We made a buttermilk-marinated turkey breast for Thanksgiving (see Note 1 below), and we decided to make a post-Thanksgiving recipe inspired from my childhood: leftover turkey slow-cooked broth (gomtang). We also picked up a few tips from this post: https://kimchimari.com/spicy-turkey-leftover-soup-korean/.
First, remove as much cooked turkey meat from the turkey carcass (here, the breast bone and ribs) as possible. Hand-shred the meat into small bite-sized pieces and set aside in the fridge.
Second, place the turkey carcass (here, the roasted breast bone plus a frozen, raw turkey back with skin and attached meat) in a pressure cooker. Add 1 medium onion (peeled and halved), 6 garlic cloves (lightly smashed, trimmed, and peeled), 2 bay leaves, and 1 tsp kosher salt. Pour 14 cups water into the pot, (see Note 2 below). Seal the pressure cooker, heat until you reach full pressure (about 15 mins), and then reduce heat (to about medium heat) while still maintaining full pressure for 1 hour.
Third, once soup has finished cooking, remove from heat, release pressure, and remove the solids (turkey back, breast bone). Shred the meat and place in a bowl, taking care to remove any bones (esp. from the turkey neck). In addition, take the shredded, chilled turkey breast and reheat it by gently dunking in the hot broth (we use this sieved scoop: https://us.josephjoseph.com/products/scoop-plus-colander-black). The total shredded turkey meat probably will yield 2.5 lb.
Fourth, lightly season the soup to taste. We added about 1/2 tsp each salt and sugar and 1/8 tsp black pepper.
Fifth, season the shredded turkey meat with “yangnyum.” “Yangnyum” refers to a simple mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, and some seasonings. For 2.5 lb shredded turkey, the yangnyum mixture will be about 2 to 2.5 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 to 2.5 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 Tbsp Korean red pepper flakes, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 2 finely chopped scallions. This time we also added 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds. (The sauce is according to taste, so that’s why the measurements are approximate.) In the meantime, reheat the turkey broth until it’s steaming.
Finally, assemble the soup: ladle about 2.5 to 3 cups of the turkey broth into a medium soup bowl (we use a round Japanese ceramic bowl). Then add approx. 3/4 cup of the seasoned shredded turkey meat (see below). Serve with steamed rice (short grain or jasmine) and a side of radish kimchi. (Nov. 2025)
Note 1: This is the Thanksgiving turkey recipe we make most years: https://cookingadventures.blog/2020/11/26/buttermilk-brined-roast-turkey-breast-we-tried/. This year, we purchased a Shady Brook Farms bone-in turkey breast, which included a turkey back. When preparing the two breast halves for the buttermilk marinade, we carefully removed the turkey back (and backside meat) and froze it. That’s the frozen turkey back we used for today’s broth.
Note 2: Each pressure cooker / instant pot has a maximum fill line marked on the inside lining. We added 14 cups, but you can add a cup or two less as needed to stay below that max fill line.
Cooking Adventures 