Paired with green chiles and cream cheese, your gobbler's legs and thighs make a tasty addition to this hearty Mexican dish

Wild Turkey Leg Green Chile Enchiladas

45 Min

Prep Time

30 Min

Cook Time

5-7

Servings

Medium

Difficulty

It hurts my heart when people say they only take the breast meat from their wild turkeys because they're leaving more than half of the bird behind. Those legs and thighs? They taste even better than the breast meat. They just need a little more time when it comes to cooking.

After slow cooking, the meat falls away from the bones of the leg and thigh.

One of our favorite things to do with turkey legs and thighs is to cook them with chicken broth and Mexican seasonings in our Weston Realtree Slow Cooker. The result? Several cups of flavorful, shredded wild turkey that works perfectly for tacos, sandwiches or these green chile and cream cheese wild turkey enchiladas.
Top with sour cream and your favorite salsa verde before serving.

Ingredients

8 large, soft corn or flour tortillas

2 tablespoons butter

8 oz. cream cheese

One 7-ounce can of diced roasted green chiles

1 pair of wild turkey legs and thighs

2 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, minced (optional)

16 ounces shredded queso cheese

1 cup milk

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

One 7-ounce can roasted green chile peppers

Cooking Instructions

Start this one the morning or even the evening before you are ready to assemble the enchiladas. Add the turkey legs and thighs, along with 2 cups of chicken broth, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, and 1 teaspoon each of cumin and Kosher salt to the slow cooker. Turn it on low and let it cook for 8 to 10 hours.

Once the turkey is just about ready, mix the sauce by heating the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes. And the jalapeno (optional), green chile peppers, milk and shredded queso cheese to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir constantly until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Keep the pan on low heat, stirring occasionally, while you prep the enchiladas.

Blend the cheese sauce with more green chile peppers.

Remove the turkey from the slow cooker. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, then use a pair of forks to pull and shred the meat. Add the butter to a skillet over medium heat.

Blend the shredded meat with cream cheese and green chile peppers.

Add the shredded turkey breast and an 8-ounce block of cream cheese and the can of green chile peppers. Stir until the cream cheese has melted through. If you need to thin the mixture, add a few tablespoons of the stock from the slow cooker.

Simmer to blend the cream cheese into the meat.

Assemble the enchiladas by spooning some of the meat mixture down the center of a tortilla. Top with shredded Monterey jack cheese.

Assemble the enchiladas by filling the tortillas with meat and a bit of shredded cheese.

Roll the tortilla and place it into a greased casserole dish. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas. Top with the melted cheese sauce.

Pour the cheese sauce over the enchiladas.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and golden brown.