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Thanksgiving Turkey Leg Poppers on a serving plate.
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5 from 2 votes

Thanksgiving Turkey Leg Poppers

Thanksgiving Turkey Leg Poppers for a fun, new way to enjoy Thanksgiving classics.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time7 hours
Total Time7 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 People
Author: Derek Wolf

Ingredients

Turkey:

  • 3 Turkey Legs skin off
  • 24 oz Chicken Broth
  • ¼ cup Tennessee Smoke Rub
  • Canola Oil as needed
  • Brown Gravy for serving

Filling:

  • 2.5 cups Boiled Potatoes mashed
  • 1 cup Cooked Peas & Carrots room temperature
  • ¾ cup Cooked Mac & Cheese room temperature

Dredge:

  • 4 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 4 cups Italian Bread Crumbs
  • 8 Eggs whipped
  • Frying Oil as needed

Instructions

  • Preheat your smoker to 250F for indirect cooking.
  • Lather your turkey legs in oil then generously season with my Tennessee Smoke Rub or your favorite BBQ rub. Add to the smoker to cook for about 2 hours until they have a nice color on the outside (around 140-150F internal temp). Next, add to a foil bin with your chicken broth and cover with foil. Place back on the smoker, kick the heat to 300F and let the turkey braise until it is falling off the bone and tender (about 2-2.5 hours). When tender, pull the turkey meat off the drumstick bone and shred apart (make sure to discard any small bones or sinew). Finally, clean off your leg bones thoroughly and set to the side.
  • Clean out your dutch oven and add back to the grill. Add some frying oil to the dutch oven (about 3-4” deep) and preheat to 375F.
  • As the oil preheats, add your shredded turkey to a bowl along with the boiled potatoes, cooked peas & carrots and cooked mac & cheese (make sure everything is room temperature because if they are hot then they won’t stick together). Mix together thoroughly.
  • When the oil is ready, take a leg bone and a small handful of the mixture and add it to one the bone mimicking the size of the original turkey legs. Add to a bowl of flour and cover it. Then, add the leg to a bowl with the whipped eggs and cover it in whipped eggs. Finally, add to a bowl with the italian bread crumbs and cover. Once fully covered, add the to frying oil and cook for about 1.5-2 minutes in total making sure to rotate the poppers if not fully submerged. Follow the dredging process for each turkey leg popper and cook in batches so as to not overcrowd the oil. Once they are done, pull off and let cool for 2-3 minutes.
  • Serve the Thanksgiving Turkey Leg Poppers with brown gravy over top or your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 2106kcal | Carbohydrates: 238g | Protein: 154g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 689mg | Sodium: 2537mg | Potassium: 2960mg | Fiber: 20g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4300IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 705mg | Iron: 30mg