How to Boil Turkey Necks: 6 Steps (with Pictures)

Turkey is one of the easier foods to cook or boil. The most popular cuts are turkey breasts and thighs. Previously we wrote about how to boil turkey wings. Even turkey drumsticks are very common, but nobody talks about cooking turkey necks. If we don’t waste the chicken neck, why would we waste the turkey neck? Turkey necks have a similar taste to chicken necks and much more meat in comparison. Thus, it is an excellent addition for soups and perfect to eat accompanied with some smashed potatoes. So, do you want to learn how to boil turkey necks?

This time, we are bringing a new boiling guide to describe step by step how to boil turkey necks and make them a tasty treat you don’t want to waste in the trash can. After trying it for the first time, you will reach the same conclusion as most of us. Turkey necks are one of the best parts, and it is highly underrated.

How to boil turkey necks, step by step

When you have turkey necks in front of you for the first time, it is reasonable to feel intimidated because you don’t know where to cut or what to do. But you don’t need to figure out anything. You don’t need to cut it, slice it, or mince it. Leave it as it is and prepare your kitchen implements for boiling.

You will need some salt, carrots, bell peppers, and spices that may include chili peppers, black pepper, rosemary, and any other according to your taste. We highly recommend potatoes, too, as they go fantastic with turkey necks.

If you have everything at hand, here’s a step-by-step on how to boil turkey necks:

Step 1: Add salt, carrots, and bell peppers to your heating water

Prepare your cooking pot with enough water, according to the portion of turkey necks you’re about to boil. Add two scoops of salt and stir until it is completely dissolved. After you’ve done this, you can add one carrot and one bell pepper, previously cleaned and chopped in slices or small pieces, depending on your preference.

Step 2: Add garlic and onion to the heating water

Besides carrots and bell peppers, you can also add around 3 cloves of garlic and 1 onion to the heating water. Onions will enhance the taste of the turkey necks, and garlic will add some extra flavor. You can slice onions and chop garlic, or use whole garlic cloves. What we do not recommend is using smashed or ground garlic. After you’ve added all these ingredients, stir the mix and prepare your turkey necks.

Step 3: Add 1 kg of turkey necks along with spices

Without slicing, cutting or mincing your turkey necks, just go ahead and add them to the mix. Make sure they are clean, and if they still have skin, you can choose to leave it or not, depending on your taste. Stir and add some spices, which will highly depend on your taste and their availability in your local market. We recommend chili pepper, rosemary, and black pepper. Stir your mix and let it cook.

Step 4: Slice three or four potatoes and add to the boiling water

After adding your turkey necks, vegetables, and spices, you should let it boil for at least 40 minutes. As you do, you can prepare your potatoes. Clean them thoroughly, slice them in medium or small pieces depending on your taste, and add them to the boiling water.

Step 5: Continue boiling for 20 minutes

After adding your potatoes, let them cook along with the turkey necks for 20 minutes. This will make your potatoes soft and let them absorb any extra salt or spices you may have added. Turn off the heat and drain your turkey necks thoroughly.

Step 6: Serve with fresh vegetables

When you’re done draining your turkey necks, it is time to serve your dish. In this step, you can add some fresh vegetables, including lettuce leaves, grated corn, and any other you have on hand.

You can also serve turkey necks with rice and different types of salad. If you want, you can come up with a casserole recipe to use the fantastic taste that turkey necks and vegetables leave in boiling water.

How long to boil turkey necks

If you’re asking yourself how to boil turkey necks, the answer is probably more simple than you think. It is just letting them boil. But if you want it to taste amazing, you need to follow the steps above or come up with a different mix and various cooking ideas.

Boiling turkey necks typically takes around one hour, but different recipes will slice the timing, depending on the ingredients you are using. For example, in the step-by-step we have detailed above, we split the boiling time of turkey necks in two.

First, we boiled turkey necks with carrots, bell peppers, garlic, onion, and spices. Boiling time was 40 minutes. Then, we included potatoes and continued boiling for an additional 20 minutes to allow for good consistency in potatoes.

Preparation	Boiling time
Recommended boiling time	60 minutes
Maximum boiling time	90 minutes
Preparation with vegetables	40 minutes
Remaining boiling time after adding potatoes	20 minutes