The second-best sound to hearing a turkey gobbling in the woods during the season is the sound of friends and family gobbling up and singing praises for a delicious meal you’ve made from your harvest. But sometimes we get stuck with what to do with that big tom we want to put on the table. That’s why we reached out to a professional chef and restauranteur, a couple of onX Ambassadors, and our very own Lake Pickle to give us their best recipes for wild turkeys. Check out the recipes and videos for each one below.

Wild Turkey Pot Pie

Let’s start with chef Michael Hunter, owner of Toronto’s Antler Kitchen & Bar and author of the five-star-rated wild game cookbook, The Hunter Chef Cookbook. Chef Hunter prepares a quintessential comfort food that perfectly accompanies the often rainy spring conditions that is turkey hunting. This recipe, in fact, was adapted by Chef Hunter from page 107 of his cookbook specially for onX Hunt. We hope you try it!

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Wild Turkey Pot Pie

Makes 1 pie, serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 batch of Quick Puff Pastry Dough (page 224 of the Hunter Chef Cookbook) or store bought from the freezer aisle
• 2 wild turkey legs
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 2 tablespoon lard or butter for searing the turkey legs
• 2 cups (500 mL) homemade wild turkey or chicken stock (see page 70) store bought is fine too
• 2 garlic cloves peeled
  
  Filling:
• 1⁄3 cup (75 mL) unsalted butter
• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) chopped dried wild mushrooms rehydrated in 1/3 cup of boiling water and soak
• 1 small white onion diced
• 1 small carrot diced
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) chopped fresh rosemary
• 1⁄3 cup (75 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (250 mL) whole milk
• 1 cup (250 mL) homemade wild turkey or chicken stock (see page 70) store bought is fine too
• 2 cups (500 mL) shredded cooked turkey leg meat from the two legs above
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of milk, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Preheat a large pan on high heat and season the turkey legs with salt and pepper. Add the lard to the pan and add the turkey legs skin side down and sear for 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme, rosemary, and garlic. Flip and sear for 1 minute then add the turkey or chicken stock. Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise for 3-5 hours, checking doneness after the 3 hours checking if the meat can be easily pulled from the bone with a fork. Once cooked remove from the oven and cool enough to be able to handle the legs and start shredding the meat from the bone. Discard the tendons and bones. Cover the shredded turkey meat until ready to mix with the rest of the filling.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
4. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and rosemary and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour overtop and stir to make a paste. Cook for 1 minute more. Slowly add the stock while quickly stirring to prevent lumps. Add the rehydrated mushrooms, milk, salt, and pepper to taste, stir to combine, then remove from the heat. Mix the shredded turkey meat into the mixture and cool to room temp before adding to the pie dish.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the quick puff pastry dough to a 10-inch (25 cm) circle and about 1/8” thick.
6. Spoon the turkey mixture into a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Top with the pastry round and trim the edge to about 1⁄4 inch over the rim. Crimp the pie dough with your fingers. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. Snip an X in the middle with scissors or cut with a knife to allow steam to escape. Place the pie in the oven and turn down to 350°F. Bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown, 1 to 1-1⁄2 hours.  Cool slightly on a wire rack before cutting with a serrated knife and serving.

Turkey Cordon Bleu

onX Ambassadors Sam Soholt and Ben O’Brien know more than a thing or two about hunting and wild game cooking. Here they sent us over a simple dish with a fancy name.

“Everybody fries their turkey, right? It’s such a classic treatment of this wild fare that it’s hard to avoid when you’re getting into cooking these birds. It’s the first thing that pops up on Google and it’s damn sure the first thing your uncle or pappy would suggest. 

In my house, fried turkey always wins. But everything has a limit. That’s where turkey cordon bleu enters the culinary conversation. It’s my absolute favorite way to serve this bird. 

A quick aside before we go any further: Ever wonder where the term “cordon bleu” comes from? It translates in French to “the blue ribbon” but is essentially a metaphor for an excellent cook. I think this backs up my feelings about the dish. 

This version of the bleu uses panko breadcrumbs and avoids the deep fryer. It’s baked to a beautiful golden-brown crispiness that rivals many of the fried varieties, anyway. 

It’s also easy to prepare and at my house with three young boys running around that goes a long way. I’m no professional chef, so this is right in my wheelhouse.” – Ben O’Brien

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Turkey Cordon Bleu

A simple dish with a fancy name.
By Ben O’Brien

Ingredients

• 1 wild turkey breast 
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 6 slices of cheese (Swiss is most popular, we use Gouda) 
• 6 slices of ham 
• 1⁄2 cup of seasoned panko breadcrumbs 
• 1 cup of flour 
• 3 eggs 

Instructions

1. Start with a full lobe (one turkey breast) covered in plastic wrap on a cutting board. Pound the hell out of it with a mallet and work it until you get thin, even pieces about the depth of your hand if you lay it flat on the table. Add salt and pepper. 
2. Cut the breast into strips 2-3 inches wide. Place ham and cheese on the meat and roll tightly. 
3. Dredge in egg wash, then flour, and roll in panko breadcrumbs. Place on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper. 
4. Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees until crispy. 
5. Slice and enjoy. (Some folks include a cream sauce or Dijon mustard, but I’ve never found it necessary.)

Wild Orange Turkey and Rice

Everybody in the South knows about fried turkey nuggets, but this spring why not take an extra simple step and turn those nuggets into Wild Orange Turkey and Rice. onX’s own Lake Pickle cooks up a batch with his wife after a successful 2024 Osceola hunt in Florida. With the addition of fresh-picked fruits, this is about as field-to-table as wild turkey can get.

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Wild Orange Turkey and Rice

Ingredients

• Wild turkey breasts, diced into about 1” cubes
• 2 eggs
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup corn starch
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• Oil for frying (duck fat, tallow, or your preferred oil)
• Rice (choose your preferred rice and cook according to package instructions)
  
  Brine:
• 2 quarts of water
• ½ cup Kosher salt
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 oranges, juiced or squeezed
  
  Orange Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 orange, squeezed
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch

Instructions

1. To make the brine, combine all the ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Put diced turkey breast into the brine and place in the fridge for up to two hours.
2. Now it’s time to batter the breasts. You’ll need two medium-size bowls, one for wet ingredients and one for dry ingredients. In one bowl crack the two eggs and then whisk. In the other bowl add the flour, corn starch, salt, and pepper and then mix with a fork until incorporated.
3. Remove the diced turkey breast from the brine and dredge in the whisked eggs and then toss into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Shake off any excess dry ingredients and set aside on a baking sheet, preferably one with a wire rack.
4. It’s best to make the Orange Sauce before you start frying the turkey pieces. For the Orange Sauce, put a medium-size frying pan over low heat and add the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stir together for about three minutes.
5. Next add the squeezed orange juice, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, and apple cider vinegar to the saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Add the corn starch to two tablespoons of cold water and stir until dissolved. Now add the corn starch mixture to the simmering sauce to thicken, about five minutes.
6. Now it’s time to fry the turkey pieces. In a large frying pan or cast iron, pour about ¼”-deep oil into the pan and turn heat on medium-high. Once hot, add the turkey pieces carefully, one at a time and don’t crowd the pan. Cook for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Turkey should be golden-brown. Once cooked, let drain on a paper towel-covered plate for a few minutes.
7. Before the turkey cools, add them directly into the saucepan with the Orange Sauce and toss to coat on all sides.
8. Serve over rice and enjoy!