More wild turkey recipes
Wild turkey breast, boneless
Crispy Wild Turkey Nuggets
Bite-size pieces of wild turkey breast breaded in seasoned panko and shallow-fried until golden.
- Serves
- 4
- Hands-on
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr 12 min
- Skill
- Easy
Cooks on: Stovetop · Lunch, Dinner, Snack
Ingredients
- 1½ lbWild turkey breast, boneless, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cupFlour
- 2Eggs, beaten
- 1½ tspSalt, divided
- ½ tspBlack pepper, ground
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1½ cups neutral oil, for shallow frying
- ½ cup honey mustard or barbecue sauce, to serve
You'll need
- Stovetop
- Large skillet, ideally cast iron
- Instant-read thermometer
Helpful: sheet pan with wire rack.
Contains
Egg, Gluten. Panko and dipping sauces can contain soy, dairy or egg. Check the labels.
Method
- Trim any tendons or silver skin from the turkey breast and cut it across the grain into even 1-inch pieces so they all cook at the same rate. Toss with 1 tsp of the salt and the pepper, cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes (up to 4 hours). The salt soaks in and keeps the lean meat juicy.
- Set out three shallow dishes: the flour in the first, the beaten eggs in the second, and the panko mixed with the garlic powder, smoked paprika and ¼ tsp of the salt in the third.
- Pat the turkey dry. Roll each piece in the flour, dip it in the egg, and press it firmly into the panko. Set the breaded pieces on a plate or the wire rack while the oil heats.
- Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat until it reaches 340 to 350°F; it should be about ¼ inch deep. A crumb dropped in should sizzle right away. Panko browns fast, so do not let the oil climb much higher.
- Fry in batches without crowding, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden and an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F in the center of the largest piece. Take each batch out as soon as it gets there; minutes are only a guide.
- Drain on the wire rack (paper towels steam the bottoms soft), sprinkle with the last ¼ tsp salt, and let them sit 2 minutes. Serve hot with the honey mustard or barbecue sauce.
When it's done: 165°F
The federal chart lists poultry at 165°F, and Kansas State University Extension says to fully cook game birds to at least 165°F. Check the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer.
If it goes wrong
- Breading falling off
- The turkey was wet. Pat it dry after salting, and press the panko on firmly before frying.
- Dark outside before 165°F inside
- The oil is too hot. Turn the heat down and keep the pieces no bigger than 1 inch.
- Greasy and pale
- The oil was not hot enough or the pan was crowded. Let the oil come back to 340°F between batches.
- Dry and chewy
- The pieces were uneven or stayed in the oil past 165°F. Cut them the same size, salt them ahead, and pull each one as it reaches temperature.
Leftovers. Serve right away. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F in a 400°F oven so they crisp again.