Best Crispy Turkey Fingers Recipes

CRISPY CHICKEN FINGERS

Steps:

• Cut the chicken lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Whisk the milk, cayenne, eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper in another shallow dish until combined. Put the breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish.
• Dredge the chicken fingers in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg mixture, and finally coat with the panko breadcrumbs, pressing to help adhere well. Set aside on a piece of wax paper or a baking sheet.
• Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the chicken fingers, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken fingers to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and season with salt. Serve with honey mustard, spicy ketchup and/or ranch dressing for dipping.

ROAST TURKEY WITH LEMON & GARLIC

Steps:

• Up to two days ahead, make the salt mix by grinding the salt with the thyme leaves and pepper in a spice grinder or using a pestle and mortar. Sit the turkey in a roasting tin and gently push your fingers under the skin, starting from the neck, until you can push your whole hand in down the length of the breast. Take care not to tear the skin.
• Season the bird all over with the salt mix, inside and out and under the skin. Leave the turkey in the tin, breast-side up, and put in the fridge for up to two days - the longer you salt it, the more succulent the turkey will be. For the crispest skin, leave the turkey uncovered so it dries out, but loosely cover it if you prefer.
• Tip the butter, vegetable stock powder and lemon zest into a small bowl and mix until completely combined. Cover and chill. Can be made a few days ahead or frozen, wrapped in cling film, for one month.
• Remove the turkey from the fridge an hour or so before you want to cook it. Remove the butter from the fridge to soften. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Work out your cooking time based on 40 mins per kg for the first 4kg, plus 45 mins for every kg after that.
• Use your hands to spread the butter under the skin so that it covers the entire breast area and work it into the crevice between the thigh and the main body, then smooth the skin over with your hands. Put the onion, lemon halves, and garlic in the cavity.
• Cover the tin loosely with foil and roast for the calculated cooking time. Around 30 mins before the end of cooking, increase the oven temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, remove the foil, baste the turkey and return to the oven. When the turkey is beautifully brown and cooked through, remove from the oven and leave to rest on a warm platter covered with foil for up to 1 hr. Save the juices from the tin to make gravy.

TURKEY WITH EXTRA-CRISPY SKIN

Steps:

• Pat turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.
• Starting at the opening of the turkey cavity, gently ease your fingers beneath the skin to create air space over the breast and legs.
• Place turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight or up to two days to allow the skin to dry slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Pat cavity of bird dry if necessary.
• In a small bowl, combine chopped rosemary, oil, salt and pepper and make a paste.
• Rub about 1/3 of paste underneath the skin onto breast and thigh meat.
• Rub remaining paste over skin and inside cavity.
• Tie turkey legs together with kitchen string and tuck wing tips underneath body.
• Place turkey upside down (back will be up, breast and legs will be pointing down) on the rack and roast until skin on back is deeply browned, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Remove turkey from the oven, protecting your hands with gloves or a folded kitchen towel, and turn turkey breast-side up. Continue to roast until breast and legs are nicely browned and the joints at the leg and wing begin to be flexible, about 1 more hour.
• Raise the oven temperature to 475°F. Continue roasting until skin is browned and crisp, and a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh (not touching bone) registers 165°F and juices run clear when you poke the thigh with a paring knife, 20 to 30 minutes longer.
• Remove turkey from the oven and place on a cutting board. Let rest, uncovered, about 25 minutes before carving.
• Arrange carved turkey on a platter garnished with rosemary sprigs.

CRISPY-SKINNED HERB-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Three days before cooking the turkey, rinse, clean and dry the turkey thoroughly.
• In a food processor, pulse the salt, granulated garlic, black pepper, bay leaves, thyme, orange zest and rosemary until still coarse but uniform, about 10 times. Rub the inside of the turkey with the salt mix. Then carefully slip your fingers under the breast skin and rub a liberal amount UNDER the skin. Flip the turkey on its side and sprinkle more of the salt mixture on the thigh, wing and leg. Repeat on other side.
• Place the bird in a large zipper-top bag or brining bag. (If neither is available, cover in plastic wrap.) Place the bird on a wire rack on a sheet pan breast-side up, and place in the fridge away from any raw food (on a lower shelf). Leave in the fridge for 3 days.
• On the night before cooking, remove the turkey from the fridge and take it out of the plastic. The skin should be dry and the salt should be dissolved. If any large patches of moisture are present, wipe with paper towels. Place back in the fridge, uncovered, for another 8 hours to dry out.
• On the day of, take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Fit a roasting pan with a wire v-rack.
• Put the turkey in the roasting pan and brush with the melted butter. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 325 degrees F and roast, basting occasionally, until the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about another 2 hours. Let the turkey rest for 30 to 45 minutes before carving.

CRISPY TURKEY FINGERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Rinse and pat dry the turkey breast and slice into 1/2 inch strips.
• Add sage, thyme, salt, and pepper to bread crumbs and mix well.
• Dip turkey fingers into egg white and cover with crumbs mix.
• Place fingers onto baking sheet and bake, turning once, about 10 minutes.