Extra Crispy Restaurant-Style Fried Turkey Fingers

My entire family loves to turkey hunt. By the end of a good spring, we usually have quite a bit of turkey meat stashed in the freezer. I love to cook and eat it in all sorts of recipes. Now, anytime I post a recipe that’s other than fried, I can count on the bulk of the comments telling me I “ruined” it. I get it. Fried turkey breast is good. I love it too. But, as good as it is, I don’t want it every meal. Yet when I do fry up some turkey breast, I like to do it right, and these restaurant-style turkey fingers give you all the flavor and crunch you could ask for.

This fried turkey recipe will rival anything you can get from a restaurant. All images by Michael Pendley

You ever bite into a really good restaurant chicken finger and get that explosive crunch followed by tons of flavor? All chicken fingers should strive to be that. Sadly, most don’t live up to expectations. With this recipe, you can turn out a super crunchy, extremely flavorful fried wild turkey finger that will blow the doors off anything you get at a restaurant.

Cut your turkey breast into thin strips.

Start by mixing the batter and sticking it back into the refrigerator. The colder it is, the better the finished product.

Mix the batter ingredients first, then refrigerate while you continue with recipe prep.

Next, heat at least two inches of oil in a deep skillet or heavy pot. You want the oil to be between 350 and 360 degrees when you drop in the turkey.

Heat the oil to at least 350 degrees before adding the turkey a strip at a time for optimum crunch.

Now, mix two cups of flour with the onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, salt, white pepper, seasoning salt, ginger and mustard powder. Stir well.

Mix the dredge ingredients and blend well.

Season the turkey fingers with seasoning salt, both sides. Add 1 cup of plain flour to a shallow dish. Dredge the seasoned turkey lightly in the plain flour, then into the chilled batter, then into the seasoned flour.

Start by coating the seasoned turkey with a light layer of plain flour before dipping into the batter, then the seasoned dredge.

Scoop some of the seasoned flour mixture up and onto the turkey finger. You want it really thick. Gently move it to the side without shaking off any excess flour, then repeat until you have just enough turkey battered to fit in your pan without overcrowding. Gently lower each piece into the hot oil and fry for 6-10 minutes or until cooked through. Move the fried turkey to a wire rack to drain while you repeat with remaining turkey. Don’t batter the next round until right before you are ready to fry.

Fry the strips a few at a time to prevent overcrowding the pan and lowering the oil temperature, for 6-10 minutes or until crunchy and just cooked through. Drain on a wire rack.

Serve these up with your favorite dipping sauces. Even the pickiest eater in your group will love them.