Appetizer

Name: Air Fryer Wild Turkey Poppers
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Cuisine: Turkey
Ingredients: 1 lbs Bacon; 1 Wild Turkey Breast; 8 oz Cream Cheese; 2-3 oz Pepperoncini Pepper (Sliced); BBQ sauce

Air Fryer Wild Turkey Poppers

May 11, 2022 by Cody

These 5-ingredient air fryer turkey poppers are a great appetizer that can be ready in under 30 minutes!

That’s right!! No rising flames due to grease and no rotating required. Simply wrap these up and pop them in the air fryer and out comes crispy, perfectly cooked wild turkey poppers! These are great as appetizers for cook outs and parties or you can eat them as a meal. Here’s a bit of personal advice. If your wife is talking and taking forever to finish her food, that does not mean that she’s finished. Do not eat the last popper that’s been sitting on her plate, no matter how long its been! These are delicious but resist all temptation. It’s been years, and every time I make poppers I hear about it. 😂

Ingredients for Wild Turkey Poppers

Bacon
Wild Turkey Breast
Cream Cheese
Pepperoncini Peppers (sliced)

How to Make Air Fryer Wild Turkey Poppers

Cut wild turkey breast into strips. This is personal preference but 3×2 inch cuts make a good 1-2 bite size appetizer.
Tenderize the strips
Place the cream cheese and slice peppers into the center and roll tight.
Wrap in bacon and secure with a toothpick.

How Long to Cook Wild Turkey Poppers

I’ve cooked these in a handful of different air fryers and on multiple grills (gas, coal/wood, pellet) the time is different on every single one. With my air fryer, I set it to 360 degrees and cook for 16-18 minutes. As a general rule, when the bacon is done, the poppers are ready. I’ve never used this method and had poppers with crispy bacon but undercooked meat on the inside.

These 5-ingredient air fryer turkey poppers are a great appetizer that can be prepped and ready in under 30 minutes!

I wrap one half around the stuffed turkey strip, turn the strip and wrap the other half piece of bacon around that, making an “X” to enclose the popper before securing with a toothpick.

Tips for Making the Best Turkey Poppers

Tenderize the wild turkey strips. This can easily be done with a meat tenderizer hammer and makes the entire process, from rolling to eating, much easier.

Consider using whipped cream cheese. Regular cream cheese works great and makes delicious poppers. I just prefer the texture of whipped cream cheese. That’s pretty much my only reason, ha! Either are great so see what you think!

Roll and wrap the poppers tight but not so tight that you squeeze everything out. This will keep everything together throughout cooking and give you a clean cohesive bite from your popper versus unraveling all over you as you eat.

Half the Bacon. I often cut the bacon strips in half. Then I wrap one half around the stuffed turkey strip, turn the strip and wrap the other half piece of bacon around that, making an “X” to enclose the popper before securing with a toothpick. Admittedly, the success of this depends on your package of bacon but this method helps the bacon cook better. When you spiral wrap, sometimes you end up with undercooked bacon between the crispy outside and the stuffed turkey inside.

Use an air fryer! That should go without saying since these are Air Fryer Wild Turkey Poppers but I felt the need to reiterate. I’ve got some self-proclaimed grill master friends and we’ve all agreed that this route is just as good, if not better! You can simply place them in the air fryer and close. No worries of the flame jumping up due to grease drip, no rotating, just an easy way for delicious turkey poppers.

Other Turkey Recipes:

Turkey, Bacon and Avocado Taquitos

Baked Turkey Taquitos

Fried Turkey Nuggets

Turkey Meatloaf

Other Air Fryer Recipes:

Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Air Fryer Wings

Air Fryer Wild Turkey Poppers

These 5-ingredient air fryer turkey poppers are a great
appetizer that can be prepped and ready in under 30 minutes!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes

Ingredients

1 lbs Bacon
1 Wild Turkey Breast
8 oz Cream Cheese
2-3 oz Pepperoncini Pepper (Sliced)
BBQ sauce

Instructions

Make sure you have toothpicks.
Cut wild turkey breast into strips. This is personal preference but 3x2 inch cuts make a
good 1-2 bite size appetizer.
Tenderize each side of the turkey strips with a meat tenderizer hammer.
Place the cream cheese (1 tbsp) and sliced peppers (1 tsp) into the center of the tenderized strip and fold the turkey strip over, placing one end over the other. Make sure it is tight, but don't press the filling out.
Wrap the bacon around the turkey and secure with a toothpick.
Set the heat on the air fryer to 360 degrees and let the poppers cook for 16-18 minutes or until done.
Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce during the last couple minutes of cooking.

Baked Turkey Taquitos

May 3, 2022 by Cody

These tasty turkey taquitos are stuffed with wild turkey legs and baked to crispy golden goodness!

Years ago, I voiced the difficult time that I had trying to make theme park styled smoked turkey legs. In short, they were not good…..at all. I was told,

“If you want to cook wild turkey legs, build a fire and put some big stone bricks on there. Let the bricks get hot, place the turkey legs on there and let them cook for 13-14 hours. When they’re done, toss the legs and eat the bricks.”

I’ll be honest. For years, I would simply remove the breast from the bird and move on. That was a mistake! Not to mention, it was a substantial waste of meat. In terms of taquitos, two turkey legs/thighs can yield two dozen taquitos!

What are Taquitos?

Taquitos (little tacos or rolled tacos) are your choice of filling, usually meat and cheese, tightly rolled in a corn tortilla, and then fried. In this recipe though, we brush the taquitos with avocado oil and bake them! It’s easier and allows you to focus your attention elsewhere in the kitchen.

Ingredients for Turkey Taquitos

Legs and thighs from 1 Wild Turkey
1 onion
1 can chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce
½ stick of butter (optional)
Mexican Chili Powder seasoning
Yellow corn tortillas
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Avocado Oil

How to Cook Wild Turkey Legs

Clean and trim your legs and thighs. Separate the legs from the thighs at the joint. Rub them down with your preferred rub. For this recipe, Mexene Original Chili Powder works great. Place the legs and thighs in the crock pot. Cover them with butter (optional), a sliced onion, and can of chipotle peppers. Cook on low for 8-10 hours until fork tender. Pull the meat, discarding all of the tendons and bone. Using your chef knife, give the meat, onion, and peppers a fine dice. Now, your meat is ready for taquitos or tacos!!

Tip: Before chopping the meat, you can spread the pulled turkey across a cookie sheet and place under the oven broiler on high. This will crisp the ends and give a crust similar to being smoked. Be extremely careful not to dry the meat when doing this!

As you can see, my hunting buddy likes turkey legs, too! Haha. We 1, 2, 3’d and boom……got 4 legs!

What Goes with Turkey Taquitos?

If you intend to make a meal out of your taquitos, then the standard sides such as Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, or a fresh Mexican Salad are great. I prefer these as an appetizer, though. As such, dipping sauces such as queso, salsa, and fresh guacamole are delicious! Sour cream and hot sauce work as well. Whichever you choose, make sure to have some lime juices on the side for a fresh squeeze.

Tips for the Best Taquitos

Heat the tortillas before rolling. Wrap the corn tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm. This moistens the tortillas enough to prevent cracking and busting open when you roll.

Use toothpicks. Once rolled, stick a toothpick in the taquito to hold it in place while it cooks.

Bake the taquitos. Traditionally, taquitos are deep fried. But baking them is healthier and easier. Once they are prepared, brush the taquitos with avocado oil and bake at 450 until golden and crisp.

Other Turkey Recipes

Fried Turkey Nuggets

Turkey Meatloaf

The Best Turkey Chili

Baked Turkey Taquitos

These tasty turkey taquitos are stuffed with wild turkey legs and baked to crispy golden goodness!

Ingredients

Legs and thighs from 1 Wild Turkey
1 onion
1 can chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce
½ stick of butter (optional)
Mexican seasoning
Yellow corn tortillas
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Avocado Oil

Instructions

Clean and trim your legs and thighs. Separate the legs from the thighs at the joint. Rub them down with your preferred rub.
Place the legs and thighs in the crock pot. Cover them with butter (optional), a sliced onion, and can of chipotle peppers. Cook on low for 8-10 hours until fork tender. Pull the meat from the bones, discarding all of the tendons and bones.
Using your chef knife, give the meat, onion, and peppers a fine dice. This helps prevent pulling out the meat when you bite.
Wrap the corn tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 30-60 seconds.
Place the meat and cheese on the tortillas (approximately 2-3 tbsp of turkey and 1 tbsp cheese per tortilla) and roll them tightly. Insert a toothpick into each taquito to keep them rolled.
Place taquitos on cookie sheet and brush a light coat of avocado oil over each one.
Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until crispy and golden. Enjoy!

Notes

* you can freeze the cooked turkey meat by itself for a later meal......like next weeks tacos! OR you can make the taquitos (this recipe makes 24) and freeze what you don't eat to be heated later. Similar to those you by in the local store's freezer section, they can be reheated in the microwave or oven.

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Duck Popper Sliders

February 8, 2021 by Cody

Duck season has come to an end here. I hope that many of you ended up with a stocked freezer just waiting to be turned into a delicious meal. If you’re looking to change up the standard popper recipe, give these Duck Popper Slider’s a try!

In Tennessee, Active Military and Veterans are privileged with their own day of hunting. An overly hospitable Blue Bank Resort and the guide services of long-time friend, Caleb Dunn*, provide an amazing experience on Reelfoot Lake. We were treated as honored guests, fed like kings, and fortunate enough to have a sky full of waterfowl. As the hunt came to an end, we had a boat full of ducks and a handful of current and prior service members that were honored to be given such treatment and thankful to take part in what turned out to be one amazing hunting experience. Good dudes, good food, a good dog, and some favorable conditions made for a great time!

*Apparently Caleb has his own recipe similar to this one except it is served as more of an open-faced sandwich that he compares to Philly Cheesesteak. I haven’t personally tried it, but the guy can cook and I’ve yet to try any of his food that wasn’t delicious! I typically drag myself away lethargic and over-indulged. With that being said, his concept may also be worth trying.

What are Duck Popper Sliders?

Poppers are a very common wild game appetizer typically made with either duck or dove, and sometimes geese. In addition to the breast meat, the most common ingredients are jalapeno peppers, onions, cream cheese, and bacon. Duck Popper Sliders are a spinoff of this traditional recipe and they equally, if not more, delicious!

Ingredients Needed for Duck Popper Sliders

As I mentioned above, the ingredients for these sliders are essentially the same as poppers with just a couple of extras. You will need the following:

Duck breasts
Bacon
Jalapeno peppers
onion
soft cheese such as goat cheese, brie, cream cheese, etc.
Hawaiian rolls
Fischer & Wiser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (or comparable sauce)
Salt & Pepper
oil or butter

How to Make Duck Burger

I chopped the partially frozen duck breasts and bacon and mixed them together at an 80/20 ratio before running the mix through the meat grinder. A food scale is the most efficient way to accomplish this, but to put in a clearer perspective: A limit of Mallards in Tennessee (4, with no more than 2 being female) would be mixed with approximately 1/3 lbs. of bacon and can feed two hungry couples and a really hungry seven-year-old! If you’re a “bacon makes everything even better” person then, by all means, do your thing and alter the ratio as you see fit!

How to Make Duck Sliders

Form the ground meat into patties that are just a bit larger than the rolls. Place the oil or butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Dice the jalapeno (seeds removed) and onions. Sauté them in skillet until they reach your likeness. Set the sautéed veggies to the side. Add the slider patties to the skillet and cook to medium-well, or however you like your burgers prepared. Place the patty on the bottom half of the toasted roll and top it with the sautéed jalapenos and onions before drizzling raspberry chipotle sauce over the top. Spread the cheese on the top half and combine the halves to form the slider.

Tips for Tasty Duck Sliders

There are two key things to keep in mind when making these duck sliders:

As with any other grinding process, you want to keep everything cold. I mean really cold. I put all of my grinder components in the freezer for about thirty minutes prior to processing any meat. I even have the bowl that the ground meat falls into in there. It also helps to have the meat partially frozen as well.
Toast those buns! Buns have the ability to take your burgers to the next level. For these duck sliders, place the halved Hawaiian roll face down in the skillet until its crisped and golden brown. This will add warmth, texture, and even more flavor.

Duck Popper Sliders

Ingredients

8 Duck breasts
1/3 lbs. Bacon
4 Jalapeno peppers
1 onion
1 tbsp oil or butter
1 tbsp of soft cheese (goat cheese, brie, cream cheese, etc.)
Hawaiian rolls
Fischer & Wiser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (or comparable sauce)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Patty the ground meat into 2-ounce patties that are just a bit larger than the rolls.
Place one tablespoon of oil or butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Dice the jalapeno (seeds removed) and onions. Sauté in skillet until they reach your likeness.
Remove the vegetables from skillet, leaving them in a serving bowl to the side. Add the slider patties to the skillet and cook to medium-well, or however you like your burgers prepared.
Using the same skillet, toast the inside of Hawaiian rolls. This leaves the top of the bun soft with a warm crisp inside.
Place the patty on the bottom half of the roll and top it with the sautéed jalapenos and onions (1-2 tbsp) before drizzling raspberry chipotle sauce over the top. Spread the cheese on the top half and combine the halves to form the slider.
Enjoy your Duck Popper Sliders!

Nashville Hot Deer Nuggets

November 13, 2020 by Cody

This southern spinoff is sure to be a new favorite! Nashville Hot Deer Nuggets are the hunters’ new “tastes like chicken” recipe.

For years, I’ve been a “traditionalist” when it comes to backstraps; a little s+p on the grill, butterflied, bacon-wrapped, smothered, etc. But, that changed this year! A random, sideline conversation about grilling at my daughter’s soccer practice led to a delicious local spinoff recipe. Another dad was telling me about how he had recently enjoyed grilled venison backstrap that had been marinated in Allegro’s new Nashville Hot marinade. Ding!! Instantly, the idea hit me to marinade small strips of venison in the same way but, then, fry them in a spicy batter!

At this point, I’ve made these things a handful of times. To be honest, though, it’s so easy that I nailed it on the first attempt. Simple and southern, this is a must try!

P.S. If you’re local, swing in Sweet Jordan’s and pick up a fresh loaf of sourdough to build the perfect basket!

Nashville Hot Deer Nuggets

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

1lb venison backstrap
1 bottle Nashville Hot marinade
1 box Spicy Chicken Fry Mix
Oil for frying

Instructions

Cut the venison backstrap into small "nuggets" (around 2x1 in is my preference) and let them marinade in Allegro's Nashville Hot for at least 1 hour.
Fill the bottom of a cast iron skillet with about 1 inch of oil ( I use avocado or peanut) and place over medium high heat. While the oil is heating, prepare your battering station by combining 1/4 cup of dry mix* with 1/2 cup of cool water and mixing well. Then place the rest of your dry mix in a container to shake or plate to roll.
Dip the nuggets in the wet batter, roll/shake in the dry mix, then fry for approximately 3-4 minutes per side. I highly recommend enjoying with pickles!

Notes

* I typically use Zatarain's New Orleans Style Spicy Chicken Fry Mix but Louisiana makes a good one, too. If you want to make your own, just mix flour and your favorite spicy seasoning until you get your preferred level of heat.

Frying Tip

I see it all the time and have done it myself, a lot. When it’s time to fry, break out the paper towels and fold them in layers to soak up the dripping grease. This, in my opinion, isn’t always the best practice. I was in Memphis several years ago and hit up Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. If you’ve never been, go! Anyway, while I was there, I noticed them hanging the chicken baskets to “drip dry” when they took them out of the fryer. Obviously, my kitchen isn’t equipped for this level of chicken frying and figure most people’s aren’t either. What I started doing, though, was placing a roasting basket on a cookie sheet. I put the fried goods in the basket and let any excess grease drip off onto the cookie sheet to discard later. No more soggy bottom peel offs!

For more delicious venison recipes, check out Smothered Venison Backstrap, Southwestern Chili, and DIY 50/50 Sloppy Joe.

Buffalo Chicken Mac

October 10, 2019 by Cody

This deliciously gooey and spicy Buffalo Chicken Mac will have you stuffed with satisfaction. Seriously! I literally eat to excess every time I make this.

Back in my law school days…….well, the two years that I attended anyway, my meal prep/cooking would lag on occasion. At times it was just easier to swing by somewhere on the two (plus) hour commute to grab food. The closest restaurant to school had this as an appetizer! I had been warned that it was as filling as any meal but was like, psssshht. I mean, I’m a foodie and can put it away with the best of them. If you didn’t know this, early phase law students (some……not all) tend to parallel the Globo Gym motto.

Oh, what’d you know!? I was wrong, haha. I walked into three and half hours of some overly interesting lecture 🤨 (after working the better part of the day) weighted down with gooey deliciousness. All internal and external signals were saying “sleeeeeep, sleeeeeep”. The struggle was real, but the food was good. So, I tortured myself with this same scenario on more than one occasion.

I rarely pass that restaurant these days and am unlikely to make any special trips to make it happen. Instead, doing what I do, I recreated it myself. When I get the crave, I hit the kitchen and whip this up in less than 30 minutes!

Buffalo Chicken Mac

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

8 oz mild cheddar
8 oz American cheese
8 oz milk
1 box chicken fry mix
1.5 lbs chicken tenders
16 oz trompetti noodles
croutons
buffalo sauce

Instructions

Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
Add trompetti noodles and return to boil. Cook uncovered until done, or approximately 12 minutes.
Strain noodles and return to pot.
Cube or shred the cheeses and add to the pot with milk. Place on medium-low heat and cover. Stir often.
Once cheese has melted, remove from heat.
Batter the chicken in fry mix. Follow the instructions on the specific fry mix of your choice. I use Zataran's New Orleans Style Hot & Spicy; which requires me to mix a small amount of water with the mix, dip chicken tenders in the liquid, then roll in the dry mix.
Fry chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165, or approximately 6-8 minutes for tenders.
Chop the chicken tenders and toss in the buffalo sauce of your choice. I like Guy Fieri's Buffalo NY Wing Sauce and Moore's, too.
Mix in with the pasta.
Garnish with croutons and drizzle with buffalo sauce. If you want to get extra cheesy, top with fresh shredded cheese.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 581Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 1269mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 33g

Air Fryer Wings

September 5, 2019 by Cody

These crispy, juicy air fryer wings are so tasty and easy that they’re sure to be a new favorite.

A party invite shouldn’t become a stressor. We’ve all been there! Football season has started, but so has school, the kid’s extra curriculars are back in full swing, and the weekend “to-do” list isn’t getting any shorter. So don’t let an appetizer feel like a ball and chain. Rather it be game day, fight night, or any other “bring a dish” gathering; these chicken wings have got you covered! All you have to do is dump them in the air fryer, press the button, toss in your favorite sauce and you’ll be ready to bring some flavor to the party. Even better, while they’re busy getting crispy, you can still keep checking things off your “to-do” list.

Air Fryer Wings

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

4 lbs chicken wings

Instructions

Put chicken wings in air fryer at 390 (or recommended setting for your machine).
Set timer for 55 minutes; press start, and walk away. It's that easy! If you're working with thawed chicken wings then cut your time down to 30-35 minutes.
About halfway through, return and give the basket a shake, tossing the wings around.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to do two rounds. No big deal, just place the cooked wings in the warmer. I have a Phillips Starfish Technology XL and it takes me two to cook a 4 lb bag of wings.
When all wings are cooked, toss in your favorite sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 220Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4.5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9.5gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 290mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 19g

I like a variety, so I’ll typically toss two or three flavors. So here are three sauces that you can whip up real quick if you choose to not buy or make your own favorite sauce:

Buffalo Garlic (not spicy)

1/2 tbsp garlic and herb seasoning
1 tbsp Buffalo seasoning
2 tsp Parmesan
1/4 cup creamy Italian dressing (not vinaigrette)

Sriracha BBQ (sweet & nice w/ a little spice)

1/8 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Korean BBQ (spicy)

1/4 cup gochujang sauce
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ginger (minced)
1/4 tsp garlic (minced)
1/8 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp fresh chives (finely chopped)