You can seriously never go wrong with Taco Tuesday. And when it's Turkey Taco Tuesday, it's even better! We started saving the legs and thighs from our wild turkeys a few years ago since there is so much meat on them. The first attempt at cooking was a complete failure. I baked them! Not a good idea. They were so tough. So the next time, I put them in the crockpot to cook all day and made pot pies with the meat. That worked great. The meat was super tender and so easy to debone. So now, turkey leg quarters are always a crockpot meal.
The recipe below works great for tacos, nachos, quesadillas, or burritos and can be kicked up a notch with your favorite spices.
Ingredients:
2 wild turkey leg quarters
Taco seasoning
Onion powder
Chipotle pepper seasoning
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Fresh cilantro
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed/minced
Jalapeno slices, fresh or canned, diced
Toppings: taco shells, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole/avocado, salsa
Directions:
Fully coat the leg quarters with taco seasoning, onion powder, and chipotle seasoning. Tip: You may need to cut them apart into 2 legs and 2 thighs.
In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice and olive oil together; pour into a large/6-quart crockpot.
Place leg quarters into crockpot. Tip: Use a crockpot liner to make cleanup easier!
Sprinkle the fresh cilantro, garlic, and jalapenos on top of the meat.
Cook on low for approximately 6 hours.
Carefully remove legs and thighs from the crockpot onto a cutting board to debone the meat. It will be hot, so use tongs to hold the ends and a fork to shred the meat from the bone. Remove all bones, tendons, etc. The meat should be fall-off-the-bone at this point!
Place the meat back into the crockpot and stir into the juices. Tip: Taste and add additional seasonings if preferred.
Leave the meat in the crockpot until ready to serve; you may need to move it down to "warm" if yours has that setting.
Serve as tacos, nachos, burritos, or plain...with your favorite toppings, of course!
Sarah Honadel is an avid outdoorswoman from Kentucky, now living in Idaho, who enjoys hunting elk, deer, turkey, pronghorn, and waterfowl. She is a team member at Huntress View, Pro Staff for Browning Trail Cameras, and Brand Ambassador for the BaseMap app. Follow her on Instagram @waddysarah and @arrowridgecreations.