Pan con Pavo, also known as Panes con Chumpe, is a traditional Latin dish that translates to "turkey with bread." It offers a different and tasty way to use leftover turkey.
I'll share how I prepare Pan con Pavo for my family in today's post. This Pan con Pavo recipe is a variation of my Salvadoran Pan con Pollo recipe, which is delicious!
🤤 It consists of a perfect hearty sandwich filled with fresh vegetables and leftover turkey smothered in a flavorful tomato sauce made from scratch using flavor combinations that my family and I enjoy.
It's also quick and easy to assemble. Plus, it includes some clever shortcuts, such as the use of leftover turkey, that allow it to be prepared on a weeknight without the need to spend all day in the kitchen and tastes just as good, if not better, than the traditional Pan Con Pavo served in Salvadoran restaurants.😏
Additionally, you can use this recipe to make various meals, including Mexican-inspired dishes such as shredded turkey wraps, Burritos, Flautas, Tamales, and chimichangas, or serve over Buttered Noodles for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.
How to Make Pan con Pavo
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. When hot, add the chile arbol, chile guajillo, Chile Pasilla, and chile ancho and saute, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes or until the oil turns slightly orange from the chiles. Add the garlic, fresh tomatoes, poblanos pepper, and onion, and cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables soften, occasionally stirring about 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the crushed canned tomato, rinse the can with 2 cups of hot water, and add the water to the pan; season with chicken bouillon and sazon goya culantro y achiote, sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low, stirring and constantly scraping the bottom of the pan. Process the mixture in batches using an immersion or standard blender until smooth enough for your taste.
If using a standard blender, do not fill the jar more than half full per batch, leave the hole in the lid open, cover it with a clean dishtowel to allow the heat to escape), and pour it back into the saucepan.
Add the disassembled or shredded turkey and bay leaves to the saucepan to help the sauce develop more flavor, and bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, occasionally stirring, until it has deepened in color and reduced slightly, about 30 minutes (if the sauce begins to scorch, lower the heat). The sauce is done when the sauce is thickened and no longer watery.
Taste and adjust the season with salt and pepper, if needed. Remove the bay leaves and the turkey and set aside until the turkey is cool enough to handle. Shred into bite-size pieces using your hands or two forks, discarding the bones, return the meat to the pot, and stir to combine.
Assemble all vegetables on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400° F . Toast your Bolillo Rolls on the middle rack of the oven, either on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or directly on the grates, for about 10 minutes, flipping it halfway through.
Place toasted Bolillo Rolls on each plate, cut lengthwise, and spread mayonnaise on one side of the bread.
On the other side, spread mustard, and top each piece of bread with shredded cabbage or two pieces of lettuce, cucumber slices, a couple of onions, and radish slices.
Mound the shredded chicken into each bun, scoop a small spoonful of sauce onto each sandwich, and top with watercress or cilantro. Repeat the process with the remaining Bolillo Rolls. Buen provecho! 😋🍻
How to Make Homemade Relajo Spice Mix?
I don't use Relajo Spice Mix in my Pan con Pavo, but I've included a homemade recipe below if you're interested. It yields approximately ¾ cups.
The ingredients are as follows:1 California or pasilla dried chili, tear into large pieces, 1 ancho dried chili, tear into large pieces, (1) 3" cinnamon stick, 4 dried bay leaves, 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 tablespoons raw unsalted peanuts, 2 tablespoons raw unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon Achiote (annatto) seeds or 2 teaspoons powder.
Instructions: Remove the stems from the dried chiles and tear them into large pieces. Toast the chiles in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning once or twice until they change color and release a toasty aroma, about 2 minutes.
Set aside to cool. In the same skillet, toast sesame, peanuts, and pumpkin seeds for about 1 minute. Add the black pepper, coriander seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, whole clove, and thyme.
Toast, stirring for another minute or until aromatic. Set aside to let it cool. Once cooled, transfer everything to a blender with the achiote seeds and blend on high until finely ground for about 1 minute ( be careful not to overprocess; you don't want to turn it into a paste). Relajo Spice Mix can be made 1 month ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Related Recipes:
- Pan con Pollo Shredded Chicken Sandwich
- Perfect Dry-Brined Turkey and Gravy
- Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Thai Sweet Chili Chicken
- String Bean Chicken
- Sichuan Mala Chicken
📖 Recipe
Easy Pan con Pavo
Ingredients
- 8 fresh tomatoes , chopped
- 1- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil , olive oil, canola, or vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion , chopped
- 1 Poblano pepper or bell pepper (any color), chopped
- 8 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Kosher salt , to taste
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Chile Ancho
- 1 Chile Guajillo or Chile California
- 1 Chile Pasilla
- 3 Chile Arbol
- 1 packets Sazon Goya Culantro y Achiote
- 2 tablespoons Knorr Chicken Flavor Bouillon
- Turkey: Leftover shredded turkey. (The sauce is large enough to accommodate 5 cups of leftover turkey meat or more). *Disassemble the turkey into large pieces or shreds.
To Assemble:
- 8 or more large hoagie , submarine, bolillo rolls, or french rolls, as needed
- 1 small cabbage , shredded or 16 leaves remain lettuce (left whole)
- 1 bunch of Watercress or Cilantro
- 2 cucumbers , unpeeled and sliced in thin slices
- 8 radishes , thinly sliced
- 1 cup mayonnaise , to taste
- 1 large white or red onion , cut in half, and thinly sliced
- 1 cup yellow mustard , to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. When hot, add the chile arbol, chile guajillo, Chile Pasilla, and chile ancho and saute, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes or until the oil begins to turn a bit orange from the chiles; remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the garlic, fresh tomatoes, poblanos pepper, and onion, and cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables soften, occasionally stirring about 10 to 12 minutes. Return the chiles into the saucepan, add the crushed canned tomato, rinse the can with 2 cups of hot water, and add the water to the pan; season with chicken bouillon and sazon goya culantro y achiote, sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low, stirring and constantly scraping the bottom of the pan.
- Using an immersion or standard blender, process the mixture in batches until smooth enough for your taste. If using a standard blender, take care not to fill the jar more than half full per batch, leave the hole in the lid open, cover with a clean dishtowel to allow the heat to escape), and pour it back into the saucepan.
- Add the disassembled or shredded turkey and bay leaves to the saucepan to help the sauce develop more flavor, and bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, occasionally stirring, until it has deepened in color and reduced slightly, about 30 to 45 minutes (if the sauce begins to scorch, lower the heat). The sauce is done when the sauce is thickened and no longer watery.
- Taste and adjust the season with salt and pepper, if needed. Remove the bay leaves along with the turkey and set aside until the turkey is cool enough to handle. Shred into bite-size pieces using your hands or two forks, discard the bones, return the meat to the pot and stir to combine.
To Assemble the Pan con Pavo:
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, assemble all vegetables. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400° F
- Toast your Bolillo Rolls on the middle rack of the oven, either on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or directly on the grates, for about 10 minutes, flipping it halfway through.
- Place toasted Bolillo Rolls on each plate, cut lengthwise, and spread mayonnaise on one side of the bread. The other side spread mustard, top each bread with shredded cabbage or two pieces of lettuces, cucumber slices, a couple of onions, and radish slices.
- Mound the shredded chicken into each bun, scoop a small spoonful of sauce onto each sandwich, and top with watercress or cilantro. Repeat the process with the remaining Bolillo Rolls. Buen provecho! 😋🍻
Notes
- I highly recommend disassembling the turkey and leaving the bone to help develop more flavor in the sauce.
- Store leftover Shredded Turkey Sandwich "Pan con Pavo" sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.
- When blending hot liquid, let it cool for five minutes, then transfer it to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters and pulse until smooth.
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
