Hot Honey Drizzled Wild Turkey Biscuits

I can’t imagine a breakfast much better than this. Everyone loves fried turkey breast, and everyone loves a hot, buttery biscuit. The two just seem to go together. A good recipe is all about balance. This one has salt and butter from the biscuit, savory spice from the seasoned flour on the turkey breast, and sweet and spice from Mike’s Hot Honey. It’s a match made in heaven.

Spicy, crispy fried turkey with fresh, hot buttermilk biscuits and a drizzle of hot honey might be the best breakfast around. All images by Michael Pendley.

Start by making your biscuits. Don’t worry, a good Southern biscuit is an easy thing to make. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. This recipe makes eight good-sized biscuits. Start with self-rising flour. I prefer the White Lily brand, but whatever self-rising flour you use is probably fine. Next, you will need some fat. You can use shortening or lard, but I like butter for these. Take six tablespoons of butter and cut them into small cubes. Move them to the freezer for a few minutes. Cold butter (or whatever fat you are using) is crucial to a good biscuit with a tender, pillowy center. Finally, you will need some buttermilk. I like whole buttermilk for the extra creaminess, but low-fat will work.

Don’t be intimidated. Homemade biscuits are easy to make.

The most important part of a good biscuit is not overworking the dough. Add the flour to a large bowl, and then add the chilled butter and spread it around evenly. Use a dough cutter or fork to work the butter into the flour until it is about pea sized and worked evenly throughout the flour. Pour in most of the buttermilk. Hold a little back and add at the end if your dough is too dry. You can always add more liquid to the mix, but you can’t take it out after it’s in there.

Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to blend the buttermilk into the flour. Just work it enough that everything is evenly mixed, taking care not to overwork. If you need to add the remaining buttermilk to make the dough workable, do so now.

When the dough is mixed into a ball, turn it out onto a floured surface. Roll to about a half-inch thick, and then fold onto itself. Roll again, and fold once more, and then form back into a circle and roll to ¾ inch in thickness. Use a glass (a 12-ounce rocks glass is just about perfect) or a biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits. Roll the scraps, flatten, and cut one final biscuit out.

I like to bake my biscuits in a cast-iron skillet, but you can also use a sheet pan. Lightly butter whatever cooking vessel your choose, and place the biscuits in, just touching. Place the biscuits in the oven and bake until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. You can brush the surface with melted butter before placing into the oven if you prefer a browner top.

A cast-iron skillet is perfect for baking biscuits.

While the biscuits bake, heat ¼ inch of lard or oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the turkey breasts into half-inch-thick cutlets. If you want them to be a bit more tender (say you killed an old boss tom with 1.5-inch hooks and more battle scars than a jackrabbit living in a cactus pile), pound the cutlets with a meat mallet.

Season the turkey on both sides with Cajun seasoning blend, and then dust well with your favorite seasoned flour blend — I use Kentucky Kernel — or in flour seasoned with Cajun seasoning and whatever spices you like.

Season the turkey with your favorite Cajun blend, and then dust in seasoned flour.

When the oil is hot enough to shimmer and smoke a little, gently lower the floured turkey into the grease. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Do these in batches if you need to. Fry to a crisp golden brown and just cooked through, about three to four minutes per side, depending on thickness. Don’t overcook your wild turkey. Shoot for 155 or so internal temperature so that it remains nice and juicy.

Fry the turkey until crisp and just cooked through.

After the biscuits are done, simply split them and lay on a piece of fried turkey breast. Drizzle over the Mike’s Hot Honey for a touch of sweet heat that really elevates the traditional turkey biscuit. Enjoy for breakfast, brunch, or even dinner!