Smothered Turkey Wings Recipe

Name: Smothered Turkey Wings Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 140 min
Total time: 350 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: For the Brine:; 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 ounces; 55g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume or the same weight; 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce; 15g) light brown sugar; 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns; 2 bay leaves; 6 turkey wing flats or 3 whole turkey wings split into flats and drums (about 3 pounds/1.3kg total; see note); 1 shallot (3/4 ounce; 20g), cut in half; 5 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 large sprig fresh rosemary; For the Braise:; 3 1/2 tablespoons (50ml) vegetable, canola, or other neutral oil, divided; 1 medium (8-ounce; 225g) yellow onion, thinly sliced; 1 large (5-ounce; 140g) carrot, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise into rounds; 1 celery rib (about 2 ounces; 55g), thinly sliced on the bias; 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium broth, plus more if needed; 1 teaspoon dried sage powder; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika; Kosher salt

Why It Works

A wet brine plumps up the wings and seasons them thoroughly throughout.
A medium-dark roux, well-rounded seasonings and spices, and classic aromatics deliver traditional turkey flavor

Growing up in the South, I ate turkey wings about as often as chicken or fish in my family's dinner rotation. Everyone’s family had their own special way of preparing them—some boiled the wings first, ensuring they'd be tender; my grandmother did hers with a little bell pepper and onion, and would make a slurry to form a thin gravy that we'd pour over and eat with rice; and one trick I learned recently is to use dry French onion soup mix in the gravy for lots of flavor without much work.

No matter these differences, the wings always end up baked in the oven, cooking in their own juices and seasonings—this method of braising and smothering the wings in their own rich gravy makes for perfectly cooked meat that's far more flavorful and a lot less likely to dry out than a typical Thanksgiving turkey. Plus, their size is much better for cooking for smaller crowds (and storing the leftovers).

In this recipe, the wings are first soaked in a wet brine made with salt, brown sugar, and a few herbs and spices. Wet brining isn't a technique Serious Eats often recommends for turkey, but it works well with the wings: They're smaller and have more surface area compared to a larger bird or roast, allowing salt and flavorings to make more of an impact throughout, plus the added water weight gained during brining guarantees juiciness even after long cooking (and those exuded liquids just end up in the gravy anyway—no harm done).

After that, I sear the wings in a Dutch oven, followed by aromatic vegetables like onion, carrot, and celery. Once they've softened, I transfer the vegetables to a bowl and use the same vessel to make a simple gravy, whipped up with a roasty brown roux and some chicken stock. Then, the vegetables, gravy, and wings all go into the oven to braise until the wings are tender and the gravy has thickened properly, thanks in part to the roux and in part to the collagen in the wings that breaks down during cooking into sauce-improving gelatin.

As for the wings themselves, most stores carry them, but you can usually find the best ones at a local butcher. Back home in the Southeast, I could find turkey wings all year round; both whole wings and split. But here in the Southwest where I currently live, they’re much more seasonal. I personally prefer to buy smallish wings and drums with the tips still on. Huge wings you’d find at your local state fair are still delicious, but will take longer to cook and, at least to me, don’t have the same tender texture or depth of flavor.