The Best Wild Turkey Recipes for Your Thanksgiving Feast

So, whether you hunted a bird last spring or added a turkey hunt into your fall hunting excursions and have a bird waiting for your Thanksgiving feast, you need a delicious recipe to feed your family and friends.

Not only does the HuntWise team want to help you hunt better with our app and gear program discounts, but we also want to help you enjoy the meat you bring home! So, whether you have a tried-and-true turkey recipe you love every year, and you're curious how others make their birds, or you have your first-ever bird ready to hit the table, check out our best wild turkey recipes for your feast this season.

A HuntWise Staffer Favorite: The Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Meal

This recipe comes from our very own Monica Winter, Senior Designer here at HuntWise. She has a different take on cooking your turkey that the family will surely enjoy.

She shares the story of how her recipe came to be:

"During the Covid pandemic, I was isolated with my family of four. We have a tradition of celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with our extended family, but due to isolation regulations at the time, it was the first year we would be celebrating on our own. We had never celebrated a Thanksgiving without a large turkey, but with only the four of us, we didn't need such a large feast.

As many of us did during the pandemic, I tried my hand at creating new recipes — and that year, this sheet pan meal was born. We paired it with another sheet of roasted veggies, sweet potato, and some gravy (I can never forget the gravy!) We have made this meal ever since we missed the holidays.

We are thankful for the celebration we could still have that year and for all the yummy food it inspired to date!"

The Recipe

Ready to try this one with your family this year? Here's the recipe! It serves 2-4 people. 

Turkey Breast Ingredients

• 2 skin-on turkey breasts (remove the bones)
• 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing Ingredients

• 7 cups stale bread cubes (cubed into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces)
• 1 large egg
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
• 3 stalks celery (diced)
• 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (diced)
• 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 3/4 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions (Prep)

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Cube the bread and put it on a tray in 1 even layer. Bake 20 minutes, remove, and set aside.
2. Increase oven temperature to 375°F. Line the baking sheet pan with parchment paper (for much easier cleanup). Use foil to make a "bed" for the dressing — fold it up so it's like a separate pan on the sheet pan.
3. On one side of the sheet pan, place down the "foil bed" for the dressing. In a very large bowl, add the egg and whisk it until smooth. 
4. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, and cracked pepper, and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and set aside.
5. Add dried bread cubes to the egg mixture in the large bowl and toss. Add the celery-onion mixture, tossing gently to combine. Pour this stuffing mixture into the prepared foil tray. Cut the remaining two tablespoons of butter into small pieces and place evenly over the stuffing. Cover the stuffing with foil.
6. Wash and pat the breasts dry. Add salt and pepper to both breasts — make sure to get it above and below the skin. Melt the butter and mix it with all the seasonings until you have a thick mixture. Rub this mixture generously over the breasts, especially under the skin. Rub it on top of the skin as well, then pull the skin to completely cover (as much as possible) the meat. Place these two prepared breasts on one half of the lined sheet pan.

Instructions (Cook)

1. Put the sheet on the rack in the upper third of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the stuffing at the 30-minute point and rotate the pan (keep in the oven).
2. Cook an additional 30-35 minutes. Check the turkey for doneness. The turkey is done when a thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the turkey. I pull it out at 160°F, as it continues to cook a bit once removed.
3. Transfer the turkey breasts to a cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice the turkey breasts and return them to the sheet pan with the stuffing to serve.

This sounds like a delicious wild turkey recipe we hope you'll try this year. Thank you, Monica!

A Cajun Twist on Wild Turkey Recipes

I'm a Louisiana girl and love a Cajun twist to food. Why not try it with a wild turkey for Thanksgiving?

This one includes cornbread and crawfish stuffing — staples of a good South Louisiana meal, for sure. I found this recipe courtesy of Louisiana Cookin'. It's Roasted Wild Turkey with Cornbread and Cajun Stuffing.

The Cornbread and Crawfish Stuffing Recipe

Start with the stuffing so it's ready when you're ready to cook your wild bird. You can also make it ahead of time and cool it in the refrigerator until you're ready for it. 

 Ingredients

• 2 cups of diced onions
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 cup of diced celery
• 1/4 cup of minced garlic
• 2 pounds of crawfish tails (with the fat)
• 2 cups of turkey or chicken stock
• 4 cups of cornbread crumbs
• Add salt, granulated garlic, ground black pepper, and Creole seasoning (to taste)

What to Do With the Stuffing Ingredients

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Next, add the diced celery, onion, minced garlic, and bell pepper. Cook until tender (5 to 7 minutes).
3. Add the crawfish to the vegetable mixture. Cook until heated through.
4. Then, stir in the cornbread crumbs and gradually add the stock until you have semi-loose stuffing. Season it to taste with the granulated garlic, ground black pepper, and Creole seasoning.

Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool slightly. Keep hot if you're stuffing and cooking turkey right away. Otherwise, let it cool completely and refrigerate.

The Roasted Wild Turkey Recipe

Now you're ready to prep and cook the bird, including adding the crawfish and cornbread stuffing.

Ingredients

• 1 (8- to 10-pound) brined wild turkey
• 1 (17-ounce) bottle of garlic turkey injector marinade
• Ground black pepper and salt (to taste)
• The cornbread and crawfish stuffing mixture you made earlier
• 2 tablespoons of granulated garlic (plus more to taste)
• 1 cup of unsalted butter (melted)
• 3 cups turkey and chicken stock (divided)
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1/2 cup dry sherry

What to Do With the Turkey Ingredients

1. Let the turkey stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. If you didn't make the stuffing earlier, do it now while the turkey rests.
2. Preheat oven to 350° and spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray.
3. Season the turkey inside and out with the pepper, salt, and granulated garlic.
4. Then, stuff the turkey cavity quickly with the hot or warm cornbread and crawfish Stuffing, packing it well. (See the note at the end of the recipe.)
5. Tuck the neck skin under the back of the turkey and secure it with wooden picks. Then, place the turkey in your prepared pan and inject the joints with garlic marinade.
6. Bake for 45 minutes.
7. Then, place cheesecloth over the breast, legs, and thighs, and baste with melted butter to dampen the cloth.
8. Leave the oven on and combine granulated garlic and remaining melted butter in a small bowl. Then, baste the turkey with garlic butter.
9. Bake again until a thermometer is inserted in the thickest portion of the thigh and the stuffing registers 165°. This will take 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
10. Baste the turkey with the remaining garlic butter every 45 minutes. Then, discard the cheesecloth and place the turkey on a large platter or cutting board. Leave the juices and drippings in the pan.

Make the Sauce

1. Next, place the roasting pan over medium heat. Add two cups of stock and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring this mixture to a low boil, then reduce heat.
2. In another small bowl, stir the cornstarch and remaining one cup of stock until dissolved. Add this cornstarch slurry to the roasting pan and cook until the sauce thickens.
3. Remove this mixture from the heat, then add sherry and adjust seasonings to taste.

To serve, carve the turkey and top with the sauce.

Note: For safe food handling practices, if you place hot stuffing in a cold turkey, it must go into the oven right away. If you don't plan to cook the bird immediately, stuff the turkey with cold dressing.

Turkey Sandwiches with Wild Turkey Meat

This last recipe is for the sandwich-loving group looking for an easy way to serve up a bird for Thanksgiving. If you're looking for easy wild turkey recipes, this one from our friends at NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation) fits the bill!

Ingredients

• 1 turkey breast
• 4 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon each of garlic powders, smoked paprika, onion powder, and chili powder.
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of white pepper
• 1 teaspoon of celery seed
• 1 teaspoon of dried mustard
• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

If you'd like, add a shot of your favorite bourbon or whiskey. Don't worry — the alcohol will cook off.

What to Do With the Ingredients

1. In a shallow dish, Ziploc bag, or a glass bowl or Ziploc, add all of the ingredients and mix.
2. Add the turkey breast and place it in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.
3. Heat your oven, smoker, or grill to 250 degrees. For a smokier taste, add one teaspoon of liquid smoke. If using a smoker, this recipe works best with maple or oak wood.
4. Cook the turkey until the internal temperature reaches 155-165 degrees, then remove it from the heat.

Place the meat in the refrigerator to cool before slicing. Once cooled, slice the meat as thin or thick as you prefer for your sandwiches.

Then, grab your sandwich ingredients, start building sandwiches, and enjoy. Share the story of your turkey hunt while enjoying your feast.

Enjoy These Wild Turkey Recipes, and Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Technically, the best wild turkey recipes are good any time you're ready to cook a bird. However, with Thanksgiving in the U.S. just a couple of weeks away, we hope you'll try one of these to share a feast with friends and family.

Remember: HuntWise is the best tool for hunting turkeys! Whether you can hunt in both the spring and fall (or only one time of year) to get your Thanksgiving (or "any time") bird, or you're currently still in deer hunting mode, a free week of HuntWise helps you plan your hunt using map overlays, weather and animal movement predictors, wind predictions, and more features that help you fine-tune your time in the field.

The HuntWise team hopes you have a wonderful Thanksgiving feast and a successful hunt — every time you go out!

Download the app and try it free for your first week.