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Smothered turkey wings. Think biscuits and gravy, but with turkey wings instead of sausage and mashed potatoes instead of biscuits, and you’ll be in the vicinity of how gloriously rich and delicious this dish is.
Do you love turkey? Do you find chicken wings irresistible? Have you ever picked up a package of turkey wings wondering what wonderful goodness you could make with them? That’s me, by the way, and here is what I made with the turkey wings that were calling my name in the store the other day.
My father liked them so much he begged the recipe from me just so he could eat them again. Even though he forgot to tent the wings with foil until halfway through (don’t do that), they still were amazing.
Smothered turkey wings are a staple of the south. And as the case with most regional specialties, everyone has their way of doing it.
In this recipe, we slow roast the wings in a low oven for a couple of hours, until fall apart tender, and then finish them in the broiler for some crispy skin and browning. While the wings are roasting, we make stock from the wing tips (or an extra wing if your wings didn’t come with tips). We make a roux gravy with this stock to smother the turkey wings when done.
It’s rich, crazy good, and definitely not diet food. But for comfort on a cold day? The best.
Smothered Turkey Wings Recipe
You'll need the turkey wing tips to make turkey stock for the gravy. If your turkey wings didn't come with the tips, use an extra turkey wing (drumette and flat) for making the stock.
Ingredients
Turkey Wings:
- 6 whole turkey wings (about 5 pounds), or 7 turkey wings without the tips
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Stock:
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 half onion, chopped
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Gravy:
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 3 cups of turkey stock (that you make in step...)
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup cream
Method
1 Prep the turkey wings: Use poultry sheers or a sharp knife to separate each turkey wing into 3 segments—drumette, flat, and tip. Set aside the tips for making stock.
2 Slow roast the turkey wings: Place turkey wing drumettes and flats, skin side up, onto a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.
Cover with aluminum foil and put into a 275°F oven for 2 1/2 hours.
3 Make the stock: While the turkey wing drumettes and flats are roasting, make stock with the tips. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a medium, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat. Add the turkey wing tips and let them brown on all sides.
Add the chopped carrot, onion, and celery, and sauté them for a few minutes with the wings.
Add 3 cups of water, enough to cover the wings and vegetables, and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce to a low simmer on the lowest setting. Cover and let simmer while the wings roast in the oven, a couple of hours.
4 Strain the stock: When the wings are close to being done, strain the stock so you can start making the gravy. Remove and discard the largest solids from the pot. Then strain the rest of the stock through a fine mesh strainer. Reserve the stock for the next step.
5 Make the gravy: Make a roux by melting 3 Tbsp butter in a medium sized, thick-bottomed pot, on medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Let the roux cook and bubble for a minute or so.
Slowly whisk in the turkey stock you made in steps 3 and 4, whisking constantly to break up any lumps.
Whisk in the mustard, salt, pepper, and thyme. Whisk in the cream. Let simmer on low heat to thicken.
6 Broil the wings to brown them: After 2 1/2 hours of slow cooking in the oven, the turkey wings should be fall apart tender (if not, you can leave them in longer until they are).
Remove the foil and place the wings on a rack a few inches under the broiler. Broil for 5 minutes or so, until the wing skin gets somewhat browned.
7 Scrape the wing roasting pan drippings into the gravy: You don't have to do this, but it will add even more flavor to your gravy. If the drippings are really stuck to the pan, place the roasting pan on your stovetop and turn on the burners under the pan.
Add a cup of water to the pan and use a metal spatula to scrape up the drippings. Pour them off into the pot with the gravy.
To serve, pour the gravy over the wings. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes, root vegetables, or cauliflower.
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Smothered Turkey Wings
Made it last last night for my family. Everyone loved it. Will definitely make it again. My first time cooking turkey wings like this
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Great! I’m so glad you liked the turkey wings Michael!
Making it right now, smells delicious and the stock is divine!
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I’m making them right now! I DO have them covered with foil. I’d like to know why we cover them with foil. Do they tend to get dried out? I’m using my convection oven and was wondering if I didn’t have the foil on, whether it would help brown them. Thanks for the recipe. I’ve never cooked turkey wings…EVER.
Hi Gretchen, we cover them in foil for the long slow cooking so that they don’t dry out. Later in the recipe we brown the wings a few minutes under the broiler. BTW, if you use convection, you’ll want to lower the heat a bit when you first cook the wings in the oven. Typically with convection you would lower the temp by 25°F. I haven’t tested the recipe on a convection setting so I’m not sure what the best temp would be for that with this recipe.
Maybe I’m missing it but when do I put in the 3 cups of stock? I read it several times and couldn’t find it. Also the 1/4 cream is that half/half or something else. Thank you!
Hi Christal, you add the stock when you make the gravy in step 5. The cream is whipping cream, not half and half.
This was soooo good. I had it with jasmine rice. I also added more seasonings to the turkey and deglazed my pan with some white wine. My Grand Mama Lena would have been so proud!
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Hi De, I’m so glad you liked the turkey wings! I really love this recipe and am so happy to share it. Good call on the jasmine rice and deglazing the pan with white wine.