Delicious turkey dishes: recipes with photos

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Turkey meat is known to be dry, so the only way to ensure it comes out juicy in the oven is to marinate it first. Plus, a whole roasted turkey looks amazing and is a great addition to any holiday table. But the reality is that many housewives have only one regular-sized oven, and it is problematic to cook a whole carcass in it. In addition, the turkey is very large, and it can be difficult to eat such an amount of meat in a short time. That is why the fillet of this bird, or breast, is especially popular.

Boneless turkey breast is a delicious alternative to chicken. It's also a great dinner idea when you don't have time to cook a whole bird. A turkey breast usually weighs between 1 and 5 kg and can be served to a large number of people. It is easiest to cook in the oven, slow cooker or on the stovetop over low heat.

How to prepare this meat?

There are many delicious recipes for turkey dishes, but initially the meat needs to be prepared. First of all, think about marinating. This is not necessary, but allows you to get a particularly delicate taste and aroma. Prepare the marinade at least an hour before youplanning to cook the bird. Choose any store-bought sauce or create your own. Place the turkey in a large food storage container and pour the marinade over it. Its amount is calculated as follows: you need a quarter cup of marinade for every 0.5 kg of meat. Once you place the fillet in the seasoning mixture and sauce, leave it to soak for one to three hours before cooking.

You can make a quick marinade by mixing 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 4 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon s alt for every 2kg of turkey. Be sure to place the meat back in the refrigerator while marinating.

How to cook fillets in the oven?

The easiest recipe for a turkey (breast) dish is as follows. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Calculate the cooking time. The larger the turkey breast, the longer it will take to bake. At 160°C, it will take approximately 25 minutes for every pound of meat. So, for a small piece of fillet weighing 2-2.5 kg, one and a half to two hours are needed.

Brush the turkey breast with olive oil and sprinkle with a little s alt and pepper. You can also add dried thyme, oregano, sage or basil if you like.

If you want to use fresh herbs, chop them coarsely and place them under the skin of the turkey so they can flavor the meat better. If you like the taste of poultry lemon, try slicing this citrus thinly andinsert the slices under the skin.

Place the turkey fillet in a roasting pan covered with a light layer of oil. Bake the meat until its core temperature is 70 degrees at its thickest point. If you are using a cooking temperature below 155 degrees, pour the rendered juices over the meat during the entire roasting time. Otherwise, the fillet will become too dry.

For a crispy skin, open the roaster after the meat is done and bake uncovered for another five minutes. Be sure to cover the cooked turkey with foil and leave for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. At this time, all the juices will be distributed in the fillet.

How to cook turkey fillet in a slow cooker?

Easy and delicious turkey recipes can also be used in a slow cooker. How to cook in it?

First of all, calculate the cooking time. Since the slow cooker operates at a much lower temperature than the oven, it takes a lot longer for the turkey breast to reach an internal temperature of 70°C. This allows you to turn on the appliance and forget about it for several hours while you do other things. So, a fillet weighing 2 kg in the “Extinguishing” mode will cook for five to six hours.

First place the turkey breast in the multicooker bowl. Remember that before that it needs to be thawed completely, it is advisable to remove the skin. Add seasonings. Everything that you put at the same time with the meat will be absorbed into it for several hours, creating an amazingly tasty and fragrantfinal product. You can make your own seasoning or use a store bought mix.

If you don't have the right spices, you can use a bouillon cube. Dissolve it in a glass of hot water and add to the multicooker bowl. Consider also adding vegetables and herbs. The great thing about using a slow cooker is that the food in it is hard to mess up. Therefore, you can safely add any vegetables and herbs that you have in the refrigerator. Potatoes, carrots, and onions are great options, as are parsley, sage, and oregano. So you can create your own turkey recipes on the go.

Cut the vegetables into larger pieces so that they do not become mashed for a long cooking time. As soon as you place all the products in the bowl, fill everything with water. After that, turn on the "stew" mode for the calculated time and wait until the delicious dinner is cooked by itself.

Juicy breast with garlic and onions

Turkey is often served on the festive table, because it takes a long time to cook, and the final dish is very voluminous. But what if a small number of guests are expected? For such cases, this turkey dish recipe is used, which requires only one boneless breast. The juices that drip into the baking dish have a strong garlic and onion flavor, so they make a fantastic sauce. All you need:

• 2 kg skinless and boneless turkey breast (whenwhen using frozen meat, melt it first);
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally;
• 1 onion, unpeeled, cut in half;
• 5 thyme sprigs (or 2 teaspoons dry thyme leaves).
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder;
• 1 1/2 teaspoon mashed onion;
• 1 teaspoon paprika;
• 2 teaspoons tea s alt;
• 5 black peppercorns;
• 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons olive oil.

For gravy:

• chicken broth;
• 2 tablespoons (50 grams) of butter;
• 1/4 cup flour;
• s alt and pepper.

How to cook turkey breast?

The turkey breast recipe looks like this. Place dry seasonings (excluding thyme) in a bowl and stir in olive oil to combine to a wet paste.

Dry the turkey with paper towels. Rub the breast with the seasoning mixture, using most for the sides and top. Place the garlic, onion, and thyme in the bottom of a deep baking dish. Place the turkey breast on top.

Bake at low temperature (about 100 degrees) for about 6 hours. Then take it out and let it stand for about 20 minutes before slicing.

Crunchy Skin

Preheat the oven to a higher temperature. Place the rack at a distance of 30 cm from the heat source. Transfer the turkey breast from the deep pan to a heatproof dish. Place in the oven and roast for 3 to 5 minutes until the skinwill become crispy. Watch this process carefully - it happens very quickly!

How to make gravy?

Strain the turkey liquid into a measuring cup, remove the garlic pieces, and so on. If you can't get 2 cups of gravy, top up with chicken broth to make sure.

Melt the butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add flour and mix. Pour about 1/2 cup of the liquid into the mixture and stir until a smooth paste forms. Slowly add the remaining liquid. If necessary, use a whisk to make the sauce even. Heat and stir until it thickens. Season to taste with s alt and pepper. Serve with turkey.

Chili Turkey

This is a quick and easy recipe for minced turkey with onions, garlic, bell peppers and chili. This is due to the fact that only part of the carcass weighing less than 1 kg is used here. All you need:

• olive oil;
• 1 cup finely chopped onion;
• 1 bell pepper (preferably red or yellow), chopped;
• 2 garlic cloves minced;
• s alt;
• 0.5kg minced turkey, preferably white meat;
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste);
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

How to cook minced turkey?

Fry the onion, bell pepper in two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan on mediumfire. Cook until they soften, a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 30 more seconds.

Place the vegetables on the edge of one side of the pan and position that side away from the heat. The empty part of the pan should be directly above the burner. Add one or two tablespoons of oil. Spoon the minced meat into the pan, sprinkle with s alt and chili powder.

Fry the turkey without stirring until browned on one side, then flip the pieces and fry until brown on the other. Once the mince is almost cooked, stir in the onion and pepper and sprinkle with plenty of s alt and chili powder to taste. Remove from fire. This completes the recipe for a delicious turkey dish. Toss the roasted meat with fresh chopped parsley or cilantro. Serve alone or with steamed rice or noodles.

Baked Turkey Legs

Everyone loves turkey breast because it is considered he althy and dietary. In fact, the most flavorful part of this bird is the dark meat of the thighs and legs, which are much cheaper than the breast. One of the inexpensive and simple turkey recipes (with a photo in this article) is roasting legs on a bed of celery and onions. This dish is best served with potatoes.

All you need:

• 2 turkey legs and 2 thighs, total about 2kg;
• 1 tablespoon olive oil;
• 1 cup finely chopped onion;
• 1 cup finely chopped celery;
• s alt,black pepper and cayenne;
• 2 cups of water or other extinguishing liquid (dry white wine or its mixture with water);
• cornstarch;
• parsley, finely chopped, about 1/4 cup;
• an extra 3 cups sliced potatoes, carrots, turnips, and/or parsnips.

How to cook legs in the oven?

The recipe with a photo of a delicious turkey dish is as follows. Sprinkle thighs and legs with s alt and pepper and rub well. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, high-rimmed skillet over medium heat. Add the legs and thighs and sauté until browned on all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add chopped onion and celery to form a bed under the turkey pieces. Roast for an additional 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of liquid (water, wine, or a combination).

Cover and simmer for an hour and a half, or until the turkey is well cooked and tender. The meat should fall off the bones easily.

Remove the turkey pieces from the pan and remove the bones and skin.

Cook potatoes and root vegetables. Add vegetables to the pan in which the turkey was cooked. Sprinkle with s alt and pepper. Boil over medium heat, then lower the temperature. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. When the vegetables are ready, remove them from the pan so you can make the sauce.

How to make gravy?

A turkey recipe would be incomplete withoutgravy recipes. Raise the heat of the stove and bring the remaining liquid in the pan to a boil. Reduce it by half by evaporating.

Take a teaspoon of cornstarch and dissolve in 1/2 cup of water. Add this mixture gradually to the sauce, stirring until desired thickness. Add s alt and pepper if needed, as well as some cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce. If it's too sweet, add some vinegar or lemon. Sprinkle with parsley.

Add the turkey and vegetables back to the sauce pan. Serve immediately, stirring thoroughly.

Turkey baked in mayonnaise

This oven-roasted turkey recipe doesn't require a lot of effort or skill. The main rule is that the larger the bird, the more difficult it is to bake. Therefore, it is advisable to take two smaller turkeys if you want to prepare a dish for a large holiday table. All you need:

• 6-8 kg turkey, 1 or 2 carcasses (completely defrosted);
• 6-7 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped;
• 5-6 fresh thyme stalks;
• 2-3 sprigs of rosemary;
• 2-3 sprigs of oregano;
• 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise;
• 1-2 tablespoons coarse s alt;
• 1-2 tablespoons of pepper;
• 3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped;
• 1 large onion, large rings;
• 100 grams of s alted butter.

How to bake a turkey in mayonnaise?

Recipe with a photo of a turkey dish looks like this. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Put the turkeyto the brazier.

Tear the leaves off the stems of all greens. Add sage, thyme, rosemary and oregano to mayonnaise, mix well. Lubricate the mayonnaise-herb mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Rub with pepper and s alt. Add the celery and onion inside the carcass, and pour the oil into the cavity.

Bake the turkey in the oven at 220 degrees for 30 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 180 degrees and insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful not to touch the bone. Continue roasting until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 75 degrees. Then cover the legs with foil. Depending on the size of the turkey, the total cooking time is about an hour and a half. As soon as the thermometer reaches 75 degrees in the thigh area, take the temperature at the thickest part of the breast. If it is the same, the bird is ready. On this, the preparation of the turkey dish can be considered complete.

Remove the roaster from the oven. Wrap the bird in foil and let it sit for at least 20-30 minutes (depending on size) before slicing. Don't forget to pour the rendered juice over the turkey.