Wild Turkey "Tur-quitos" (Taquitos)

Turkeys and portmanteaus go hand in hand like gobbler hunting and mosquitos. These “tur-quitos” are an easy dish- you can fill them with basically anything you want, and we’ve never met someone that didn’t like them. This is a great festive snack to bring to a party any time of the year, and they look a lot harder to make than they actually are. 

We braise turkey thighs with roasted green hatch chilis, shred the meat and add some reduced braise liquid. Add some cheese, roll them up with corn tortillas and fry. Make a bunch. You can never have enough taquitos. These freeze beautifully as well- roll them up, lay them out on a pan so the sides aren’t touching, and freeze overnight. When they’re solid, you can vacuum-seal them and store in the freezer almost indefinitely.

Serve with any of your favorite taco fixings. Sour cream, queso, avocado, salsa, and hot sauce are ours.

Tur-quitos

Prep time: 30 minutes active, 4-6 hours total

Serves: 4-6

Tip: you don’t need to use toothpicks or tie them up when you finish rolling. Place them seam side down on a sheet pan as you roll them and fry them in the same orientation. We tie ours up with left over corn husks because it allows us to dump a bunch at a time in a fryer and we like the way it looks.

Ingredients:

Filling

2 turkey thighs

1 cup roasted hatch or other spicy chilis, chopped

3 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 quart turkey or other light-colored stock

To Assemble:

Around 30 Corn tortillas (get the freshest, softest ones you can)

2 cups shredded turkey meat filling

½ cup shredded cheese (jack or queso fresco)

Method:

Season the thighs with salt and pepper and brown both sides. Add to a crockpot or dutch oven with all other ingredients. Set crockpot to high, or cook on low heat in a dutch oven for 4-6 hours until the meat is tender enough to shred with a fork.

Remove the thighs from the braising liquid and shred the meat off the bones with a fork into smaller-than-bite-size pieces. Transfer the braising liquid to a saucepan, then use a stick blender to puree. Simmer the liquid until it just starts to thicken and adjust the salt to taste. Pour enough of the liquid over shredded thigh meat until it is just lightly covered, tossing meat to evenly coat. Place the meat in a colander to allow any extra braising liquid to drain off while you work. If your filling is too wet, the taquitos will burst when you fry them.

To assemble, place 1-2 tablespoons of shredded meat on one end of the tortilla, top with a pinch of cheese, and roll towards the end. Repeat. Fry in batches at medium-high heat, around 350F.

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