Opening day for fall turkey in Maine is September 19th and I couldn’t be more excited. As I continue to say, wild turkey is my favorite game meat and I love that I’m just scratching the surface on ways to prepare it. The legal bag limit in our zone in Maine is 5 turkeys per person which means we’ll get to restock our freezer with tender breasts and legs. This is a great recipe to use up that breast meat, however if you want more recipes to use up the legs, feel free to slow cook them, shred the meat, and use one pound of shredded leg meat rather than diced turkey breast.
Serves: 4 Generous Servings – Prepare Time: 45 minutes +/-
INGREDIENTS:
WILD TURKEY:
- 1 Pound Wild Turkey Breast
- (SUBSTITUTE: Use 1 Pound Chicken Breast or 1 Pound Shredded Turkey Leg Meat) – Cook legs in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours in 4 cups chicken broth & 2 cups water. Season legs generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
SOUP:
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 White Onion
- 1/2 Shallot
- 1 Stalk Celery
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Carrots
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 4 Cups Chicken Chicken Broth
- Cooked Wild Turkey
- 1 Package Mini Gnocci (17.5 ounces +/-)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Milk
- Large Handful Spinach
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1.) If using wild turkey, make sure to give your turkey breast a once over to confirm there isn’t any stray shot. Dice wild turkey. Place a large pot or dutch oven on medium heat and add olive oil. Once oil has come to temperature, add wild turkey to pan along with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Brown for 2-3 minutes. Scrape bottom of pot to keep brown bits from burning to pot. Cook for an additional 5 minutes and remove from pot, set aside.
2.) To start the base of the soup, add olive oil and butter to the same pot that turkey was cooked in. Add celery, carrots, onion, shallots, and garlic to a pot and cook until onions become softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3.) Add chicken broth, cooked wild turkey, gnocci, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 10-12 minutes, covered. Once gnocci is tender, add heavy cream, milk, and spinach to pot. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add parmesan cheese and cook until cheese has melted.
4.) Serve with extra parmesan, fresh black pepper, and enjoy!
Dinner w/ the Dugans 