Ground Turkey Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to ground turkey to make it taste better? ›

When overcooked, ground turkey quickly gets dry and crumbly, and loses its flavor. Follow this tip: Keep on eye on the time as you cook, and keep an instant-read thermometer handy. To prevent dry meat, cook ground turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Enhance Flavor with Seasonings

While ground turkey has a mild flavor, adding the right seasonings can make it truly delicious. Experiment with a variety of herbs and spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, or dried oregano. Don't be afraid to get creative and adjust the flavors to your liking!

Grinding Process

Feed the turkey meat through the grinder, using a plunger or pusher to guide the meat through the blades. If you're using a food processor, work in small batches to ensure even grinding, pulsing the machine until the turkey reaches the desired consistency.

Ground turkey isn't as flavorful as ground beef, but if you want it to feel a little bit more like ground beef, try adding some Worcestershire sauce.

Stick with salt and pepper, put herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage to work, or take spicy Cajun seasoning for a spin for some kick. Whatever blend you choose, spread it all over the turkey—on top, underneath, between the body and wings and legs, under the skin, and even in the cavity of the bird.

You may want to salt it just a bit while cooking, or better yet, cook some onions with it for a seasoning/flavor that won't go when drained. Most ground beef needs to be drained, so it's besy to drain after cooking. Turkey has less fat, so you are fine to season it while cooking.

Raw turkey meat should be light pink or beige, depending on the type of meat and its fat content. The meat color becomes dull as time passes, which is normal. However, if the meat has a brown, gray or yellow or green hue, you will want to part ways with it.

Adding some fat in the form of healthy oil would work, as would adding a flavorful liquid such as chicken stock or vegetable stock. You can also add finely chopped vegetables which retain moisture, such as mushrooms, zucchini or eggplant.

Whenever I made turkey burgers, I would dissolve some beef bouillon in a little water and add it to the turkey with a little canola oil, then season and form the patties. The bouillon gave it some flavor and the water and oil helped with moisture. Just make sure not to overcook.

How do you make ground turkey taste more savory? ›

1. Give Ground Turkey a Savory Boost. To amp up the meat's flavor—but keep it versatile for a range of applications—we added chopped shallot and Worcestershire sauce. Both enhanced the meaty taste of the turkey, while Worcestershire sauce's pungent tang added balance.

Two types to look for are 93% lean ground turkey and 99% lean ground turkey. The biggest difference is that the 99% version is generally made with all breast meat and contains no saturated fat. However, because it has so little fat, it runs the risk of getting dry.

Turkey is more expensive than chicken, because turkeys are larger birds, and take longer to reach market weight, requiring more feed and taking up more space.

So, if you're whipping up a stir fry and only have ground chicken on hand when the recipe calls for ground turkey, go ahead and make the substitution. If we're getting really granular, ground turkey is generally a little leaner than ground chicken. It has fewer calories, less sodium, more iron, and more protein.

"Ground turkey contains less saturated fat than ground beef, giving it a more beneficial fat profile," says Beaver. "In its place, ground turkey instead contains more polyunsaturated fat, which is a protective, healthier type of fat."

In addition to sprinkling salt on the surface of the turkey, give your bird a big flavor boost by seasoning under the turkey's skin, too. Stir your favorite spices and herbs into softened butter, then rub it all over the turkey and under the skin.

The distinct game flavor of either birds or animals will be milder after soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in either a salt or vinegar solution.