Turkey is considered one of the most dietary meat products. It is given to young children as complementary foods, and nutritionists also advise patients with metabolic disorders. Boiled or grilled turkey is healthy. Many farmers grow this bird for themselves. The article will discuss how to cook delicious turkey meat, but at the same time preserve all its beneficial properties.
What is a turkey?
To start with, turkey is one of the largest representatives of chicken, which belongs to the pheasant family. Some people think that turkey and turkey are different breeds of birds. However, these are only representatives of the female and male sexes of the same breed.
Useful properties of turkey meat
It is customary to eat a bird that has not reached 4 months of age. By this time, the turkey will weigh about 9-10 kg, and its meat will have maximum taste characteristics.
Turkey meat is widely used in cooking, nutrition, and baby food. The meat of this bird is very tender and tasty. It has a creamy texture and pink color. The most useful is the brisket. After cooking, the fillet becomes somewhat dry, but remains as useful as possible.
The meat has a lot of magnesium and phosphorus, a little fat and other undesirable components. Iron, phosphorus, B vitamins and a lot of protein - these are all the substances that make a turkey so indispensable in the nutrition of modern man.
General principles for grilling meat
As you know, grilling is one of the ways to cook food. It does not require additional fat and oil, but at the same time, excess of these substances leave the meat under the influence of high temperatures.
Grilled turkey is cooked in a marinade. Ideally, if the meat is soaked in juice and spices, at least for 2-3 hours.
You can grill any parts of this bird, however, it is worthwhile to understand that dark and light meat is cooked at different times. Therefore, they are laid out on the grill in stages.
The grill can be any: electric, frying pan or oven. However, the most delicious meat is obtained on real coals, cooked in the fresh air.
Original marinade
This type of preparation is ideal for breasts. You can cook the turkey in a grill pan in a tomato marinade. In this sauce, the meat becomes very tender and soft.
For cooking, you need 600-800 grams of turkey breast, 5 tbsp. tablespoons of tomato paste or sauce, 150 ml of mineral water (highly carbonated), 2-3 medium onions, 50 ml of soy sauce, spices, herbs and pita bread for serving.
First, cook the turkey. We divide the meat into uniform slices with a thickness of 15-20 mm and beat on both sides to make it soft.
From the remaining ingredients we prepare liquid marinade (pasta, mineral water, soy sauce and spices). Cut the onion into rings or half rings and also add to the marinade along with the meat. Before you start cooking, let the excess sauce drain. Of course, if you cook meat at the stake - this is not necessary. But for a frying pan or electric grill - this is very important.
Serve the finished treat with greens, fresh vegetables and pita bread.
Grilled turkey: recipe in kefir sauce
Not sure how to surprise guests? You can grill turkey fillet marinated in kefir sauce. This dish is very tasty and non-greasy. The poultry meat in kefir marinade becomes very tender.
For cooking, you need to take 1 kg of turkey meat and divide it into small pieces. In some recipes, it is advised to marinate just the legs, but then it is worth making a large number of cuts in them so that the sauce soaks them to the very bones. Marinade is prepared from a glass of low-fat kefir (you can also low-fat), spices and salt to taste, as well as with the addition of chopped garlic (4-6 cloves).
By the way, garlic, to some extent, can contribute to weight loss, and it is also an excellent antioxidant. Therefore, you can put a little more in this dish of this product.
Marinate the meat for at least 3-4 hours in the refrigerator in a closed container. You can also add onion rings to enhance the taste. We serve the finished dish with vegetables or boiled rice. Remember that the legs of the turkey must be well-fried, because it is a fairly dense fiber meat, so check its readiness very carefully.
With mustard
Almost all men love mustard marinade. This combination of pungency and sweetness lends a special flavor to meat. It should be noted that turkey cooked in mustard marinade is a specific dish. Not everyone can like its unusual taste. If in doubt whether this option is right for you, grill the turkey steak marinated in mustard sauce for the sample.
If you decide to cook such a dish for a large company, then do not experiment. Most of the meat is best prepared according to the classic recipe, but the part is made with mustard. If the marinade is to the taste of the majority, and guests will appreciate the dish, then the next time this recipe can become your signature.
So, for an unusual turkey sauce, you need the products:
- a glass of oily sour cream;
- a tablespoon of ordinary mustard;
- a few cloves of garlic;
- salt and spices to taste.
This amount of sauce is enough to pickle 800-1000 grams of meat. Remember, if you take more poultry, then all other ingredients need twice as much. Any meat must be marinated in a sufficient amount of sauce so that the upper pieces are not weathered.
Divide the fillet into slices of medium thickness (about 1 cm) and beat off a little. Many housewives just make incisions along the meat so that the marinade soaks the slice completely. Here it’s every cook’s business.
Marinade is a mixture of sour cream, mustard, spices and salt. And you can take the most diverse spices: a mixture of peppers, paprika, curry, turmeric. Do not experiment with herbs, they can burn on the grill.
Slices with a golden brown crust served with grilled vegetables or boiled potatoes. We decorate everything with greenery.
In the onion marinade
Did you know that onion gives any meat a sweetish flavor and gives it a soft structure. That is why it is advised to add to dry chicken breasts. But if you marinate the meat in a large amount of this vegetable, it turns out just an incredibly tasty dish.
To begin with, we will understand what is necessary for cooking turkey on the grill. For 1 kg of meat, you need a pound of onion, salt, spices, 3-4 tablespoons of mayonnaise (can be replaced with low-fat sour cream).
Cooking always starts with meat. It should be crushed to pieces (cubes) of medium size. Then we mix the remaining ingredients with onion chopped on a blender and combine with the meat. Leave for 4 hours in the refrigerator. It is best placed in layers (onions and turkey) in a container with a tight lid. The first and last layers should be onion. Turn the container over every hour.
Before you put the bird on the grill, pieces should be shaken off from excess onions, otherwise it will simply burn and give bitterness. This dish can be served with fresh vegetables, bread or a side dish of buckwheat. As a sauce (for those who are a little dry), sour cream can be used.
Adjika Wings
As we have discussed above, turkey drumsticks are quite large, so they will require a lot of time not only for cooking, but also for pickling. But the wings in this regard are the best option.
So, we take 10-12 wings, 1.5-2 tablespoons of acute adjika, a glass of tomato juice, salt and spices, as well as one onion.
Wings should be washed and inspected for the presence of "hemp" from the feathers. If you want the dish to be ready faster, then it is worth cutting the wings into joints.
We cook marinade from adjika, tomato juice and spices. We completely dip the wings in the marinade and dip them well on all sides. Add onion rings and leave for several hours. Make sure that there is enough liquid (sauce) for the entire amount of meat. Serve with herbs (dill, parsley).
With honey
Quite often, such a dish is made in haste, but it turns out very unusual. For cooking, you need to take a pound of turkey meat, a spoonful of honey and mustard, as well as 80-100 ml of soy sauce. Garlic and spices are added to taste.
Grilled turkey marinade is prepared by mixing all the ingredients: honey, soy sauce, mustard and spices. The meat must be cut into thin strips (so it is soaked and fried faster). We cook on the grill and serve with vegetables and herbs.
In the beer fill
Beer is an excellent product for pickling any meat. It is also great for making turkey. To make a marinade (per 1 kg of meat), you need to take the following ingredients:
- 0.5 liter of beer;
- 1 tbsp. l honey ;
- 1 tsp mustard powder;
- spices (choose to your taste);
- garlic;
- salt and a little sunflower oil.
Grilled turkey breast in a beer fill will win the hearts of both men and women.
Mix honey and mustard powder with spices. Then add 500 ml of dark beer and mix well. Garlic must be crushed or finely chopped with a knife. Immerse turkey meat in the prepared sauce and leave it in the refrigerator for several hours.
During this time, you can make sour cream sauce, which is served on the table for the prepared meat. This will require the following ingredients:
- 130 g sour cream;
- 30 ml of soy sauce;
- a little dill and chopped garlic.
All components must be mixed.
The sauce should be in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This time is necessary for all components to absorb each other's juice.
Cooking Tips
The grilled dish will turn out soft if you take a young turkey (3-4 months). Older individuals lose many of their taste, and their meat becomes tough.
If vinegar is present in the recipe as a marinade, then it is better to give preference to apple or wine. They are much healthier and tastes much softer.
Onion for sauce and marinade after chopping must be crushed by hand. It will release juice, which makes the meat soft and aromatic.
Grilled turkey: calories
Many are interested in how many calories are in this grilled dietary meat. Quite a bit: about 120 -150 kcal per 100 grams of product. Everything, of course, depends on what the bird will pickle.