Juicy, perfectly baked turkey wings are topped with a rich, savoury sauce in this easy-smothered turkey wings recipe. This recipe is perfect if you're looking for an easy Southern-style comfort food to enjoy this fall!
Turkey season is finally here, and I'm so excited to try out lots of new recipes using the bird. My herb roasted turkey is perfect to try for a Thanksgiving dinner you're hosting, and you can try my peppered turkey wings or baked turkey drumsticks for more casual occasions and parties.
This time, however, I wanted to try something a bit different with the turkey wings I had at hand, so I thought, why not recreate a Southern-style recipe?
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What I Love About this Recipe
It's the perfect comforting family meal that everyone will enjoy. The subtle savory flavors will surely be a hit even with the kids.
It's super straightforward to make and tastes absolutely smashing.
You don't need many ingredients to put it together—just a few pantry staples and minutes of hands-on kitchen time.
Recipe Ingredients
Turkey wings: I used fresh turkey wings split into flats and drumettes.
Veggies: I used celery, onions, and red bell peppers because that's what I had at hand.
Seasonings: I used garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, onion powder, poultry seasoning and some salt.
Oil: To help the seasonings stick to the turkey wings.
Butter: For the roux.
Flour: To make the roux so the sauce can thicken.
Broth: Use chicken broth for extra flavour. Low-sodium chicken broth works well too.
Parsley: To add that freshness and pop of colour.
Check the recipe card for quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Experiment with different spices and seasonings to tweak the recipe to your liking. I love using my Italian seasoning mix when I want the turkey to have a more uncomplicated, subtle, toned-down flavour.
- You can also add some extra cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the mix to amp up the heat and give the smothered turkey wings a kick of spice.
- You can use turkey thighs or legs if you don't have turkey wings. In fact, you can recreate this recipe with chicken wings, too!
How to Make Smothered Turkey Wings
Preheat the oven to 400℉ and lightly grease the baking dish. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the salt, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, parsley, paprika, poultry seasoning, garlic, and onion powder.
- Put the turkey wings into a mixing bowl and pat dry. Sprinkle the seasoning mix and oil on the wings, making sure they're well coated on both sides. Use your hand to rub the seasonings perfectly.
- Transfer the turkey wings to the greased baking dish, ensuring they don't overlap. Place the onions, celery, bell peppers, and butter on the wings. Pour the broth inside.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour or more, depending on the size of your wings.
- After fully cooked, pour the drippings into a saucepan or skillet and add the flour. Whisk until combined. Simmer until it thickens. Adjust the consistency of the gravy according to likeness, either by adding more water/broth or flour.
- Pour the gravy over the turkey wings. Bake again, open for 30 minutes until tender. The sauce will thicken more in the oven. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
How to Store Leftover Turkey Wings and Gravy
You can store leftover smothered wings in the refrigerator for up to four days and reheat them whenever you like.
They can also be frozen, but I don't recommend that, especially if you want to enjoy juicy and tender turkey wings.
To reheat the turkey wings, use your microwave or pop them in a preheated oven for a few minutes until they are nice and warm.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Make sure you pat dry the wings before you coat them in the spices and oil. This will help make them nice and crispy on the outside.
- If you have extra time, marinate the turkey wings in advance- ideally 24 hours ahead- for all those flavours to deepen. Place the marinated wings in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate them until you're ready to bake.
- Remember that the time needed to cook the turkey wings will depend on their size. Larger wings will take slightly longer to cook than smaller wings.
- When making the roux and preparing the gravy, use a mix of half-and-half and broth to lend it an extra bit of rich and delicious flavour.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Enjoy these tender turkey wings and savory gravy with some steamed rice just like I did, or pair them with some pumpkin shaped dinner rolls if you're entertaining and want to make an impression.
I think these saucy turkey wings will also taste fantastic when paired with the saffron rice from my lamb and saffron rice recipe.
And of course, they'll also taste insanely delicious when served with some Southern collard greens or Southern fried cabbage.
Recipe FAQs
You can let the gravy reduce for a bit or mix in a simple roux made using butter, flour and broth and let it simmer until it thickens.
If the gravy seems too thick, add a splash of water or broth into it and whisk it to get it to the right consistency.
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the wings. If it reads 165 degrees or more, the turkey is ready to be enjoyed.
More Main Dishes Recipes to Try
If you tried these smothered turkey wings or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Smothered Turkey Wings
Tender, juicy turkey wings are baked to perfection and topped with a rich, spicy gravy in this easy smothered turkey wings recipe.
- Mixing bowl
- Baking Dish
- Sauce pan
- Spatula
- 2.5 lb Turkey wings (split into flats and drums. )
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Blackpepper
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Parsley (dried)
- 1 cup Broth
- 2 stems Celery (chopped)
- ½ medium Onion (chopped, julienne)
- 1 Bell pepper (red or green. julienne cut)
- 1 cup Broth
- 2 tablespoon Flour
- 3 tablespoon Butter
- 3 tablespoon Oil
Preheat the oven to 400℉ and lightly grease the baking dish. Set aside.
Mix the salt, blackpepper, cajun, parsley, paprika, poultry seasoning, garlic and onion powder in a small bowl.
Put the turkey wings into a mixing bowl and pat dry.
Sprinkle the seasoning mix and oil on the turkey wings and make sure it's well coated on both sides. Use your hand to rub the seasonings perfectly.
Transfer the turkey wings to the greased baking dish making sure they don't overlap.
Place the onions, celery bell peppers, and butter on the wings. Pour the broth inside. Cover with an aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour or more depending on the size of your wings.
After fully cooked, pour the drippings to a sauce pan or skillet and add the flour. Whisk until combined. Simmer until it thickens. Adjust the consistency of the gravy according to likeness, either by adding more water/broth or flour.
Pour the gravy over the turkey wings. Bake again opened for 30 minutes until tender, The sauce will thicken more in the oven.
Remove from the oven and serve immedietly.
- Make sure you pat dry the wings before you coat them in the spices and the oil. Doing this will help make them nice and crispy on the outside.
- If you have some extra time, marinate the turkey wings in advance- ideally 24 hours ahead of time, for all those flavors to deepen. Place the marinated wings in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate them until you're ready to bake.
- Remember that the time needed to cook the turkey wings will depend on their size. Larger wings will take slightly longer to cook than smaller wings.
- To lend the gravy an extra bit of rich and delicious flavor, use a mix of half and half and broth when making the roux and preparing the gravy.
Lisa says
I used this recipe for dinner & 🍽️ t was a big hit. The wings came out juicy, tender & the taste was GREAT!
Thanks so much
Bilikis says
Delicious and well presented
Bilikis says
Delicious
Bilikis says
Yummy yummy
Bilikis says
Thanks for the recipe ma