One of the great rewards of hunting wild turkey is getting to enjoy the delicious, lean meat. While some hunters prefer to cook the whole bird, others like to breast it out for easier cooking and storage. Breasting a wild turkey involves removing the two breast halves with tenderloins intact.
If you want to know how to breast out your wild turkey harvest just follow these simple step-by-step instructions. With a little practice you’ll get fast and efficient at the process.
Why Breast Out a Wild Turkey?
There are a few advantages to removing just the breast meat from your wild turkey rather than leaving it whole:
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Easier cooking – Breasts are quicker and simpler to cook than a whole bird. They can be grilled, baked, pan-seared and more.
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Better portion control – When served whole, it’s easy to overindulge on turkey. Breasts provide sensible single servings.
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Easy storage – Breasts fit neatly in the freezer A whole turkey takes up more room
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Convenience – Breasts thaw faster. They also allow for quick cooking on busy weeknights.
Of course cooking and carving up a whole wild turkey makes for an impressive holiday centerpiece. But for everyday meals, breasting out the meat is very practical.
Step-By-Step Instructions for Breasting a Wild Turkey
Follow these clear steps for how to remove the breast meat from your wild turkey:
What You’ll Need:
- Sharp knife or boning knife
- Cutting board
- Sealable plastic bags or freezer wrap
- Marinade or rub (optional)
Instructions:
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Lay the turkey on its back. If still warm, allow it to cool completely first for easier cutting.
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Remove feathers from breast. Pinch the feathers and use swift strokes with your knife to cut them off, exposing the skin. Remove just enough for clean cuts.
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Cut through the skin along one side of the center breastbone from cavity to neck. Repeat on the other side of breastbone.
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Begin separating meat from bone. Hold the knife horizontally and make slicing cuts along the ribs, working from the cavity up toward the neck.
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Cut along the curvature of the bone to completely detach the entire breast half. Repeat on other side.
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Cut off the tenderloins on the underside of each breast half.Trim any excess skin or fat.
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Portion into pieces if desired. Slice each breast across the grain into thinner cutlets.
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Package for storage. Place pieces in sealed bags or wrap tightly in freezer wrap. Add marinade or rub if using.
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Refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 4 months. Thaw in fridge before cooking.
When properly cut along the ribs and bone, the breasts should come off the carcass cleanly in two whole pieces. Take care not to slice too deeply into the meat itself.
Watch the video below for a great visual demonstration of wild turkey breasting:
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With a sharp, thin knife, patience, and the proper technique, you’ll get the hang of removing those tasty wild turkey breasts.
What to Do With the Rest of the Turkey
After breasting out your wild turkey, you can use the rest of the meat too. Here are some options for the legs, wings and carcass:
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Make stock – Simmer the carcass and scraps to create a nutrient-rich turkey broth.
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Cook legs and wings – Braise or grill legs and wings low and slow until tender.
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Prepare smoked turkey legs – Brine legs and smoke for delicious snackable turkey leg pieces.
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Grind leftover meat – Use a grinder or food processor to make ground turkey for chili, soup, burgers, etc.
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Make dog treats – Cooked turkey scraps make healthy treats to spoil your pup.
Don’t let anything go to waste! Get creative with the remaining turkey meat after breasting it out.
Tips for Cooking Wild Turkey Breasts
Wild turkey breasts are lean and require special care when cooking. Here are some useful tips:
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Cook to proper doneness of 165°F but not beyond to prevent dryness.
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Brine breasts in saltwater solution for added moisture and flavor.
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Pound to an even thickness so they cook evenly.
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Sear, grill or roast at high temp for crispy skin then lower heat to finish.
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Baste with butter, olive oil or turkey drippings while cooking.
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Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing for juicier meat.
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Slice thinly across the grain of the meat.
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Take care not to overcook or breasts will be tough and dry.
Get the Most From Your Wild Turkey Harvest
With the right tools, some practice and these step-by-step instructions, you can become skilled at breasting your own wild turkeys. Remove the lean, tender breast meat for quick cooking whole or in portions. Make flavorful stock from the carcass. Nothing will go to waste.
Breasting out wild turkey lets you enjoy the mildly gamey, deliciously moist meat all season long. Follow this guide for perfect breasts ready for any recipe. From lightning-fast weeknight skillet meals to holiday feasts, you’ll get the most value from your hunting harvest.
Butchering Wild Turkey Breasts
Before you remove your turkey breasts, make sure your knife is razor sharp and, ideally, somewhat flexible. You’ll want to use a fillet knife or something similar to remove turkey breasts. (Read: do not use a carving or chef knife as you might use at the Thanksgiving table.) You don’t even need a long knife; a sharp pocket knife will serve you well.
When butchering my wild turkeys, I start by removing the breast meat. You can pluck or skin them, but it helps to cut the loose skin between the thigh and breast, then fold the thighs before proceeding (or remove the thighs completely before the breasts, up to you). Next, make an incision to either the left or right of the keel bone, just below the wishbone, with the bird’s feet pointed toward you. Keep the blade tight to that keel bone as you run your knife down to its base. From there, it’s a matter of angling your blade to free the meat from the bone via gradual swipes. To do so, place your index finger along the back of the unsharpened side of the blade to help steer the edge up toward the wings. With your non-knife hand, pull the breast meat up and away from the bone, so your knife can get underneath the meat and continue to work inhibited. The contour line of the bone below the breasts isn’t flat, so go slow and angle your blade so it carves off every morsel of meat from the bone.
As you work, you may turn the bird so the head faces me instead of the feet. This helps as I work the blade along the side of the turkey, up towards the shoulder joint. Once you reach the shoulder joint, return to the keel bone and follow the line along the wishbone, eventually meeting at the shoulder and pulling the breast. Repeat these steps on the other side.
Turkey breasts are enormous. Each breast may be the size of your head. When cooked whole, a wild turkey breast’s outer layers often dry out before the center hits that 150 temp. For this reason, I suggest butchering breasts into smaller portions, approximately eight ounces each. When cutting up these portions, it may help to butterfly the breast, or cut it in half like you’re opening up a book. From there, carve it into pieces resembling a chicken breast’s size and shape.
Because of the need to butcher wild turkey breasts into smaller portions, plucking turkey breasts is not worth it to me. Even if you pluck the breasts, you’ll end up with several skinless pieces anyways.
Do I Pluck or Skin a Wild Turkey?
In past articles, I advocate for plucking when possible. Additionally, I have suggested not gutting the bird before plucking, as tears in the skin may make plucking difficult. In the instance of wild turkeys, based on the toughness of the skin, you can indeed gut the bird before plucking. Additionally, because these large birds are heavily insulated and hold a lot of heat, you’ll want to gut that bird within a couple of hours, especially if the day is supposed to be a warm one.
And, yes, you should absolutely save your giblets. More on that here.
Wild turkey skin has flavor, but wild turkey is one of those birds where I don’t consider plucking to be essential. In terms of the wings, though, plucking those is worth the effort. This is because of the skin-equals-flavor argument and because skinning (e.g., knife work) along the wings runs the risk of damaging meat.
But the thighs and legs require low-and-slow cooking techniques. When using these methods, the skin may turn into gelatin and actually offer an unwanted texture in your wild turkey dish. Regarding the breasts, skinning or plucking them is up to you. In the butchering section, I’ll explain why the effort of plucking wild turkey breasts may not fit your needs in the kitchen.
If you do plan to pluck your bird, you can dry pluck or scald it, which means dunking the whole bird in 150-degree Fahrenheit water multiple times until the wing feathers easily pull out. Once they do, you’re ready to pluck the rest of the bird. Remember that it might take three to five minutes of dunking for the wing feathers to pull out easily.
How To: BREAST A TURKEY | Spring Thunder
FAQ
Should you soak wild turkey breast?
How to process a wild turkey at home?
How do you eat a wild turkey breast?
Smoking a wild turkey breast can be the perfect way to give you a bunch of lunch ideas for the coming weeks. The meat is smoked with brown sugar, honey, and salt for around 4 hours and when it’s ready it can be sliced wafer thin to be served hot or cold. 6. Grilled Turkey Breast
What are the health benefits of ground turkey?
Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.
How do you season wild turkey breast?
You can season wild turkey breast with a variety of herbs and spices such as thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper. Consider using a mixture of olive oil or melted butter to coat the breast before seasoning to enhance the flavor and help the skin crisp up during roasting.
How do you cook a wild turkey breast?
Prepare the Turkey Breast: Pat the wild turkey breast dry with paper towels. This will help the skin to crisp up during roasting. Season the Turkey: Rub the turkey breast with olive oil, then season it generously with salt, pepper, and your choice of herbs and spices. This will add flavor and help to create a delicious outer crust.