Where to Buy Turkey Parts

For many home cooks and holiday hosts, buying an entire turkey is unnecessary. Often, you just need specific turkey parts like breasts, thighs, or wings for your recipes. Luckily, there are several options for purchasing individual turkey parts so you can skip buying a whole bird.

Grocery Store Meat Department

The easiest and most convenient place to find turkey parts is the meat department at your local grocery store. Most full-service supermarkets will have a selection of:

• Bone-in turkey breasts
• Boneless turkey breasts
• Turkey thighs and drumsticks
• Ground turkey
• Turkey wings and necks

The availability may vary seasonally, with more variety around the holidays when turkey is in high demand. Talk to the butcher counter if you don’t see the cut you need. They may be able to prepare it for you from whole turkeys.

Grocery stores are great for common cuts like breasts and drumsticks. However, they may not have more obscure parts like hearts, livers, and gizzards. Pricing is average, not the cheapest but not the most expensive either.

Warehouse Clubs

Warehouse stores like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s sell large family-sized packs of turkey parts at discount prices. They primarily stock bone-in breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wings. The per-pound price is often cheaper than local supermarkets when you buy in bulk.

The selection is focused on the most popular cuts though. If you want turkey necks for stock or ground turkey for chili, warehouse stores are not the best option. But for feeding a crowd affordably, definitely check their turkey breast packs.

Butcher Shops and Meat Markets

Independent butcher shops and specialty meat markets offer the largest variety of turkey parts available. Along with all the standard cuts, they can also supply:

• Ground turkey
• Livers
• Gizzards
• Hearts
• Feet
• Necks
• Wings segmented into drumettes, flats, and tips

The knowledgeable butchers can cut or grind turkey to order if they don’t have it in stock. For cooks interested in using less common turkey pieces, a specialty butcher shop is your best source.

Pricing is higher than supermarkets but competitive for the quality. Supporting local businesses also appeals to many customers. Check ethnic markets too for turkey options.

Online Mail Order

Ordering turkey parts online through mail order sites is convenient, especially for hard-to-find items. Small family farms and specialty food companies sell individual cuts and ground meat directly to consumers.

Mail order turkey offers advantages like:

• Organic and free-range options
• Cooking-ready parts like smoked wings or stuffed breasts
• Less common cuts like the back, tail, and organ meat
• Unenhanced turkey with no salt solutions added
• Farm-identify assured poultry

The downside is paying shipping costs. And you may need to buy large quantities to justify the delivery expense. For holiday feasts or custom cuts, mail order can be an excellent turkey part source.

Direct from a Turkey Farm

Buying turkey parts right from a local farm is the freshest option. Many turkey producers sell individual cuts, ground turkey, and whole birds directly to the public. This allows customers to hand select exactly what they need.

Farms stands, farmers markets, and websites are places to get directly from the source. If you don’t see turkey parts advertised, ask if they can supply them or custom cut a whole turkey. This offers advantages like:

• Very fresh turkey, often processed on-demand
• Natural turkeys without drug treatments
• Support for local agriculture
• Ability to buy precise amounts needed

The main limitations are seasonal availability and locations near turkey farms. But for the highest turkey part quality, local farms are hard to beat.

With so many options available, finding the ideal turkey parts for your recipe shouldn’t be difficult. Keep an open mind across grocery stores, warehouse clubs, specialty shops, mail order, and direct farm buying. Consider what cuts, amount, and pricing best suits your food budget and needs. With the variety available today, only your imagination limits what you can create with turkey parts!