Turkey is probably the most underutilized meat in the U.S. Most people think of it as a the centerpiece for a holiday dinner, but it can be used for so many more dishes! Every year we raise turkeys so that we can eat turkey meat every week or two year round. How do we do it?
When we butcher turkeys, we don’t leave any of them whole. Instead, we cut them up just as you would cut up a lamb or other animal. We might keep a breast or two whole for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but everything else is packaged in one-pound freezer bags.
We use the breast meat to cut into strips and nuggets, and we also grind up some of it for turkey burgers. We grind up most of the thigh meat and use it for chili. Wings and sometimes thighs get put into soup.
Turkey legs have a lot of tendons, so they always get put into soup or are fed raw to our livestock guardians. Bones from raw meat don’t splinter like cooked bones, so you should not give bones to your dog if they have been cooked.
Having grown up in Texas, I really love any food that is breaded and fried, which is why turkey nuggets are a popular meal at our house. We cut up turkey breast meat into strips or bite-sized pieces, bread them, and fry them! It is super simple.
Unbleached flour works great for breading, but if you are gluten-free, brown rice flour or oat flour also creates a crispy, delicious breading.
I prefer to use a cast iron skillet for frying them, and we use avocado oil, coconut oil, or our own homegrown and rendered lard from our pasture raised pigs.
Homemade cream gravy used to be my favorite topping for turkey nuggets, but lately I’ve been going for ranch dressing. Other family members love ketchup, barbecue sauce, and buffalo sauce.
Other turkey recipes
Turkey Nuggets
Ingredients
- pound boneless turkey breasts
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/2 cup flour unbleached, brown rice, or oat flour
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup oil
Instructions
- Cut turkey breasts into strips or nuggets, whichever you prefer
- Beat egg
- Dip turkey in egg, then flour. For more breading, dip in egg and flour a second time.
- Pour oil into skillet and heat on medium-high.
- When oil is hot, put breaded turkey into oil.
- After 5-8 minutes, turn turkey to cook second side.
- Cook second side for 5-8 minutes, or until browned.
- When cooked through, remove turkey from skillet and drain on paper towels.
