Southern Smothered Baked Turkey Wings
“Southern baked smothered turkey wings recipe slow baked in the oven and covered in creamy gravy full of sautéed fresh onions, peppers and celery. A true southern, soul food favorite”
Smothered baked turkey wings take me back to Sunday dinners as a child. My grandmother cooked a soulful spread every Sunday and the entire family would come over and eat. She had many different Sunday meals that I remember but one of my favorites was smothered baked turkey wings with rice, collard greens, mac n cheese, candied yams and cornbread!
I find it so cool that I can create that exact meal and have my boys chowing down just like I use too.Only thing is that Isaac wouldn’t touch these southern smothered turkey wings with a ten foot pole lol. Ethan and my husband on the other hand devoured an entire plate full.
These easy smothered baked turkey wings are full of southern spirit! I cooked them slow and low in the oven so that they are super tender. The thick and creamy homemade gravy is full of bits of onions, bell peppers and celery. Serve this over a bed of white rice and you have some true, comforting food for the soul.
I had such a hard time taking a picture of this dish. It’s not the most appealing looking dish but man oh man it is good!! You can strain the gravy if you prefer your gravy silky and smooth but I just LOVE having those onions, peppers and celery in there. So good!
I prefer to make the gravy a day ahead so it has time to sit and mingle with all those veggies! It really adds a nice depth of flavor. My grandmother would always make her gravy on Saturday night and it was torture knowing we couldn’t dig in until Sunday dinner. Pure torture!
Now one thing I’ve heard people say they hate about smothered BAKED turkey wings is the chewy/slimy skin on the turkey. I’ve found that if I broil the wings for the last few minutes it really crisps up the skin, just be careful not to overdo the broiling we don’t want to dry out the meat. My grandmother would bake her wings to get them tender and then lightly fry the outside to get the skin crispy before smothering them in gravy. It’s all optional and a personal preference really.
Watch me make these smothered baked turkey wings from start to finish!

Get the Recipe: Smothered Turkey Wings
Ingredients
- 4 lb turkey wings
- olive oil
SEASOING MIX
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
GRAVY
- 2 celery sitcks, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 white onion diced
- mushrooms, dice (optional)
- 6-8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, warmed
- salt, pepper, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, to taste.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 F.
- Combine seasonings.
- Brush wings evenly with olive oil to coat.( Could also use melted butter)
- Sprinkle wings generously with seasonings, massaging seasonings into wings. Add more olive oil to help distribute the seasoning if needed. (use as much of the seasoning as desired)
- *optional step for more flavor* Cover wings and let marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Place the wings in a roasting pan and over tightly with foil.
- Bake for 2 1/2 hours.
- *optional step for a crisp skin* Uncover for the last few minutes and broil both sides to crisp up the skin.
- Drain the excess juices from pan (you could also use some of the juices for broth if desired.)
- Line the pan with foil and place turkey into the pan. Set aside.
- To make the gravy, melt butter in deep skillet.
- Add chopped veggies and sautéed until almost tender.
- Whisk in flour and cook over medium heat until flour is golden and no longer has a raw flour taste.
- Whisk in chicken broth, milk and heavy cream.
- Simmer until gravy has thickened to your liking.
- Pour the gravy over the turkey, cover and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Serve immediately with rice.
Can you use smoked turkey??
Made this last year for Thanksgiving (just me and my boyfriend) and we loved it!! So I’m making it again this year! I wonder if the gravy would work well on chicken?? Keep up the good work diva!
Okay madam I’ve been using recipes off of your page for the past month and everything has been soooo good. I wanted to try something different so I tried the recipe and that gravy is sooo delicious. I love mushrooms and my husband claims he does not eat them… Well I purposely added them and he loved it. I also used your stuffing dressing to go with this meal and it was so good. I always love your recipes. Will be using more soon thanks so much!
AWESOME!!!!!!!!! Tried this for the first time last night and my family loved it. Keep em’ commin’ Monique!!!!
Check out the slide show here: http://justlikegrandmascafe.com/soul-food-winchester-va/
I was on this web site and thought to myself, I’ve seen this exact dish of turkey wings before because I was planning on using the recipe soon.
I made this for Thanksgiving and Christmas for my family and friends. Let’s just say I am making this again this Sunday for my granny. All hits, no misses with Divas Can Cook!!!!
I made this for the first time Thanksgiving 2014 and it was a hit! Had me about to slap my momma but I had to reconsider that move…..lol… I wanted to live to see Christmas…lol. I’m making this again today, turkey wings in the fridge marinating right now.