Wild Turkey Milanese with Mixed Greens and Balsamic Reduction
This is one of the absolute best ways to enjoy a fantastic wild turkey dish in the heat of the summer.
This dish is incredibly light and refreshing and makes for a fun dinner that the whole family can enjoy.
I grew up on my Grandma’s Sunday fried chicken, and I remember watching her in the kitchen sweating profusely as she worked over a cast iron of hot oil. I’m pretty sure by the time she was finished, some sweat had dripped right off her nose or brow and into the pan of hot oil; a small toll we paid to enjoy her delicious cooking. The end result was her exceptionally delicious cuisine.
For this recipe, we take that same breaded and fried goodness (minus Grandma’s sweat) and use wild turkey, while making it less work, less hot and less profuse sweating just as good as Grandma’s. Voila!
By pounding the turkey thin creates less cooking time and more tenderness. I’m also not filling the cast iron Dutch oven deep with piping hot oil.
Serving the fried wild turkey over a bed of light mixed greens with lemon allows you to enjoy the comfort of the fried meat while also feel refreshed from the greens.
I love and adore the memories I have of my sweet grandmother’s cooking. This recipe is homage to her but without making the whole house an inferno. Crank up that AC and get to cooking!
Ingredients
- 1 wild turkey breast, pounded thin and cut into 2-4 even pieces
- 1 cup of panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream (milk will work)
- 1/2 cup of flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups of mixed greens
- 1/4 cup of wedged Parmesan cheese, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup of red onion, sliced thin
- 5 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- Balsamic reduction
- Lemon for garnish
Instructions
- Place a piece of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Place turkey breast on plastic wrap and add another piece of plastic wrap on top of that. Use a meat mallet or a roller and carefully pound the turkey out to 1/2-inch thickness. Start in the middle and work your way out. Cut into equal pieces.
- Set up breading station with the flour in one dish, the eggs beaten with cream (or milk), salt and pepper in another dish, and then the breadcrumbs and Parmesan in the last dish.
- Dip both sides of the turkey breast in the flour, shaking off the excess flour. Now dip it in the egg mixture, letting the extra drip off, and finally dip into the bread crumbs. Make sure the turkey is covered completely and evenly . Place on a plate and finish the other turkey breasts.
- Add a thin layer of oil to a skillet and heat to medium-high heat. You aren’t deep-frying this, so you only need enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Once pan is ready, place each turkey breast in, cooking for 4-6 minutes on each side, turning only when deep brown and 160 degrees internally. I like to add butter to the pan once I flip the turkey. It adds great flavor.
- In a bowl, combine mixed greens, red onion, tomatoes, wedged parmesan, olive oil and 1/2 a lemon, squeezed. Stir to combine
- Serve on a plate alongside mixed green salad. Top with balsamic reduction and garnish with a slice of lemon.