Turkey meat is a staple you won’t miss at most Thanksgiving dinner tables. So, learning different and interesting turkey recipes for dinner will enable you to create great family memories. If you have been cooking your turkey the same way for years, it’s time to spice things up.
Turkey is versatile and can be cooked in several ways, including baking, roasting, smoking, and frying. In this post, I’ll share Thanksgiving Turkey recipes easy to make at home using various parts like thighs, legs, and breasts.
This is for you, too, if you just need regular-day turkey recipes, not Thanksgiving specials. I’ll also suggest hassle-free ways to make tender and delicious, whole turkey.
What To Expect with these Turkey Recipes
These Turkey recipes are easy, moist, and some of the best options to add to your dinner or soul food thanksgiving menu.
You’ll find options for Turkey parts, like turkey leg and turkey breast recipes. These are perfect for those wanting to have a Thanksgiving for two or a regular dinner meal.
Now let’s dive into the various Thanksgiving Turkey recipes and regular dinner ideas you can explore:
More Thanksgiving Recipe Collections:
- African American Cornbread Dressing Recipes
- The Best Holiday Ham Recipes
- Decadent Mac and Cheese Recipes
- Keto Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes
Turkey Thigh Recipes for Dinner
Get tender roasted turkey meat when using the turkey thigh. You can cook it in the oven, pressure cooker or air fryer. Believe it or not, these are available year-round. Plus, they're perfect or small gatherings as they are less than two pounds.
Roasted Turkey Thighs
Easy to prep and cook, these roasted turkey thighs will set the celebration mood right away. They are juicy, tender, and simply delicious.
Turkey Wing Recipes
No need to figure out who gets the wings with these turkey wing recipes. Make these when you want to skip baking a whole turkey and enjoy your favorite part (the wings) instead.
Baked Turkey Wings
These are easy to make and come out crispy, tender, and ridiculously tasty. Dip them in a DIY spicy honey soy garlic sauce and blow your taste buds away.
Smoked Turkey Wings
Use your smoker to make these tender, toothsome turkey wings easy and hassle-free. You can have them on Thanksgiving or just any day.
Smothered Turkey Wings
Full of bold flavors, these smothered turkey wings are a perfect Southern delicacy for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all year-round. Season, roast, and bake the meat in homemade gravy.
Seasoned Air Fryer Turkey Wings
If you’re looking for simple Thanksgiving turkey recipes for dinner, this is your fix. All you need is an air fryer, a few basic ingredients, and 30 minutes.
Whole Turkey Recipes
Not every family needs an entire whole turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. But if you do, then you'll want to have these Whole Turkey Recipes. They include tips to keep your turkey moist. Plus, you can cook them using a range of methods like deep frying, roasting, and smoking.
Tender Juicy Spatchcock Turkey
Nothing shouts ‘happy holidays’ than the sight of a well-done whole turkey. This recipe delivers tender and juicy meat faster than the regular roasting method.
Traeger Smoked Turkey
Use an injectable marinade and homemade dry rub to make this special holiday treat. It’s easy to cook, and the results are simply amazing.
Cajun Spiced Roasted Turkey
The juiciness and flavor in this roasted bird are on another level, thanks to the herbs and butter injected before cooking. A dry rub gives the meat extra crispiness.
Perfect Fried Turkey
Here’s how to deep fry a whole turkey to achieve tender, juicy, crispy, and flavorful results. You’ll use cajun seasoning and homemade injectables.
Slow Cooker Whole Turkey
Cooking a whole turkey has never been easier. Make this extra delicious, fall-off-the-bone tender turkey using a few ingredients and a slow cooker. Easy-peasy!
Turkey Breast Recipes
White meat is my favorite, but it cooks faster than everything else. So, it's best to make the turkey breast by itself. These turkey breast recipes are perfect for Thanksgiving and other holidays. Plus, they cook in less than half the time of an entire whole turkey.
Smoked Turkey Breast
There’s something about a smokey taste and holidays. This is one of the best Thanksgiving turkey recipes and will effortlessly make your holiday dinner memorable.
Slow Cooker Crockpot Boneless Turkey Breast
If you’ve never made turkey meat in a crock pot, worry not because it’s as easy as 1,2,3. A slow cooker will deliver tender and succulent steak.
Roast Turkey Breast
Make a hearty meal for Thanksgiving dinner by roasting your turkey breast like a pro. The process is hassle-free and requires a handful of basic ingredients.
Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast Recipe
Normally, cooking a whole turkey takes longer than I’d enjoy waiting, so a pressure cooker is my gamechanger—You’ll save time, and the results are tender and juicy.
Turkey Leg Recipes
Whether you want to make turkey legs in the smoker, air fryer or slow cooker, these easy Thanksgiving turkey leg recipes will be hit.
Smoked Turkey Legs
You may as well add this to your list of favorite Thanksgiving turkey recipes for dinner because you’ll love it! It’s a simple dish with a pleasantly-lingering smokey taste.
Slow Cooker Turkey Legs + VIDEO
A slow cooker does a perfect job cooking tender and juicy turkey legs. Use your choice seasonings and wait for the magic.
Stuffed Turkey Legs
What’s better than juicy turkey legs stuffed with creamy mac and cheese! Spice up your holiday dinner with this simple yet refreshing comfort dish.
Air Fryer Turkey Legs
This is for you if you like getting things done faster without compromising quality. Season the legs well and let the air fryer do the rest.
FAQs
One of the best strategies is to brine your fresh turkey or buy a turkey that is already brined. For fresh whole turkeys, I prefer a buttermilk brine, but you can also use chicken stock-based turkey brine. You can also keep a turkey moist by cooking turkey in a slow cooker and using an oven bag. However, those two options require an additional step to make sure that the turkey skin crisps.
You can use the same strategies above to keep your turkey from drying out. I also recommend using an injector to inject liquids into your turkey like butter and spices. You should also rub your turkey (inside and out) with butter before cooking.
You can put garlic herb butter inside. I also use a turkey injector to add white wine!
Bottomline
If your Thanksgiving turkey game has been obvious for the longest time, change things up and surprise your family this coming holiday. You can also adopt some of the recipes on the list and make your regular dinner times special.