Wild Turkey Nuggets

Having a hunter in the home means you have wild game available. Though, to be perfectly honest I am not usually a fan of wild game. I do however like wild turkey. The way we usually cook wild turkey is by deep frying the entire bird. We will inject the bird, especially the breast with a seasoned liquid. There are many different marinades available. After the bird is injected it is then coated with a dry rub and then plunged into a turkey deep fryer. The turkey stays very moist on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Wild turkey can be much drier and tougher than a domestic turkey you purchase at a grocery store or a butcher. Keep this in mind when choosing the dish you wish to prepare. The wild turkey can be roasted as you would any other turkey and is very good this way. The way I most prefer to prepare wild turkey is to cut the breast and thighs into bite size chunks and deep fry them. This is of course, after you have removed the bone and skin, so you have boneless, skinless pieces of turkey meat.
 Tonight when I prepared my wild turkey, I first let it sit in brine (salt water) for about three hours. The longer you can let it sit, the better. This will help the bird retain moisture, which as I stated earlier is very important with wild turkey. Before putting your turkey in the brine make sure it is trimmed and very clean. With wild turkey or any wild game for that matter you need to take the time to make sure all feathers and hair are off of the meat. When you remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into bite size pieces. Now you are ready to bread and fry.

Wild Turkey Nuggets

1 C. all purpose flour
2 t. black pepper
1 t. salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic granules
Combine in a medium bowl

2 C. plain bread crumbs
3/4 C. panko breadcrumbs
2 t. black pepper
1 t. salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic granules
Combine in a medium bowl

1 C. milk
Place in another bowl

3 C. cooking oil for frying(I used vegetable oil)

After you have soaked your turkey in the brine for at least 3 hours, rinsed it well, patted it dry and cut into bite sized chucks. Taking a few pieces at a time and dredge in the flour mixture making sure each piece is completely covered. Next dip into milk. Next place into the breadcrumb mixture, once again making sure each piece is coated very well. Place on to a platter or plate and allow to set for at least 15 min. While the turkey is setting, heat 3 C. of cooking oil to a temperature of 340 degrees to 360 degrees. Once oil has reached temperature gently add turkey. Do not over crowd as this will slow the cooking process and you will end up with very greasy turkey nuggets. Also it will take so long to cook and get crispy on the outside and by this time your turkey may become very tough. Place no more than 6 to 7 nuggets at a time to fry, this is of course depending upon the size of the pan or fryer you are using. Fry for 3 to 5 minutes or until deep golden brown and meat is cooked thoroughly. Internal temperature should be 170 degrees. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or on a  brown paper bag. Serve while hot. I drizzled mine with honey right before serving.   Enjoy!

Saffron