We never have as much turkey as we wish we did. We hunt or fish for all of our protein intake, so poultry (and white meat in general) is a relative rarity on our table. Of the birds we do harvest, one of them is set aside for Thanksgiving, and the rest gets rationed out for special occasions. This means we try to treat all our turkey dishes with a lot of thought and anticipation. 

So, yeah, this is a fried turkey sandwich. But it’s a novel treat for us- the closest thing to fried chicken we’ll eat all year! We also rarely make sandwiches in an attempt to pretend we eat healthily, so this is even more of a luxury for us.

The turkey itself is breaded in panko and rice flour for an extra-crispy crunch. There’s no brine needed to keep these tenders moist and flavorful- they’re small enough that they fry up quickly and don’t dry out. The kimchi mayo and homemade slaw add a little pop of spice and bright acidity to counterbalance the richness of the fried turkey. We use our homemade kimchi for this recipe, but the store bought stuff will be just fine.

We have two little tricks we used in making this dish. The first is using popcorn kernels to determine when your oil is hot enough. We throw a couple kernels of unpopped corn into the oil as the pan is preheating. When the popcorn pops, your oil is hot enough to fry in. 

The second trick is removing the tendon that runs through the turkey tender. Hold a paper towel in one hand and use it to grip the end of the tendon. Wrap your other hand around the tender to hold it in place. Rip the tendon off the meat and discard.

Fried Turkey Tender Sandwich with Kimchi Mayo

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serves: 1 sandwich per turkey tender

Kimchi Mayo:

½ cup mayo (we prefer Duke’s)

½ cup kimchi

Process in a blender or food processor until smooth

Slaw:

¼ head of cabbage, shredded

1 small onion, julienned

2 carrots, julienned

2 tbsp brown mustard

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp red pepper flake

¼ tsp celery seed

salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well, adjust seasoning to taste

Fried Turkey Tenders:

½ cup rice flour (you can use wheat flour, but we find that the rice flour yields a crisper product)

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg

¼ cup milk

Turkey tenders, with the tendon removed

Season tenders with salt and pepper. Dredge in rice flour.

Combine egg and milk in a bowl, mix with a fork.

Dunk floured tenders in the egg wash, and then into panko. Press firmly into the panko to coat evenly.

Fry the tenders in oil heated to 350-375F for 60-120 seconds each side, until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate to cool.

Assemble sandwich with mayo, slaw and tenders.