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You can do much more with turkey than roasting it whole on Thanksgiving. Hounds are great fans of turkey thighs, which take especially well to braising. "I've braised chunks of turkey thigh as a substitute for veal or beef in stews with great success," says FlavoursGal. "The texture with long, slow cooking is wonderful."
A braised turkey dish can be made in many styles. Marcella Hazan's recipe for pork loin cooked in milk is "fabulous" with turkey thighs standing in for the pork, MakingSense says. "I actually learned this method in Italy with turkey before I got the Hazan book," MakingSense adds.
sunshine842 braises thighs with prunes or apricots. The fruit's "sweetness plays nicely with the flavor of the meat, and makes for a delicious winter dish," sunshine842 says.
As an alternative to braising, turkey thighs make a wonderful confit, according to Will Owen. Use the same procedure you would for preparing duck confit, says Will, who prefers a slow-cooker method. If you have the equipment for it, turkey thighs are also "wondrous" when smoked, and a good alternative to ham for those who don't eat pork, says lagatta.
Discuss: What to do with Turkey Thighs
Turkey thighs have too much fat, so I buy whole frozen turkey breasts on sale during the holidays and keep them in the freezer. I take one out and roast it in a porcelain-lined dutch oven with lots of garlic, onion, smoked paprika, a bay leaf and some wine. I pull it out of the oven and let it cool some, then break it down. The bones and broth are cooked with celery, carrot, onion, thyme,...+READ
Turkey thighs have too much fat, so I buy whole frozen turkey breasts on sale during the holidays and keep them in the freezer. I take one out and roast it in a porcelain-lined dutch oven with lots of garlic, onion, smoked paprika, a bay leaf and some wine. I pull it out of the oven and let it cool some, then break it down. The bones and broth are cooked with celery, carrot, onion, thyme, rosemary and a little sage, and the meat is further deboned. I add some rice or barley, then make soup adding some of the meat once the components are cooked.
Pieces of the deboned breast are rolled up in corn tortillas with a little monterey jack, homemade salsa and fat-free refried beans, then topped with homemade salsa, tomato sauce and grated cheese and baked. Enchiladas to die for!
The remainder of the turkey trimmings go into a frittata with potatoes (microwaved or leftover), eggs, mushrooms, peppers, green onions, grated cheese and herbs, finished off in the toaster oven to bubble the cheese and set the eggs. Turkey breasts are the best deal out there.-COLLAPSE