Vietnamese Coconut Braised Wild Turkey Thighs

Salty, sweet, and satisfying describes this braised wild turkey in a rich sauce

Recipe by A.J. DeRosa on March 5, 2019

Prep time: PT20M

Cook time: PT120M

Total time: PT140M

Rating

5 stars (1 reviews)

Wild Turkey

Season turkey thigh on both sides with salt.
In a skillet (with a lid), pour in the white sugar and set to medium heat. Stir the sugar around with a rubber spatula until it melts and eventually turns a golden-brown color.
Add the turkey thigh and sear on both sides until the sugar turns dark golden brown.
Add the coconut water, fish sauce, garlic, chili, shallot and bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cover.
Cook for 2-4 hours, or until nice and tender (cook time will depend on the age and size of the turkey). Take off the lid and continue cooking until the sauce becomes thick like a light gravy.
Remove the turkey and tear it into large bite-size shreds. Discard the bones and put the meat back into the sauce.
Serve on rice with steamed bok choy or seasoned cucumbers. Enjoy!

Anjali on 2026-09-02 (5 stars):
Unbelievably good flavors here! We enjoy branching out from the "typical" recipes for game birds, and have also found that borrowing flavors from other parts of the world that match/compliment the particular taste of game plays to its strengths, rather than trying to make it taste like a farm animal. This recipe was fantastic, only thing I might change for the next time is less sugar (I did 1/3 cup instead of 1/2, but would probably go down even further to 1/4 cup), omit the chicken bouillon, slightly reduce the fish sauce for less salt overall, and add fresh red chili for more heat and cilantro. Will definitely be coming back here for more recipe ideas!