These stewed turkey necks are cooked to fall-apart tender perfection in a rich, hearty gravy. For a complete meal, serve with rice, quinoa, or potatoes.
This is by far one of my favorite ways to cook turkey necks. The necks are treasure troves of flavor and have more meat on them than you might think. In addition to being dark meat, which is chock full of rich flavor, turkey necks contain a lot of collagen. Collagen adds depth and excels at thickening anything from broths to stew gravies.
Another reason I love creating dishes with turkey necks is that despite offering so much flavor and texture, they’re very inexpensive, thus allowing me to create rich, complex meals with a lot of depth economically. If that isn’t a win, I don’t know what is.
Why You’ll Love Stewed Turkey Necks
Layers of flavor – There are the turkey necks, aromatic vegetables, herbs, spices in the seasoning blend, and flavor from the broth. Let’s not forget the complexity imparted by everything from the fond collected at the bottom of the pot from browning and sautéing to the hours of cooking that allow flavors to meld and develop.
Easy – Although stewed turkey necks require low and slow cooking, the process is easy for anyone and doesn’t involve advanced cooking techniques.
Comforting – Stewed turkey necks are one of my favorite comfort food dishes. Everything from the fall-apart tender turkey to the warm, hearty stew gravy delicious enough to enthusiastically spoon into your mouth can put one at ease.
Stewed Turkey Necks Ingredients Notes
- Turkey necks: Try your local grocery store, butcher shop, or farmer’s market. Since they are long and often slightly curved, consider cutting them in half or thirds. Doing so makes moving them around in the pot easier, easier to plate, and easier to eat.
- Lemons: I like to toss turkey necks in fresh lemon juice and let them sit to improve the flavor. Poultry is excellent, but sometimes it has an unappetizing turkey scent, and the flavor comes across as a little too robust. Lemon rounds out this aroma and taste while tenderizing the meat and decreasing cooking time.
- Aromatics: Onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic create a fragrant base for the stew gravy. Many aromatic combinations will work for this recipe, but I always return to this one because it works well with the Cajun seasoning.
- Cajun seasoning: I suggest a brand with moderate sodium unless you are on a low-sodium diet. Salt-free runs the risk of under-seasoning, meaning you’ll have to taste and add salt as needed, whereas high-sodium Cajun seasoning blends run the risk of over-seasoning.
- Flour: Flour creates a roux that helps thicken the stew.
- Chicken broth: The broth adds more flavor to the stewed turkey necks than water. Choose your favorite and consider low-sodium.
- Soy sauce: A little bit of the umami-packed condiment substantially impacts the finished dish. Regular or low-sodium is fine.
- Starch: A corn or tapioca starch slurry goes into the stewed turkey necks at the end to ensure a thick, rich result.
How To Make Stewed Turkey Necks
- Toss in lemon: Toss the turkey necks in lemon juice. Use a nonreactive bowl for this step.
- Season, then brown: After patting any excess moisture from the turkey necks, sprinkle the Cajun seasoning over the turkey and rub the seasonings in. I highly recommend using food-safe gloves for this step. Once done, heat the oil in a pot and brown the necks on all sides.
- Sauté the aromatics: Begin by sautéing the onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrot. Add the garlic after the other vegetables have softened to prevent burning. Remove the turkey necks before starting this step.
- Start building the stew: Add the seasonings first so the heat wakes up those flavors. Follow with flour to create a roux, then slowly pour in the broth and bring it to a boil.
- Bring everything together: Return the turkey necks to the pot, cover them, and cook them for a couple of hours.
- Add the slurry: If the gravy is thick enough, skip this step. If not, create a slurry with cornstarch or tapioca starch and the cooking liquid from the pot, then slowly add the slurry while stirring until the gravy thickens. You may not need all of it.
- Serve it up: It looks particularly nice in a shallow bowl with a carb such as steamed rice on the side.
Variations, Substitutions, and Cooking Tips
Switch up the seasonings – Instead of Cajun seasoning, try Creole seasoning, a blend of your favorite herbs and spices, or keep it simple with salt and pepper.
Use different aromatics – Ginger, green onions, chili peppers, fennel; there are many combinations to try.
Go gluten-free – Replace all-purpose flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour and use tamari instead of soy sauce. Also, check all your ingredients to ensure they are not processed in a facility where they may have come in contact with gluten.
Make it dairy-free – To do this, replace the butter with your favorite dairy-free butter alternative.
Add potatoes – For a one-pot meal, add quartered potatoes during the last 30-40 minutes of cooking. They get really tender, and their natural starch thickens the stew. Peeled or unpeeled is up to you.
Stewed Turkey Necks Recipe
These turkey necks are cooked to fall-apart tender perfection in a rich, hearty stew gravy. For a complete meal, serve with rice, quinoa, or potatoes.
Ingredients
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 3 pounds turkey necks
- 4 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- ½ cup chopped carrot
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
Instructions
- Squeeze lemon juice in a nonreactive bowl, add turkey necks, toss to coat them in the juice, cover, and refrigerate for thirty minutes to an hour.
- Remove the turkey necks and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning on top and rub the seasonings into the necks.
- Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the turkey necks and brown on all sides. Browning will take 6-7 minutes.
- Transfer them to a platter, reduce the heat to medium, and add the remaining butter.
- Sauté the onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrot for 4-5 minutes.
- Toss in the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the remaining Cajun seasoning and the oregano. Heat for a few seconds to awaken the flavors.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook while stirring for 1-2 minutes or until the scent of raw flour is gone.
- Add a splash of the broth to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom to release any fond, then whisk in the remaining broth. Also, pour in the soy sauce.
- Bring to a boil. Next, return the turkey necks to the Dutch oven. Arrange them in a single layer. If the Dutch oven has a tight-fitting lid, cover it with the lid. If not, foil will do.
- Carefully transfer the turkey necks to the oven to cook for 2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove the pot from the oven and stir halfway through.
- Return the pot to the stovetop over medium heat.
- Bring to a gentle boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer for 10-12 minutes to thicken the gravy.
- At this point, the stew may be thick enough. If not, combine the cornstarch (or tapioca starch) and a few spoonfuls of the liquid in a small bowl to make a slurry.
- Slowly add the slurry as you stir until the stew gravy has thickened to your liking.
- Taste. Add salt and black pepper to taste, if needed. The need for salt depends on the Cajun seasoning used. Some have a higher sodium content than others.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1105Total Fat: 58gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 450mgSodium: 4534mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 4gSugar: 12gProtein: 107g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
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