Buffalo Wild Turkey Mac N Cheese with Southern Greens

I always enjoy a good serving of mac-n-cheese. While the classic dish makes an outstanding side to a full meal, a few additional ingredients make it into a full meal in its own right. One of my favorite add-ons to mac-n-cheese is fried wild turkey tossed in buffalo sauce. To kick this one up even more, I added some old fashioned southern collard greens.

What’s better than plain macaroni and cheese? Add southern greens and top with buffalo tossed wild turkey. All images by author

You can always slow cook the collard, turnip or mixed greens with a ham hock or some smoked sausage, but, if you happen to be in a bit of a rush, a can of Glory Foods brand Seasoned Southern Style Mixed Greens will work in a pinch. They are as close to homemade as I’ve found and I always keep a can or three on hand for recipes like this. Use your favorite Buffalo wing sauce. For this one I used both Crystal Hot Sauce and Crystal Buffalo Wing Sauce.

Use your favorite hot sauce and wing sauce for this one.

For the mac portion of the dish, you can use traditional elbow macaroni if you prefer, but I go with rotini. The corkscrew shape holds just a little bit more of the creamy cheese sauce. Plus, that is what I had in the pantry today.

Start by cooking the wild turkey. Cut up about a pound of wild turkey breast into bite sized chunks. Sprinkle with seasoned salt.

Cut your turkey into bite-sized nuggets.

Toss in your favorite brand of seasoned flour or chicken fry mix. I used Louisiana Brand Chicken Fry for this one.

Coat your wild turkey nuggets in your favorite chicken breading.

Deep fry in 350 degree oil until crisp and just cooked through. Once the turkey is cooked, drain on a paper towel lined platter, and then transfer to a lidded bowl.

Fry the wild turkey nuggets until just cooked through with a crispy golden exterior.

Add the buffalo sauce and replace the lid, then shake well to evenly coat the turkey.

Cook the pasta in salted water according to package instructions. While the pasta cooks, in a large sauce pan or small pot, melt the butter and then add the flour. Stir the flour for a few minutes until it starts to turn a blonde color.

Make a flour and butter roux.

Slowly add the milk and cream and stir until the mixture reaches a light boil. As the sauce starts to thicken, reduce the heat to low. Add the salt, pepper, mustard powder, onion powder, and hot sauce.

Add the milk and seasonings to the sauce and stir until it thickens.

Blend the cheese in and stir until it melts.

Blend in the cheese and stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is thick.

Drain the pasta and add it to the cheese sauce, stirring well to fully blend.

Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and stir to blend and coat evenly.

Add the drained greens and stir well to incorporate.

Stir the green into the mac n cheese..

Top with the buffalo turkey nuggets just before serving.