Wild Turkey Recipes

By Wildlife Special Projects Coordinator Bob Cordes and Maine Wildlife Park Game Keeper Emilie Cram

Your hard work has paid off. You scouted before the season began, practiced your turkey call, patterned your shotgun, and harvested a bird. Now it is time to enjoy your harvest with friends and family!

Here are three wild turkey recipes from MDIFW staff:

Turkey Noodle Soup

By Bob Cordes

Ingredients:
Turkey meat
Celery
Carrots
Red onion
Minced garlic
Frozen corn and/or peas
Garlic seasoning
Seasoning salt
Poultry seasoning
Egg noodles

Step one: Trim the thigh meat from the bone and put it aside in the refrigerator.

Step two: Place the thigh bones and legs into a stock pot with enough water to cover.  I add diced celery, carrots, and an onion (I prefer red onions), with a teaspoon each of salt and pepper and minced garlic. Then, simmer for several hours to ensure that all the fat is rendered from the bones – this will make the stock for your soup.  

Step three: Let the stock cool then filter out the bones and tendons from the legs and thighs and stick in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the fat to cool, solidify, and separate from the stock. I then scrape the solid fat off and discard (this will remove any “gamey” taste). 

Step four: Cube up all the dark meat from the leg and thigh and what was recovered from the stock when filtering the bones, and include some cubed breast meat. Then brown the meat in a skillet with some added seasoning (I use about a teaspoon of poultry seasoning, a teaspoon of seasoning salt, and some Mrs. Dash’s garlic mix to the browning meat). 

Step five: Once browned, add the cubed meant and a single can or frozen packet of corn or peas (or sometimes both) to the stock and begin cooking on high for 30 minutes.  And seasoning to the soup to taste. 

Step five: Once the soup is heated sufficiently, I add about ½ to 1/3 of a package of egg noodles until soft – note the egg noodles will soak up a lot of broth. You can add water to the stock prior to adding the noodles if you desire.

Wild Turkey in Citrus

by Emilie Cram

Ingredients:
1 wild turkey breast
1-3 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter

Step one: Remove any ligaments and fat deposits from the turkey breast. Then cut the breast into strips or smaller nuggets.

Step two: Cook turkey strips or nuggets in butter, citrus, salt, and pepper in a pan on medium-high heat OR add to your favorite shish kabob grilling skewers! Cook until an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Tip: Try your best not to overcook the turkey to avoid that tough and chewy taste that some get.

Enjoy with fresh vegetables or mix in a stir fry for extra flavor! Enjoy.

Grilled Turkey Breast

By Bob Cordes

Serving size: Family of 4

Ingredients:
Turkey breast
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Spice mix of your choosing - I prefer Pecan Honey from Cabela's
Lemon juice or a fresh lemon
Olive oil

Step one: Take half of the turkey breast and make 1-2 inch cubes.

Step two: In a gallon bag or bowl, mix up spices – typically, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add spices to taste, about a tablespoon per pound of meat.  Then add a heavier ratio of a spice of your choosing. My favorite for wild turkey is a mixture from Cabela's – Pecan Honey

Step three: Once you add the dry spices to the bag, mix them together and add a couple of squirts of lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the bag and remix. 

Step four: Add the cubed turkey breast and mix it thoroughly. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for several hours.  

Step five: Grill on medium-high heat, until an internal temp of 165 degrees.  It is important to not overcook.    

I really like to serve this with grilled asparagus fresh from the garden.