Elevate Your Stuffing with Turkey Necks

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Stuffing is a beloved Thanksgiving tradition. Who doesn’t look forward to that savory mix of bread veggies, and herbs? But this year take your stuffing up a notch with the addition of an underrated ingredient turkey necks.

You may not have considered using turkey necks in your stuffing before. But they impart amazing flavor that brings this side to a whole new level. Keep reading to learn why turkey necks deserve a spot in your stuffing recipe.

What Are Turkey Necks?

Turkey necks are exactly what they sound like – the neck portion of a turkey. They contain bone, cartilage, meat, and skin.

Turkey necks have a generous amount of collagen from all that cartilage and bone. This contributes rich aromatic flavor as the necks simmer into broth or braise in the oven.

The meat is dark and tender. And the skin gets super crispy when roasted. Overall, turkey necks provide a major boost of savoriness.

Benefits of Adding Turkey Necks to Stuffing

There are several reasons to add turkey necks to your stuffing recipe:

Depth of flavor – Simmered turkey necks infuse the stuffing with deep, savory turkey essence. This takes the flavor to the next level.

Meaty texture – Once cooked, turkey neck meat shreds into tender, succulent bits that provide juicy pops of texture.

Collagen equals moisture – All that collagen keeps the stuffing deliciously moist and fends off dryness.

Crispy skin – Roasted turkey neck skin adds delightful crispy, fatty crunch.

Economical – Necks are often inexpensive, making them a budget-friendly stuffing upgrade.

More nutrients – Turkey necks provide protein, iron, zinc, B vitamins, and other nutrients.

How to Cook Turkey Necks for Stuffing

There are two easy methods for preparing turkey necks to use in stuffing.

Braised Turkey Necks

  • Season necks with salt, pepper, thyme, sage and other desired herbs/spices
  • Brown necks in olive oil in a Dutch oven
  • Add chicken stock, cover and braise at 350°F until tender, about 1 hour
  • Cool necks, then shred meat and dice skin
  • Use braising liquid as some of the stuffing liquid

Simmered Turkey Necks

  • Place necks in a pot and add water to cover
  • Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 1 hour
  • Remove necks, reserving broth, and shred meat when cool enough to handle
  • Use simmering liquid as some of the stuffing liquid

Both methods yield ultra-flavored turkey meat and skin to mix into the stuffing. They also provide neck broth instead of plain chicken or turkey broth for a flavor boost.

Stuffing Recipes with Turkey Necks

To highlight those turkey necks, here are some recommended recipes:

Old-Fashioned Giblet Stuffing – This classic stuffing is made with turkey giblets, including neck. Simmer the neck then add the shredded meat.

Cornbread Turkey Neck Stuffing – Bake shredded neck meat into cornbread stuffing for a crispy, Cajun-spiced twist.

Wild Rice and Turkey Neck Stuffing – The nutty rice pairs beautifully with savory braised turkey necks.

Sausage, Apple, and Turkey Neck Stuffing – Sautéed sausage and apples balance the deep turkey neck flavors.

Turkey Neck and Chestnut Stuffing – Toasted chestnuts add crunch to elevate this rich, turkey neck–enhanced stuffing.

Cooking the Turkey and Stuffing

When adding turkey necks to stuffing, you can either stuff the neck cavity of the turkey or cook it separately.

If cooking in the turkey, spoon the raw stuffing containing turkey necks into the neck cavity. Roast the turkey as normal.

For a crisper texture, bake the stuffing in a casserole dish in the oven while the turkey roasts.

Either way, the turkey necks will impart amazing richness. Just remember to remove them before serving if whole.

Satisfy Your Stuffing Cravings

This Thanksgiving, take your stuffing up a notch with succulent turkey necks. Their rich meatiness and crispy skin make a stellar addition.

Simmer or braise necks ahead of time for easy inclusion into your favorite stuffing recipe. Then savor those thankful bites of crave-worthy, turkey neck–infused stuffing!

stuffing with turkey neck

To Stuff or Not Stuff the Turkey?

Years ago we used to cook the turkey with the stuffing inside. (Thats why its called “stuffing,” right?) That said, these days we cook the stuffing separately from the turkey.

Why? Two reasons.

  • If you don’t stuff the turkey, it will cook more evenly and be safer as well.
  • Because the turkey cavity can hold more stuffing than you want, you can make as much as you want.

You can stuff your turkey with this stuffing, though. This recipe makes more stuffing than a regular-sized turkey can hold, so you can cook some of it inside the turkey and the rest on the stove.

stuffing with turkey neck

Make-Ahead Tips for This Turkey Stuffing

It’s best to make this stuffing on the same day as the turkey, but you can easily get some of it ready ahead of time.

  • Cut the bread into cubes and set it aside to dry out two days ahead of time. When dry enough, put the cubes in a plastic bag.
  • Make the stock and gather the ingredients through step four the day before. Then add the rest of the stuffing ingredients to the pot. When Thanksgiving Day comes around, you can start cooking.
  • Make it early in the day if you want to keep it warm. Some water is added to the bottom so it doesn’t stick or burn while we keep it warm on the stove. Put it in a dish that can go in the oven, cover it with foil, and warm it up in the oven while the turkey rests after it’s done cooking.

stuffing with turkey neck

Seasoning Turkey necks for dressing

FAQ

What is the best use of turkey neck?

Turkey Neck Gravy. For as long as I can remember, my mom has prepared broth for gravy using turkey necks. Simmering turkey necks with veggies and savory seasonings makes a richly flavored broth that’s whisked into delicious velvety gravy! This gravy has so much flavor, plus it lets the chef use up the whole turkey.

Do you use the neck for stuffing?

Like Always said, stuffing should be out in the neck end to reduce the risk of food poisoning from undercooking.

What to do with turkey neck and bag?

1First, take the giblets and neck from the raw turkey and cover them with water by 2 inches in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer it for 1 hour to both to cook the meat and to make a giblet broth for the gravy.

How to stuff a turkey neck?

To start stuffing the bird, insert around one third of the stuffing into the neck cavity of the turkey. Pull the neck skin over the stuffing to the back of the turkey and secure with a skewer.

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