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fried wild turkey nuggets

FRIED WILD TURKEY BREAST NUGGETS

Author: Larry White
These fried wild turkey breast nuggets are brined, coated in starch, and fried until crisp and golden, then served with a sweet chili garlic sauce for a light, crunchy bite with delicious flavor.
4.96 from 22 votes
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Servings: 2 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients 

For the Turkey

  • 1 boneless skinless wild turkey breast, cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 1.5 cups Corn Starch, potato starch or rice flour, for coating the turkey
  • Oil as needed for frying (peanut oil, canola oil, avocado oil)

For the Brine

  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 1/2 cup White Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Honey
  • 1/4 cup Fish Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chopped Garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Chopped Hot Chilies
  • 2 ounces of the Brine

For the Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce

Instructions

Make the brine.

  • Place all of the brine ingredients into a bowl. Mix well until the honey and sugar have dissolved.

Brine the wild turkey meat.

  • Place the turkey pieces into a small bowl. Pour about 1/4 cup of the brine over the turkey and distribute evenly. Let marinate for 6-8 hours.

Make the sauce.

  • Combine the remaining brine with the Mae Ploy chili sauce into a bowl. Mix well and set aside.

Fry the turkey.

  • Heat oil to 375 degrees. Drain the brine from the turkey and discard. Place the turkey in a large bowl and toss with the starch, making sure they are well coated.
  • Shake the access starch off of the meat and gently place a few pieces in the hot oil. Be sure not to overcrowd the cooking vessel, which will drop the oil temperature.
  • Fry the turkey chunks until they reach a nice golden brown color. You're looking for an internal temperature of 165 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer.
  • Place the cooked turkey onto paper towels and season lightly with kosher salt and pepper.

NOTES

  1. Brine the turkey pieces for 6 to 8 hours for the best texture and flavor.
  2. Heat the oil to 375 F and fry in small batches so the temperature does not drop too much.
  3. Cook until the coating is golden brown and the turkey reaches 165 F in the center.
  4. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper right after frying.
  5. Cornstarch, potato starch, or rice flour all work well for a light, crisp coating.
  6. You can use a tabletop deep fryer, Dutch oven, or deep-sided skillet for frying.
  7. The brined and breaded nuggets can be frozen, then fried straight from frozen in very small batches at about 385 F, or thawed uncovered in the refrigerator overnight before frying.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 1117kcal | Carbohydrates: 171g | Protein: 86g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 211mg | Sodium: 7458mg | Potassium: 1115mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 77g | Vitamin A: 151IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.

Keywords: turkey nuggets, wild turkey nuggets
Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!