Southern Collard Greens Recipe w/ Smoked Turkey Legs (soul food style)
Collard greens have been cooked and used for centuries. The Southern-style of cooking of greens came with the arrival of African slaves to the southern colonies and the need to satisfy their hunger and provide food for their families. Though greens did not originate in Africa, the habit of eating greens that have been cooked down into a low gravy, and drinking the juices from the greens (known as “pot likker”) is of African origin. The slaves of the plantations were given leftover food from the plantation kitchen. Some of this food consisted of the tops of turnips and other greens. Ham hocks and pig’s feet were also given to the slaves. Forced to create meals from these leftovers, they created the famous southern greens. The slave diet began to evolve and spread when slaves entered the plantation houses as cooks. Their African dishes, using the foods available in the region they lived in, began to evolve into present-day Southern cooking
Watch me make these Southern Collard Greens from start to finish!
Get the Recipe: Southern Collard Greens Recipe w/ Smoked Turkey Legs (soul food style)
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of collard greens
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, diced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 t. red pepper flakes
- 1 fully-cooked, smoked turkey leg (can also use smoked turkey wings)
- Seasoning (optional), (salt, pepper, vinegar, hot sauce
Instructions
- Remove the collard green leaf from the steam.
- Wash the collards several times in cold water to remove any dirt and grit. You can also use salt to help remove the grit if needed.
- Rinse well & set aside
- In a large pot, add a tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped onions & garlic. Saute until tender.
- Add in the chicken broth, red pepper flakes, & the turkey leg. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 20-30 minutes. This helps the broth take on that delicious, smokey flavor!
- Add in the collard greens. Simmer covered for about 45-60 minutes or until your desired tenderness is reached. You can increase the heat if needed but do not boil the collard greens. They will wilt down as they cook.
- When done, season to your preference. In my opinion, these greens don't need a thing if your broth is very sesoned. I usually add in a few dashes of black pepper and a few drops of hot sauce!
I’ve made this twice in one week now because my family loves it that much! This is such an easy, flavorful recipe. That pot likker ain’t no joke, you really will want to drink it all up! I usually don’t have the time to clean and cut fresh greens so I use one 1lb bag of those precut Glory collards. I also HATE onions so I use a little onion powder instead. Lemme tell you, those bad oys come out PERFECT!! Thanks Diva, now I got people thinking I can really cook!
Simple, easy and delicious. Even better the next day.
I’m making these greens right now in preparation for Thanksgiving tomorrow. My House smells amazing.
I enjoy cooking, and love collards make em all the time, But I’m gonna try these out. I know they gonna be good!!
I made this last night and the greens were awesome! I’ve been missing my grandma’s cooking (even though I’ve only had it once) and this recipe definitely gave me what I was craving. Also, I had a bag of prewashed collard greens, and had enough for one recipe’s worth after I picked out the really thick stems and tore the leaves into smaller pieces.
Thank you for such a great recipe!
I made this collard greens recipe (along with your mac and cheese and bbq baked chicken) for our Sunday dinner. I followed your recipe exactly and I must say it was right on! Not only was it easy, it was delicious. Even my husband who normally does not eat collard greens had two bowls of these! And you were right, the broth is so full of flavor, you don’t need to add a thing! I made 4 of your recipes, 3 in one day and they all were amazing!!