This Spicy Hot Brown recipe is a feistier version of a traditional Southern dish. Indulge yourself with leftover turkey on toasted bread covered with a spicy bechamel sauce for a delicious dinner. Just what you need with turkey leftovers from a big holiday and it only takes 10 minutes.
Being from Kentucky originally, there is nothing more comforting than Kentucky Hot Browns. For dinner the day after Thanksgiving, we always have Hot Browns. Nothing fancy, just leftover turkey piled on leftover rolls or biscuits, covered with a cheesy sauce and bacon. It doesn’t take any planning and everyone can customize theirs to exactly how they like it with what’s on hand.
After all of the traditional Thanksgiving favorites, try giving this Southern dish a Southwestern flare and try this spicy hot brown recipe.
Even though you can make this with turkey from the deli, we never think of making it except at Thanksgiving, which is a tragedy. Hot browns can be made any time of year using turkey or rotisserie chicken.
What is a Kentucky Hot Brown
Hot Browns are a Southern tradition made famous at The Brown Hotel in Louisville. Typically it is turkey and a béchamel sauce served over toasted bread then topped with tomatoes and bacon. In our house they are always served the day after Thanksgiving using up leftover rolls and turkey.
Why you’ll love a spicy hot brown recipe
- This is a great dish to make the day after Thanksgiving when you don’t feel like cooking.
- It’s super simple to put together.
- Everyone can make theirs just the way they like it.
- You can easily customize for any number of people.
- You can prepare it in about 10 minutes.
What you’ll need
- Turkey or chicken – use leftovers or slices from the deli
- Rolls – any type will work, you can also use toasted bread
- Cheese – to make it spicy, I use white cheddar and pepper jack
- Half-and-half – this makes a creamy sauce – you can substitute milk
- Cilantro, Jalapeno, cumin and cayenne – This give it the Southwest flavors
- Bacon – crumbled on top
- Pantry staples – butter, garlic, flour, salt
If you ever have the chance to have a Kentucky Hot Brown when traveling through the South, I highly recommend it. The experience is delicious!
How do you make a béchamel sauce
This recipe, as with so many requires making a béchamel or white sauce. This is easy to master and once you have done it a time or two you will be comfortable making so many dishes. I use a 2-2-2 rule, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour and 2 cups of liquid. You may need a little more than 2 cups of liquid but I always start with 2. If you’re making a smaller portion then decrease to 1-1-1, you get the picture.
Almost all recipes use a formula close to this one. For something like a pie, you’ll need more flour but in most cases it’s an equal amount of butter and flour. If you just remember this, you can whip things up without a recipe. You can put this sauce to practice when making my Lasagna with béchamel recipe
To make a béchamel first start by warming up your liquid just a bit in the microwave. If you add in cold liquid, it slows the process down. Next, heat the butter in a skillet and add flour cooking for about a minute, whisking constantly. Then, slowly add the liquid, whisking until it’s incorporated. If you add it all at one time, you’ll have lumps and it will take a long time. So be patient and just add a bit at a time. Continue to cook until you have the thickness you are looking for.
This sauce will help keep your meat from drying out when it broils in the oven.
How do you make Spicy Hot Browns
Step 1
Cook an onion and garlic in a skillet then add butter and flour. Whisk in the half-and-half until it’s smooth then add the cheese.
Step 2
Add cilantro, jalapeno, cumin, cayenne and salt to taste.
Step 3
Slice rolls in half horizontally and place under broiler for 30 seconds until slightly toasted.
Place toasted rolls in a baking dish and place turkey slices on each roll. Pour cheese sauce over the top and sprinkle with chopped bacon. Place under the broiler until the sauce starts to bubble and the tops turn slightly brown. Serve with guacamole.
Pro tip: You can make these as spicy as you want depending on how much of the jalapeño you add. If you want it mild, remove all the seeds and stems.
Now you have a recipe to pull out when you have left-over turkey, but don’t wait until Thanksgiving. Grab some turkey at the deli or use rotisserie chicken and enjoy this all year round.
Recipe note
- You can make these open face sandwiches one at a time and customize them for your picky eaters.
- Add a thick slice of a beefsteak tomato before broiling to enjoy this sandwich in the traditional way.
FAQs and tips
Chef Fred K. Schmidt of the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky in 1926 created the hot sandwich and named it after his hotel. He used some leftovers to create this hot open-faced sandwich and topped the turkey and bun with some mornay sauce, then broiled the sandwich until it began to brown.
Mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce with gruyere. It’s a classic French sauce.
For Hot Browns try a Parmesan or Romano, for this Southwest version, I like Cheddar and Pepper Jack.
Any type of bread will work for a hot brown. From a simple piece of white toast to a fancy dinner roll.
Best dinner rolls for hot browns
Spicy Hot Browns
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 4 ounces white cheddar cheese grated
- 4 ounces pepper jack cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- salt
- 4 French rolls
- 6 ounces turkey slices
- 3 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- guacomole
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add onion. cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add flour and whisk for about a minute. Slowly add warmed half-and-half a little at a time whisking until it is smooth before adding more cream. Once all has been added, bring to a boil and then turn down to low, whisking until it thickens. Add cheese a handful at a time.
- Add cilantro, jalapeno, cumin, cayenne and salt to taste.
- Slice rolls in half horizontally and place under broiler for 30 seconds until slightly toasted. Place toasted rolls in a baking dish and place turkey slices on each roll. Pour cheese sauce over the top and sprinkle with chopped bacon. Place back under the broiler until the sauce starts to bubble and the tops turn slightly brown. Serve with guacamole.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Try warming the half-and-half in the microwave before making the sauce so that it is warm or at least at room temperature.
- You can make customize each ramekin for your picky eaters.
- If you want them more spicy, add the seeds of the jalapeno.
- Add a thick slice of a beefsteak tomato before broiling to enjoy this sandwich in the traditional way.
Nutrition
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