My Cajun roasted turkey wings are perfect for a proper downhome dinner moment and a great option for holiday meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas! In this post I'm giving you all the advice you need to get them right the first time.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my buttermilk spatchcock turkey and roasted herb butter turkey breast, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Perfectly Juicy - All the ingredients and techniques used in this slow roasted turkey wing recipe support super juicy turkey wings that you don't have to wear out your jaw trying to chew. They're flavorful and tender straight from the oven.
Simple Steps - Roast turkey wings is not a quick recipe but it is actually pretty easy. Be sure to peep my pro tips to get the very best results in your own kitchen.
Around here, turkey is a family fave beyond Thanksgiving. Get into my juicy turkey burger sliders, Nigerian beans with smoked turkey, and collard greens with with turkey, too!
How to Get Turkey Juicy
Turkeys are large birds with lots of lean meat muscle and you can see and feel just how tough the meat on the wings are--which makes sense since they use them to fly.
Because of this, turkey meat is notoriously tough and needs a longer cooking time. The other thing working against us with more lean meat is that fat has two benefits: it adds moisture as it is melted AND it tends to absorb more of the flavor you add to it.
So, to get the turkey juicy, we will rub it down in a dry brine, we need to marinate it for a good while to allow the brine to work and give the flavor as much chance as possible to seep into the meat, and then cook it thoroughly with extra moisture in the pan!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Uncooked Turkey Wings or wing portions. I developed this recipe using full turkey wings but you can also make this recipe with the same weight in portions, aka, drums, and/or flats.
Pro Tip #1
Turkey wings have three parts: drum, wing, and wing tip. The drum is the meatiest then the wing, and the wing tip has very little meat. You can cut the wing tip off before cooking if you like but I prefer to leave it on. Either way, don't discard those wing tips! Save them for making roasted turkey wing stock.
Aromatics like onion, bell pepper, and garlic for layers of flavor. I recommend using sweet yellow onion and green bell pepper, specifically, for the best taste but you can use what's available.
Cajun Spices give the meat beautiful flavor with smoked paprika, cayenne, and more plus dried herbs--parsley, basil, and oregano--which rehydrate during the cooking process for full color and flavor.
Chicken Broth and Bouillon deepen the savory flavor factor and add moisture that helps get the turkey tender and juicy.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
The Bouillon - Use cubes, including Maggi cubes, or Better than Bouillon paste.
Pre-Mixed Spices - I add all the components of Cajun seasoning individually in order to play with the proportions to my liking (including adding extra cayenne) but feel free to use a ready Cajun spice blend.
How to Make Cajun Style Turkey Wings
- Step 1: Mix up the spices, herbs, and minced garlic then rub this mixture very well into all parts of the wings and marinate.
- Step 2: Add chicken broth, aromatics, and marinated wings to pan (in that order) then cover with foil and place in oven to bake.
Pro Tip #2
The spice rub acts as a dry brine so it's important to work it into the turkey skin and meat and let it marinate for an hour at the least. Even longer is better up to overnight!
Pro Tip #3
Baking the turkey wings covered creates a nice steamy environment that keeps moisture all around the meat and helps maintain a stable cooking temperature.
- Step 3: While the wings finish baking, make the gravy with melted butter, some of the pan juices, and cornstarch slurry.
- Step 4: Bake the wings uncovered for the last 30 minutes and baste with the pan juices.
Pro Tip #3
When you check the turkey wings for doneness and remove the foil, scoop out some of the pan liquid to make the gravy.
Pro Tip #4
After basting, let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before serving so the meat can relax and soak in the juices.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make this recipe up to two days ahead of time as long as you store them properly in the refrigerator.
Store the cooked wings in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days.
To freeze, wrap the wings in plastic wrap then aluminum foil or in aluminum foil then inside an airtight container for up to three months.
Turkey wings generally take at least one hour to full cook to 165 degrees farenheit internal temperature. The size and thickness of the wings and drums also dictate the cooking time. I recommend starting to check the temperature for doneness at the 1.5 hour cooking mark.
How to Serve
Of course, serve your Cajun baked turkey wings with the gravy! It adds an extra oomph of flavor and moisture.
I also recommend adding the roasted peppers and onions to your plate. Turkey wings with peppers and onions are great over plain white rice but I like serving mine with jollof rice for razzle dazzle!
If you're serving turkey wings on Thanksgiving, don't forget a side of homemade bourbon cranberry sauce.
And speaking of sides, keep it soulful: baked mac and cheese, mustard greens, Cajun cornbread dressing, southern green beans, and slow cooked yams.
Wash everything down with a sweet tea old fashioned or peach iced tea and save room for dessert: strawberry cream pound cake, red velvet cake or Soul Food peach cobbler.
More Favorite Main Dish Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy baked turkey wings and gravy soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Cajun Roasted Turkey Wings
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 kitchen shears optional
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 8 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 bouillon cubes crushed into powder
- 6 pounds turkey wings whole wings, flats, and or drums
- 1 sweet yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth or stock
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Mix the Dry Rub: Whisk together the garlic, smoked paprika, dried parsley, sea salt, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme powder, dried basil, oregano, black pepper, white pepper, and bouillon powder. Set aside.8 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground thyme, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¾ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, 2 bouillon cubes
- Prepare the Turkey Wings: Use knife and/or kitchen shears to separate the turkey wings into flats and drums and remove wing tips, if desired. (I leave them on and use them to make roasted turkey bone broth later!) Pat the skin of the turkey dry then rub all sides with spice mixture. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least one hour up to overnight (the longer the better).6 pounds turkey wings
- Remove turkey from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
- Roast the Wings: Pour chicken broth into a roasting pan. Chop the onion and bell pepper then place into roasting pan with the chicken broth. (The onion and pepper pieces will prop the turkey up so that it is not sitting in the chicken broth, which would wash off the seasoning. Place rubbed turkey wings on top of peppers and onions. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil then transfer to oven to roast.1 sweet yellow onion, 3 cups chicken broth, 1 green bell pepper
- After one hour of roasting, check the turkey's temperature by sticking a food thermometer into the thickest part of the largest piece. Once it gets to about 140 degrees, remove the foil and scoop out one cup of liquid from the pan (If your turkey pieces are larger and/or packed tightly in the pan, you will probably need to move a piece or two around to get the liquid.)
- Bake turkey uncovered for another 30 minutes or until internal temperature of meat reaches 165 degrees farenheit and wings are golden brown.
- Meanwhile, Make the Gravy: Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Pour the reserved pan liquid into saucepan. Separately mix together cornstarch and water to make a slurry then stir the slurry into the saucepan. Bring liquid to a light bubbling boil then reduce heat to low and simmer until the wings are done, allowing it to thicken.¼ cup unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water
- Finish and Serve: Once turkey wings are done baking, baste repeatedly with the pan liquid then let them rest for about 20 minutes. Serve with gravy.
Krysten says
My first time trying turkey wings! I've only ever smoked them to use in soups and stews. Delicious recipe with amazing Cajun flavor!
Chenee says
These came out SO flavorful and delicious! I never realized how simple it is to make turkey wings taste so amazing.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks, Chenee! Glad you enjoyed them.
Maria says
Can this be done with chicken and how would I do it?
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Maria! Yes, you can use chicken wings instead. I recommend marinating the wings for the same amount of time but cutting the cook time roughly in half. You can start checking for doneness after 45 minutes. Hope this helps.