Cajun Roasted Turkey Wings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Soul Food

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 2

Marinate Time: 1

Total Time: 3 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 546kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

The best baked turkey wings ever with Cajun seasoning and homemade gravy

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Equipment

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.

Notes

Preparation

You can make this recipe up to two days ahead of time as long as you store them properly in the refrigerator.

Turkey wings have three parts: the drum, the wing, and the wing tip. The drum is the most meaty then the wing, whereas the wing tip has very little meat and is often discarded. You can cut the wing tip off before cooking if you like but I prefer to leave it on. Either way, don’t discard the wing tips! Save them to make flavorful broth!

The Cajun spice rub serves as a dry brine so it is important to really work it into the turkey skin and meat and let it marinate for an hour at the very minimum. An overnight marinade is my recommendation.

It's important to let the turkey rest before serving so the meat can relax and soak in the juices.

Storage

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.

Nutrition