Cooking wild turkey is one of the main
benefits that comes with hunting them. When cooked correctly, they are
delicious! And there are several ways to cook them. The following
recipe will take a break from cooking the breast of a wild turkey and focus on
the pieces that some hunters are guilty of neglecting, the thighs and
legs.
Cooking wild turkey is one of the main
benefits that comes with hunting them. When cooked correctly, they are
delicious! And there are several ways to cook them. The following
recipe will take a break from cooking the breast of a wild turkey and focus on
the pieces that some hunters are guilty of neglecting, the thighs and
legs.
Thighs
and legs off wild turkey are extremely versatile and can be used for a variety
of dishes including traditional enchiladas with homemade sauce. Prepping the
legs and thighs properly will ensure you have plenty of boneless meat to make
several batches.
One
of my favorite ways to cook wild turkeys is by turning them into Wild Turkey
Enchiladas. There are several tricks to making enchiladas, including
frying your corn tortillas to make it pliable, so they won’t crack or break
when rolling with a tasty filling. There are no special ingredients you have to
search specialty markets for, and even the sauce is quick and easy to make.
You
can add heat to the filling or sauce with jalapenos or chili flakes. Wild
turkey enchiladas is a great dish the whole family will love, or you can spoil
everyone at hunting camp with your cooking prowess.
Author:
Brad Fenson
Ingredients
Enchiladas
⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup red pepper, diced
½ cup yellow pepper, diced
2 cups cooked wild turkey, chopped (dark meat from the legs and thighs)
1 (8-ounce) can green chilies
¾ cup sour cream
2 ½ cups grated cheese (medium or sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Colby)
½ cup cilantro, chopped
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Enchilada Sauce (makes 2 cups)
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp chili powder (use hot or mild to your liking)
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt
Pinch of cinnamon
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
3 tsp vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Enchiladas
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan to medium and sauté the onions for 3 minutes. Add the peppers and turkey and reduce the heat to medium-low and continue sautéing for a few more minutes until the onions and peppers soften. Remove from heat.
Stir in the green chilies, sour cream, 1 ½ cups of the grated cheese and half the cilantro. Set this mixture aside.
Spread enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of a casserole or baking dish (a 9” x 13” pan works well).
In a clean frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil to low-medium. Quickly fry a tortilla on both sides to soften it, about 10-20 seconds per side, but don’t fry until crisp. Lay the tortilla briefly on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil and fill it with about ⅓ cup of the meat mixture. Roll the tortilla up around the filling in a cigar shape, and place seam side down in the baking dish. Add a bit more oil to the frying pan and continue softening and filling tortillas one at a time.
Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the rolled-up tortillas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes until the sides are bubbling and the enchiladas are heated through. If cheese isn’t bubbling, broil for a few minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro over the top and serve with salsa and sour cream.
Enchilada Sauce
Mix the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.
In a small pot, heat the oil to medium until it’s hot enough to sizzle when a sprinkle of flour is added. Add the spice mixture to the pot, and whisk constantly about 1 minute, until the spices deepen in color a bit and become aromatic, being careful not to burn the spices. Whisk in the tomato paste and slowly pour in the broth, continuing to whisk to remove all the lumps.
Bring the heat up to medium-high and simmer the mixture for about 5-7 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Remove from the heat, whisk in the vinegar and add black pepper, to taste.
