Duration
6 hours
Serves
6
The legs of a wild turkey are often treated poorly in the kitchen, or worse, left in the field! This hearty spin on tortilla soup is a great way to turn those tougher cuts into succulent, tender meat.
This recipe makes a decent-sized batch that can be enjoyed right away with cilantro and tortilla chips or frozen to eat on a chilly evening later in the year. If you decide to make this with a fall turkey, swap the zucchini out for diced butternut squash or sweet potato for a seasonal twist.
Ingredients
- 1½ - 2 lbs. turkey thighs, drumsticks, and/or wings
- 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
- ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp. tomato powder—see note
- ¼ tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. oregano
- Avocado, grapeseed, or canola oil for cooking
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño, chopped
- 1 poblano, chopped
- 8 cups salted chicken stock, plus more if needed
- 1 (14 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- ½ cup white or brown rice
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- Cilantro, sour cream, and/or tortilla strips for serving
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Combine the salt, pepper, tomato powder, oregano, and cumin together in a small bowl. Use this spice blend as a rub to season the meat on both sides, keeping in mind you may not use all of it (but you can toss it in the soup to season later on!)
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan and brown the turkey on both sides, working in batches as needed so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Remove turkey and set aside.
- Drizzle in more oil in pan if needed. Add the diced onion and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Then stir in the garlic, jalapeno, and poblano. Cook an additional minute or two and pour in the chicken stock and canned tomatoes, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Return the turkey and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours, checking within the last hour of cooking when the meat is nearly fork tender. Add the rice, zucchini, lime juice, and extra water or stock if the soup looks too thick. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, when the meat is falling off the bone and the rice is cooked through. Use tongs to fish out the bones and a fork to gently shred the meat.
- Season to taste and serve hot with fresh minced cilantro for garnish.
Note: Although tomato powder is optional, I highly suggest tracking it down from a specialty grocery store or ordering online. You can also make it at home by dehydrating Roma tomatoes (halved with pulp and liquid removed for faster drying) and grinding them in a spice grinder to a powder. It adds a lot of umami flavor to the meat, but if you decide to skip this ingredient, stir in about a tablespoon of tomato paste to the soup after sauteeing the onion, garlic, and peppers.
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Southwestern Turkey Soup
Duration
6 hours
Serves
6
The legs of a wild turkey are often treated poorly in the kitchen, or worse, left in the field! This hearty spin on tortilla soup is a great way to turn those tougher cuts into succulent, tender meat.
This recipe makes a decent-sized batch that can be enjoyed right away with cilantro and tortilla chips or frozen to eat on a chilly evening later in the year. If you decide to make this with a fall turkey, swap the zucchini out for diced butternut squash or sweet potato for a seasonal twist.
Ingredients
- 1½ - 2 lbs. turkey thighs, drumsticks, and/or wings
- 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
- ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp. tomato powder—see note
- ¼ tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. oregano
- Avocado, grapeseed, or canola oil for cooking
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño, chopped
- 1 poblano, chopped
- 8 cups salted chicken stock, plus more if needed
- 1 (14 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- ½ cup white or brown rice
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- Cilantro, sour cream, and/or tortilla strips for serving
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Combine the salt, pepper, tomato powder, oregano, and cumin together in a small bowl. Use this spice blend as a rub to season the meat on both sides, keeping in mind you may not use all of it (but you can toss it in the soup to season later on!)
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan and brown the turkey on both sides, working in batches as needed so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Remove turkey and set aside.
- Drizzle in more oil in pan if needed. Add the diced onion and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Then stir in the garlic, jalapeno, and poblano. Cook an additional minute or two and pour in the chicken stock and canned tomatoes, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Return the turkey and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours, checking within the last hour of cooking when the meat is nearly fork tender. Add the rice, zucchini, lime juice, and extra water or stock if the soup looks too thick. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, when the meat is falling off the bone and the rice is cooked through. Use tongs to fish out the bones and a fork to gently shred the meat.
- Season to taste and serve hot with fresh minced cilantro for garnish.
Note: Although tomato powder is optional, I highly suggest tracking it down from a specialty grocery store or ordering online. You can also make it at home by dehydrating Roma tomatoes (halved with pulp and liquid removed for faster drying) and grinding them in a spice grinder to a powder. It adds a lot of umami flavor to the meat, but if you decide to skip this ingredient, stir in about a tablespoon of tomato paste to the soup after sauteeing the onion, garlic, and peppers.