Simple, savory and totally comforting, this Smothered Turkey Wings dish takes tender and juicy turkey wings and smothers them in a moreish homemade gravy.
This Southern smothered turkey wings recipe is perfect for a weekend treat without breaking the bank, and a real crowd-pleaser that everyone will love.
Don’t be put off by the thought of making your own gravy. It may seem daunting, but it uses basic, inexpensive ingredients and is much easier than it sounds. Once you’ve got it down, you won’t want to go back to store-bought again!
About The Turkey
Not just for Thanksgiving, turkey is a mild-flavored meat that makes it the perfect vehicle for some savory, delicious gravy. While this recipe calls for turkey wings, you could use whichever part of the turkey you like best (this also makes it a great way of using up any leftovers). You could try it with legs, thighs or even turkey necks for a classic take on the dish.
Herbs And Spices That Are Used
The flavorsome gravy in this dish uses a mix of easy-to-find herbs and spices. If you can, it’s best to use fresh parsley, thyme and rosemary as these will deliver a cleaner and more distinctive taste that is worlds apart from their dried counterparts.
If you are concerned about waste, you can easily store any leftover herbs in the freezer for use in another dish. The Cajun spice in this recipe is a useful blend to have on hand, and helps give the gravy a spicy Southern kick that is the perfect complement to this soul food classic.
Cornstarch – This handy kitchen staple is vital for thickening up your gravy. It may be tempting to just throw it into the pan, but if you do, you will end up with a lumpy sauce filled with balls of raw cornstarch.
Mixing the cornstarch with water to create a slurry will make sure this doesn’t happen, ensuring you end up with a luxuriously thick gravy to pour over your turkey.
Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t start thickening straight away – the mixture needs to come to boil to kickstart the process. If nothing’s happening, it means your ingredients aren’t warm enough. Wait a few minutes or kick up the heat to give your dish a helping hand.
Frequently Asked Question(s)
In keeping with the Southern-inspired roots of this dish, our Smothered Turkey recipe is delicious served with buttery mashed potatoes, collard greens and freshly baked cornbread. For a less time-intensive alternative, you could also have it over rice, with plenty of the savory sauce poured generously over the top
The wings are cooked and uncovered. If baking, the wings should always be covered to assure that they are cooked evenly. Then uncovered in the last few minutes to so they can obtain their golden brown color.
Cajun Turkey Wings RECIPE TIPS
- Our wings were cut in pieces by a butcher at the store. However, you can use whole wings if you’d like.
- You can season the wings the night before to save time.
- Bake turkey wings in the oven uncovered to form the beautiful brown skin
Other Ingredients You Can Add
This dish is delicious as is but if you’d like more suggestions, here are some other ingredients you may want to add:
- Greens such as spinach or kale.
- Mushrooms
- Beans or peas
- Hot peppers for heat
- Oregano
Watch How To Make Smothered Turkey Wings With Gravy
How To Store Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in a sealed airtight container. This smothered turkey wings dish will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. To extend the shelf life, I recommend storing it in the freezer in a sealed airtight container as this dish will last up to 4 months.
Best Way To Reheat
The best way to reheat this dish is over the stove top. Allow the dish to thaw out completely if frozen before reheating.
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Stew Turkey Wings
Ingredients
- 3 Lbs. Turkey wings
- 1 Small Onion Fresh and chopped
- ¼ Cup Chopped fresh parsley
- 3 Cups Water
- 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
- 2 Thyme sprigs
- 1 Rosemary sprig
- ¼ Cup Chopped basil
- 1 Tbsp. Cajun Spice
- 4 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp. Tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Clean and wash the meat thoroughly. Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the meat on all sides.
- Remove the meat from the skillet. Transfer to a paper toweled plated. In the same skillet, add tomato paste, the onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant. Stir consistently to breakdown the paste.
- Return the meat to the skillet. Coat well. Stirring until well combined. Add the cornstarch. Stir well. Add the salt and pepper to taste and cajun spice.
- Add the water, Worcestershire sauce, rice vinegar, stir well.
- Add the herbs. Cover and bring to simmer on medium low heat for 45 minutes or until tender.
- Uncover and the sauce should have thicken. Remove from heat. Serve over rice and enjoy.
Kim
Delicious and so easy! Loved how hearty the turkey wings turned out. Cajun spice was a great flavor!
Charles
These smothered turkey wings look incredible. Sunday is only a few days away! Thank you for sharing!
Kelley
The sauce was my favorite part of these wings! So stinking good!
Claire
Great recipe. The gravy had just the right amount of kick to it! Will make again!
Stephanie
You had me at gravy. That gravy looks amazing and such a rich color! I’ve never had turkey wings before (I save everything but the turkey breast for bone broth) but I think that I’d definitely like this, especially with lots of gravy and mashed potatoes!
Mirlene
Thank you, Stephanie!
maria Harris Winestein
I have always had to ways to cook turkey wings. BORING. I saw this recipes and say I try it. HAPPY DAY HAPPY DAY****. My boys love it all 6. I have made it two more times.Once for home and the other for my job dinner party. One women and two men ask for the recipe. Now that is G O O D!
Thank you,
Mirlene
Thank you so much, Maria!!! I am SO glad your family and friends enjoyed it so much. Thanks for sharing the recipe as well. Have a good day!
Beth Sachs
These look delicious! My kids are going to love this recipe.
Mirlene
Good! So glad to hear it.
Ticha
Trying this tonight !!I’ll be back later for the results. Full Turkey wings no cut up parts.
Nart at Cooking with Nart
These wings look absoutely delicious and inviting. I swear I could finish them all by myself, lol.
Mirlene
It’s okay. I have finished them all by myself too. 🙂
Anjali
I love all of the spices you used in this recipe — it made it so flavorful! Everyone loved it!
Suzy
These turkey wings have so much flavor! We loved them!
Mirlene
Thank you Suzy!