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Kentucky Hot Brown

Kentucky Hot Brown is a Louisville open-faced turkey sandwich with tomato, crisp bacon, and bubbling Mornay-style cheese sauce.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 14 August 2026Updated

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Kentucky Hot Brown

35 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Medium
Spice
Mild
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Oven, Stovetop.

No inactive time; broil after saucing only until the cheese sauce bubbles and spots lightly.

Method

  1. Heat the oven broiler or top heat setting and place the toasted bread on a baking tray.

  2. Layer sliced turkey over the toast and add tomato slices on top.

  3. Melt butter in a pan, stir in flour, and cook briefly to make a pale roux.

  4. Whisk in milk gradually, then add cheddar, Parmesan, salt, and black pepper until the sauce is smooth.

  5. Spoon the cheese sauce over the turkey and tomato, then broil until bubbling and lightly browned.

  6. Top with crisp bacon, sprinkle paprika, and serve hot.

How to tell it's done

The bread should stay sturdy, the sauce should be creamy and bubbling, and the bacon should be crisp.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the cheese sauce thick enough to coat the sandwich; a thin sauce will run off before broiling.

What to serve it with

Serve as a rich lunch or supper with a crisp green salad.

Common mistakes

The sauce is thin and slides off the toast.
Cook the roux for a full minute and whisk the milk in gradually. A Mornay for a Hot Brown needs to be thick enough to sit on the turkey — if it pours like cream, keep reducing it.
The toast collapses into mush.
Toast it properly, until genuinely crisp and dry, not just coloured. It has to hold a wet sauce under a grill, and ordinary soft toast has no chance.

Substitutions

  • Turkey Breast — Roast Chicken can be used if turkey breast is unavailable, but the dish will be less traditional.
  • Cheddar Cheese — Monterey Jack Cheese can be used for a milder sauce.

Storing and reheating

Assemble and eat straight away — this does not keep or reheat. The cheese sauce keeps two days in the fridge and reheats gently with a splash of milk, which is the only part worth making ahead.