Recipe: Mediterranean Stuffed Turkey Breast

by
posted on March 3, 2018
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
stuffedturkeybreast_lead.jpg

Turkey and stuffing are holiday staples on most dinner tables, but why wait for the next special occasion to cook up a breast from a wild bird? Wild turkey gets a bad rap for being tough and dry, but they are rich in flavor. The secret to preparing any wild turkey is ensuring you don’t overcook it—it’s lean, so it cooks fast. A whole breast will roast in 15 minutes or less, and if you aren’t watching the clock, you will have a tough time chewing or enjoying it.

Stuffing a turkey breast with moist, Mediterranean ingredients will help keep your turkey from drying out. Pine nuts, olives and feta cheese are likely to become your favorite accompaniments to a spring gobbler. With turkey season just around the corner, it’s time to cook up any birds still in the freezer from last year, or print out a recipe to work magic on a strutter in the coming months.

If you shoot an old bird, you may want to take the breasts, place them in plastic wrap and pound them out with a mallet before stuffing them. Weston Supply makes a manual cuber/meat tenderizer that works magic on turkey breasts, which can be tough. Multiple blades break down tough meat fibers, making them much more palatable. Don’t give up on cooking turkey breast until you’ve tried one Mediterranean style.

Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil (divided)
• 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons black Kalamata olives, chopped
• 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 skinless, boneless turkey breast
• salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• ½ cup chicken broth

Directions:
1. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the pan then add the spinach. Cook for one minute or until spinach starts to wilt, stirring constantly.

2. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and minced garlic to the spinach, and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe the pan clean.

3. Combine spinach, feta cheese, pine nuts, olives, basil and lemon juice in a bowl, and mix well. Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of the turkey breast to form a pocket. Stuff the filling into the pocket and seal with wooden toothpicks. Season both sides of the turkey with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place the stuffed turkey breast into the hot oil and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

5. Pour the chicken broth over the breast, and cover the pan with a lid. Place pan into the oven preheated to 350°F and bake for 15 minutes, or until turkey has cooked through.

6. Remove from the oven and wrap the breast in foil so it can rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Drizzle the pan juices over the sliced turkey. The slices should be made against the grain of the meat, so you have the Mediterranean stuffing encased in turkey breast.

Latest

Oklahoma Department Of Wildlife Conservation Logo
Oklahoma Department Of Wildlife Conservation Logo

Oklahoma Wildlife Commission Passes Rules for Nonresident Hunters, Public Hunting Lands

New emergency rules and resolutions for public hunting lands were approved last month by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission.

First Look: Premium and Premium Deluxe Die Sets From Redding Reloading Equipment

Redding Reloading Equipment has expanded its Premium Die Set and Premium Deluxe Die Set product lines, including over seventy of the most popular cartridges in the industry today.

Junior Hunter Gear: Get Your Kids Into the Field

Looking for ways to get your fields out from behind the screens and into the great outdoors this summer? Check out these great pieces of outdoor kit to help spur the process.

Stealth Cam Adds On-Demand Livestream

Shortly after teasing the launch of its new trail camera functionality at the 2025 SHOT Show, Stealth Cam has announced that On Demand Live Stream is available via the Command Pro app.

#SundayGunday: Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 A.I.

On this week's #SundayGunday, Digital Associate Editor David Herman talks with Benelli Vice President Tim Joseph about Benelli's new Super Black Eagle 3 with A.I. barrel technology.

NRA Foundation Awards $13,500 in College Scholarships

The National Rifle Association is proud to announce the Grand Scholarship winners from the 2024 Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.)—a group of exceptional students selected for their leadership, initiative, and dedication to advancing NRA programs within their communities.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.