How to make the best Southern Collard Greens! Full of flavorful ingredients and easy to make
Course Side Dish, Vegetable
Cuisine American, southern
Keyword chicken broth, collard greens, greens, smoked turkey leg
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 2 hourshours
Servings 5people
Calories
Ingredients
Collard Greens Wash Solution
1/2cupwhite distilled vinegar
3 tablespoonssalt
Southern Collard Greens
2bunchesfresh collard greens (see note)
1tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
½cupfinely diced onions
1tablespoonminced garlic
½teaspoonred pepper flakes
4-5cupschicken broth(can replace 1 cup with water if desired)
1fully-cooked smoked turkey leg or wing(about 13 oz)
1tablespoonwhite distilled vinegar
Applewood smoked salt & black pepper, to season
Instructions
Prep The Collard Greens
Prepare the collard greens bath by filling your kitchen sink with cool water and adding vinegar and salt.
Remove the collard greens from the steams by folding them in half lengthwise and pulling the leaf away from the stem. (discard the stem or see note below on how to cook them)
Place the collard greens into the prepared water bath and swish them around several times, scrubbing them to help loosen up any dirt.
Let the collard greens soak for 15-20 minutes, giving them a scrub midway. Drain the water and refill with plain water and allow the greens to soak again if needed. Repeat as many times as needed until the water is free from any dirt or grit. After the final soak, drain the water. Next, rinse and scrub each leaf front and back with cool water to ensure they are squeaky clean.
Tear the greens into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.
Cook The Greens
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and saute until tender.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant.
Pour in the broth and add the turkey leg. Bring to a boil.
Add collard greens and reduce heat to a simmer.
Cover and cook collard for 1 hour (or longer depending on your desired tenderness), stirring regularly.
Once done, stir and then taste the broth and the greens. (add a little water if the broth is too bold for your liking)
Stir in vinegar and smoked salt, and black pepper if desired.
Serve collard greens with pieces of the smoked turkey leg and hot sauce if desired.
Video
Notes
How much is a "bunch"? This recipe uses 2 bunches which were roughly under 2 lbs each before removing the stems. (There were about 20 leaves in each bunch. If you buy your whole collard green leaves from the grocery store, they are usually already in a bunch) After removing the stems, the leaves weighed a little over 1.5 pounds.To cook the collard green stems: Dice them up and add them to a pot of water or broth. Simmer until very tender. Eat as is or stir it into the collard greens or other dishes.