Hot Brown with Béchamel Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups cream/milk
- ½ cups pecorino Romano cheese
- pinch nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 4 thick slices French bread or biscuit sliced in half
- 4-8 thick slices turkey
- 8 slices bacon cooked
- 4 slices tomato optional
Instructions
- Preheat broiler.
- Place bread on a baking pan under broiler and toast. Remove and place in individual baking dishes.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and cook for about 1 minute. Warm cream/milk in the microwave and add it slowly to the flour mixture whisking for 2-3 minutes until it just comes to a simmer. It should not be too thick. Whisk in ¼ cup cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
- Add turkey slices to the top of the toasted bread. Pour ½ cup of sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place under the broiler and cook until it is bubbly and lightly brown. Remove and top with cooked bacon and tomatoes if desired and place back under the broiler for a minute.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You can use any type of bread for the base.
- If the sauce is too thick, add more milk.
- You can use whole milk, half-and-half or heavy cream.
Nutrition
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Ann Leslie Gordon says
I am a long-time resident of Kentucky. The first time I had a Hot Brown they used country ham instead of the turkey. I guess it is whichever you personally prefer. Either way they are delicious.
Barbara Curry says
My Mother-in-law would use country ham with the turkey.
Lynne Humkey says
You are right. Both country ham and roast turkey are used in the original Hot Brown & how I make mine. Better with fresh meat and not lunch meat, as I have seen some places serve them.
Barbara Curry says
I agree!