Wild Turkey Nuggets

by Danyell Lahmann

I am Danyell; wife, mom, hunter. We are blessed to enjoy living in beautiful Southwest Colorado. We moved to Colorado eight years ago and before that we lived in Missouri, where I fell in love with Spring Turkey Season. My husband has enjoyed turkey hunting since he was a boy and it comes very natural to him. I struggled more, especially at first, since I did not begin Turkey Hunting until I was late in my 20’s - be still, very still, like a statue… Did I say “be still”? Be ready to shoot long before you see the bird, expect the unexpected with Turkey Hunting, walk inside the tree line of a field, never through the field, don’t call to much, and don’t choke on your mouth call; that one I have yet to get down!

Through my husband’s patience with me I have not only learned a lot, but hunting turkeys has become my favorite season. If you are from the West, I would compare it to Elk Season. There is a game of hide and seek, and the smallest wrong move, or mis-judgement of distance can ruin your hunt, and your bird (or elk) will be long gone before you know what has happened, leaving you perhaps miles away from your next opportunity. While I may still be learning to Turkey hunt I have been successful in finding a simple and delicious way to enjoy our Wild Turkey.

I am excited to share with you one of our family favorites. These “Wild Turkey Nuggets” can be made any time of the year with traditional turkey breast or fresh chicken breast, but we enjoy them the most in the Spring after we have filled our turkey tags. We have five kids, and when Turkey Season opens they begin dreaming of dinners when we will be enjoying these “Wild Turkey Nuggets.”

This recipe will only use half of your turkey breast; so, you can make a double batch and place in the fridge for up to three days, or save the second half of your turkey breast for another wild game recipe

Another great thing about these nuggets is that they do not use egg, and taste delicious with GF bread crumbs; making this recipe allergy friendly.

The Wild Turkey Nugget recipe is a great new way to enjoy your wild game, and is an easy recipe to fit into your busy schedule, taking only 20 minutes to

bake in the oven.

Total Prep - 20 minutes

Ready in - 40 minutes

Serves - 4 people

Preheat oven to 450

Ingredients

1 lb Wild Turkey Breast (cut into 1/2 in x 1 in cubes)

3 Tbsp Organic Cold Pressed Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 C. Italian Bread Crumbs

1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Parchment Paper

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Add the Wild Turkey Breast and Olive Oil into a gallon Ziplock bag.

3. Shake the bag thoroughly to coat all of the pieces with olive oil.

4. Next, add salt, Italian Bread Crumbs, and grated Parmesan Cheese into the bag with the wild turkey. Once ingredients are added, close the bag, and continue to shake until all of the pieces are covered.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place nuggets on the paper in a single layer, not touching.

6. Place in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees; make sure to turn nuggets halfway through.

Tips

When using wild turkey breast make sure when you cut your breast meat you watch carefully for any shot that may have gotten into your breast meat - these small pieces can be easy to miss.

Watch carefully in the areas of breast meat that has more blood in it. And, although it is not necessary, you may wish to soak your game in a salt mixture overnight. This will remove some of the blood, and the salt will tenderize the meat before cooking. If you decide to soak your game make sure to soak it as an entire breast, and not cut into cubes for your recipe until after you soak.