Slow Cooker Turkey Thighs

As I seek to make my diet a little healthier, I’ve come back to an American classic, Turkey. And saying American classic is not by chance, the turkey is native to North America. So we have a food source that is truly American and healthy too, sounds like a win win to me. So read on for slow cooker turkey thighs, they are very good

The slow cooker

The idea about a slow cooker is the to put up the food in the morning before work and let it cook all day. I think it’s a worthy investment. You return to a wonderful smelling house, and, no dinner prep. Lately I’ve been trying to focus on less labor intensive meals. It’s the balance of healthy meals versus kitchen time. The slow cooker fits well into this, 15-20 mins prep in the morning, dinner is ready when you get home. Well, when it comes to bird, that’s really not the case. Try cooking chicken breast for 7-8 hrs. and see what happens, it gets very dry. Well, there is somewhat of a solution to that problem. Turkey thighs. Well, any dark turkey meat. It doesn’t dry out like the white meat does, and has a very good flavor.

The protein

Before we move forward, lets take the time to look at what the turkey has to offer us. As with most birds, they breakdown into two distinct parts, the topic of endless conversation. Dark meat and light meat. Here’s a comparison of one serving size (3oz, skin removed), white meat has fewer calories (135-173), less fat (3.26g-5.13g), more protein (24.7g-23.5g), and less cholesterol (48mg-67mg) than dark meat. However, when compared to beef, we get a better perspective. This is a slow cooker meal, we would use chuck if it were a beef recipe. So lets compare one serving of chuck (3oz) , 234 calories, 21g protein, 15g fat, 82mg cholesterol. That kind of puts things into perspective. I’m ok with slow cooker turkey thighs.

The how

Well, that’s a good introduction to the protein portion of the dish. Now for the rest. This is a slow cooker stew, and all stews start with a good base. That would be a Mirepoix. It’s the aromatic base for soups and stews. The ratio for a good Mirepoix is 2 parts onion to one part each carrot and celery. Because I’m making a stew, I’m not going to precook anything, as everything cooks together in the slow cooker the flavors will come together. Finely chop up all the components, put in a layer in the bottom of the crock pot. I’ll add some chopped garlic cloves to that.

Onto this base, I’ll sprinkle my seasonings. Rosemary, Thyme, Basil and Oregano. These herbs will add fragrance and depth of flavor to the dish. Also, a tablespoon of tomato paste. This will add some body to the liquid part, and a wholesome tomato flavor. Onto this bed of aromatics and spices, lay the turkey thigh. The prep for the thigh is simple, remove the skin. Unlike animals where the fat is stored in the meat, birds store their fat under the skin. Remove the skin and underlying fat layer and you’re left with a healthy chunk of protein.

On top of this I’m going to add a can of rinsed pinto beans. I always rinse beans from a can, the liquid is mostly starch, and can have some of the metallic taste from the can. Just pour into an appropriate sieve or colander and rinse under cold water. Beans are good for you, high in protein, fiber and vitamins. Pinto are my favorite, if you would prefer to add a different bean, go ahead. Different beans have different flavors and textures but they’re all good for you. Now just pour over enough chicken stock to cover, about 3 cups. Put on the lid, turn on low and go to work, play, shop, whatever you want to do for 7 hrs.

The finishing touch

When you come home, there’s one more thing to do. Add rice. Well, it doesn’t have to be rice, it could be a pasta product like elbows or ditalini. My personal preference is rice though. However, time plays a factor here, rice takes an hour to cook and pasta takes 1/2 hr. to cook, and if you really can’t wait, skip this part, it won’t ruin the recipe. It will be soupy, the rice or pasta absorbs some of the liquid. Anyway, for me, I’ll add a half a cup of rinsed rice, stir in, leave on low, come back in an hour. That’s it, minimal input for maximum output, please enjoy slow cooker turkey thighs, it’s one of my favorites.

Also note, the quantities in the recipe card are for one, in a 4 qt crock pot, with leftovers. Double for a family dinner, and, enjoy. Thank you for reading.