5 Most Delicious Turkey Neck Recipes to Try Today!

A lot of people throw away their turkey necks, and they're all about to regret that after this article. Turkey necks have quite a lot more meat than you think, and taste delicious when cooked well, just like any other piece of the turkey.

However, many people think it’s hard to clean turkey necks, and they’re confused if it's okay to eat turkey necks in the first place.

We'll solve the confusion today, and provide 5 delicious turkey neck recipes.

Can You Eat Turkey Neck?

We all know that turkey is the start of a holiday meal, but you’re missing out if that’s the only time you’re cooking it. There’s more to it than just thanksgiving.

People usually don’t eat turkey frequently throughout the year mostly because of its cost. It can be on the more expensive side to buy a whole turkey, but it’ll prove to be a great value if you learn how to use the whole product.

The turkey neck is an often overlooked part of the bird, but you can make it delicious with the right recipes. That said, you have already got your answer, that you can eat a turkey neck, and it’s too delicious to be wasted. 

If you’re someone like me who has loved chicken necks from childhood despite it having less meat, you’re going to love turkey necks even more since it has a lot more meat with a similar flavor.

5 Delicious Turkey Neck Recipes

Now that your confusion is gone, let us learn how to cook turkey necks in the most delicious way, shall we?

Deep Fried Turkey Neck Recipe

• Prep Time 10 mins
• Cook Time 10 mins
• Total Time 20 mins
• Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

• 1 kg turkey necks
• 1 ½ tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass 
• 2 small finely chopped hot red chilies 
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic 
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped kaffir lime leaves 
• 1 ½ tablespoon light soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger 
• 1 tablespoon palm/light brown sugar grated
•  ½ tablespoon fish sauce
• 250 grams plain flour
• 400 ml coconut milk
• Salt and pepper

Instructions 

1. In a glass bowl,  take chilies, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, palm/light brown sugar, and coconut milk. Mix them well until they are nicely combined. Place the turkey necks in the mixture, cover with plastic wrap and place it into a refrigerator to marinate overnight (24 hours is better).
2. Pour the oil into a wok until it is about 7cm deep. Heat wok to 170 deg C (340 deg F) over medium heat and preheat your oven to 120 deg C (250 deg F). Line the baking tray with baking paper and set it aside. In a large blow place flour and season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove the necks from marinade, working with a few at a time, coat in flour mixture. Before putting in the wok to deep fry, shake off the extra flour. Fry on each side for about 4 minutes and golden it.
4. Remove the turkey with tongs from the oil. Shake off the excess oil, drain on a paper towel and place it in the oven on a baking tray to keep warm.
5. Repeat the same process with the remaining turkey necks. Serve with satay sauce or sweet chili.

Nutrition

• Calories: 308kcal
• Carbohydrates: 39g
• Fat: 14g
• Protein: 6g
• Sodium: 133mg
• Saturated Fat: 12g
• Fiber: 1gSugar: 2g
• Potassium: 249mg
• Vitamin C: 22.5mg
• Vitamin A: 145IU
• Iron: 4.3mg
• Calcium: 22mg

Braised Turkey Neck Recipe

• Prep Time: 16 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Total time: 2 Hour 6 Minutes                        
• Calories: 804kcal                                 

Ingredients 

• 5 lbs turkey necks
• 1 tbsp Cajun spice blend
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 onions (chopped)
• 2 tbsp grape-seed oil
• 29 oz low sodium chicken broth
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash and pat dry the turkey necks with paper towels and season with Cajun spice blend and kosher salt.
3. In a  dutch oven or oven-safe skillet, add cooking oil and place over medium-high heat. In the oven, put the turkey necks and sear or brown both sides for around 8 minutes. Place the necks on a clean plate after searing. Set aside.
4. If required, add more oil in the same dutch oven, then sauté the onions and minced garlic until fragrant. Deglaze with chicken broth and then add additional broth. Back to the dutch oven, add browned turkey necks, and cover with a lid. Put it in the oven and cook for around an hour and 50 minutes to 2 hours.
5. Remove it from the oven, serve over mashed potatoes or a bed of rice. Spoon pan juices over the top of it and enjoy.

Notes

• After you wash the turkey necks, it’s important to pat them completely dry with paper towels.
• Before braising, sear or brown them in an oven-safe skillet or dutch oven first.
• Season generously
• The turkey necks need to be braised in some sort of liquid such as chicken broth or water for the most tender outcome. (chicken broth adds some flavor than just water)

Nutrition

• Calories: 804kcal
• Protein: 98g
• Carbohydrates: 2g
• Cholesterol: 652mg
• Fat: 42g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Sodium: 3127mg
• Potassium: 931mg
• Vitamin A: 244IU
• Sugar: 1g
• Calcium: 144mg
• Iron: 6mg

Jamaican Brown Stew Turkey Neck Recipe

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
• Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

To marinade the meat

• 2 lb (900g) turkey neck 
• 1 tsp black pepper (5g)
• 1 tbsp browning sauce (15g)
• 2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning (30g)
• ½ tsp paprika (3g) optional
• ½ tsp ginger (3g)
• ½ tsp onion powder (3g) optional

For searing/slow cooking

• 1 large onion
• 1 large carrot sliced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (30g)
• 1 Cho Cho (christophine) chopped very small
• 2 tbsp browning sauce (30g) 
• 6 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tsp hot sauce (5g)
• 1 tbsp pimento berries (15g)
•  3 tbsp olive oil (45g)
•  3 cups water or turkey/chicken stock (700ml) use hot water
• Additional pink salt if needed

To make the slurry

• 2 tbsp warm water (30ml)
•  2 tbsp tapioca starch (30g)

Instructions

1. Wash the meat and dry it off completely.
2. In a big bowl, add the turkey neck, black pepper, all-purpose seasoning, paprika, ginger browning sauce, and onion powder/granules (if you are using)
3. Thoroughly coat every piece of turkey neck using your hands.
4. Now fold in the garlic, onion, carrots, and pimento.
5. Wrap the bowl in saran or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 3 hours.
6. Add oil to your skillet. On medium heat, scrape the onions, carrots, etc... off the meat and proceed to sear and seal it (this should take around 10 minutes or so).
7. Add those ingredients which were in the bowl (onion, carrots, garlic, and pimento) and cook the onions until they are soft.
8. Transfer everything to your crockpot.
9. Pour in your stock/water. Stir in the hot sauce, tomato, tie the thyme leaves and add those, and also if you're using, dried butter beans.
10. Put the lid on your crockpot and set it on high for about 4 hours.
11. 45 minutes before finishing, add the Cho Cho, canned butter beans, and the slurry.
12. Do a taste test. If needed, adjust for seasoning.
13. Don’t forget to remove the thyme stems before you serve.

Notes

• This dish is great to serve with Brown Rice, Ochro Rice, Jamaican Steamed Cabbage, or Rice and Peas.
• Leave the meat to marinate overnight for the best results.
• Trim the fat off, as much as you can. It’ll be easy if you use your raw meat kitchen scissors - you’ll be able to trim most of it off.
• Wash or clean the meat with lime or vinegar.
• Get the turkey neck cut up by your butcher, you need them to be in small pieces about 2 inches is okay.
• Use turkey/chicken stock instead of water if you want a deep, rich flavor. You can also use a combination of half water and half stock. Also, make sure you're adding hot water or stock whichever you prefer, because cold water may change the meat's texture.
• Add extra salt (if you feel you need it) when the stew is done and you're test tasting it.
• You can consume the dish within 3 days if you properly refrigerate them.

Nutrition

• Calories: 460kcal
• Protein: 40g
• Carbohydrates: 20g
• Fat: 25g
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Sodium: 643mg
• Cholesterol: 261mg
• Potassium: 643mg
• Fiber: 6g
• Vitamin A: 3106IU
• Sugar: 5g
• Calcium: 214mg
• Vitamin C: 12mg
• Iron: 6mg

How to Clean Turkey Necks?

Just like any other part of the turkey, the turkey neck also needs to be cleaned properly. Cleaning it might seem tricky for anyone who hasn't done it before but it’s actually quite easy.

Here’s the very simple process to clean turkey necks before you proceed to use them in any recipe - 

1. For the most convenience, cut the turkey necks into 2-3 pieces.
2. Trim away any membranes using a sharp knife. This part should take the most time and you should not be bothered about it. Get rid of all the membranes if you won't like them on your plate, cooked! Be watchful when using a sharp knife.
3. Make with a mixture of half vinegar, half water. Wash the necks with it.
4. Rinse them well with fresh water.
5. Pat dry well with paper towels.
6. Proceed to cook!

Was that hard at all?

How to cook caribbean jamaican brown stew turkey neck recipe

Conclusion

There’s a great chance that you had been wasting your turkey necks before you stumbled upon this article. I know you’re regretting right now but at least you’re not alone.

Many people seem to not know how delicious turkey necks can be and thus waste them. I believe with these delicious turkey neck recipes, that won’t be the case anymore.

Sources:

https://thatgirlcookshealthy.com/brown-stew-turkey-neck/