How Long to Boil Turkey: Breast, Drumsticks, Thighs, Wings, Soup

Time is counted from the moment the water boils; after that the turkey simmers on low heat, with the surface barely trembling. There are no official boiling times for turkey itself. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) publishes times for chicken, and turkey pieces are bigger, so the figures below are checked against the US National Turkey Federation (NTF) and turkey producers.

White meat is done at 74 °C (165 °F) in the centre, the minimum safe temperature for all poultry according to the USDA. Dark thigh and drumstick meat is also safe at 74 °C but only turns tender later, at 80-82 °C (176-180 °F), when the tendons soften and the meat slips off the bone. That is why drumsticks take much longer than breast.

1. Get the meat ready

• Thaw frozen turkey in the fridge: 10-12 hours per kilogram. It is faster in cold water in a sealed bag, changing the water every 30 minutes: about an hour per kilogram. Never thaw it on the counter at room temperature.
• Do not wash raw turkey under the tap: splashes spread bacteria around the sink and worktop, and bacteria on the surface die during cooking. That is the advice of the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the USDA. Just pat the meat dry with kitchen paper.
• For a lean broth, remove the skin: that is where most of the fat is.
• Cut a large drumstick or thigh at the joint so the pieces fit the pot and cook evenly.

2. Add water

• For meat to serve or use in salads, lower the turkey into boiling water: less flavour goes into the broth.
• For broth, start the meat in cold water, 2-2.5 litres per kilogram: the flavour passes into the water gradually.
• The water should cover the meat by 2-3 cm.

3. Skim and turn down the heat

Skim off the grey foam with a slotted spoon before the water boils: it is coagulated protein and easy to remove at that point. Once it boils, turn the heat to the lowest setting and leave the lid slightly ajar. A hard boil makes the meat shrink and turn stringy, and the broth goes cloudy.

4. Add salt, vegetables and spices

• Salt: about 1 tsp per litre of water. Season a broth lightly at the start and adjust at the end; season breast for salads 10-15 minutes before it is done.
• Add onion, carrot and parsley root 40 minutes before the end.
• Add bay leaves and peppercorns 10-15 minutes before the end.

5. Check that it is done

Insert a kitchen thermometer into the thickest part, away from the bone: it should read 74 °C (165 °F). Without a thermometer, pierce the meat: the juices should run clear and the meat should be opaque and fibrous. A pinkish tinge near the bone can remain even in fully cooked turkey: it is a stable muscle pigment, not a sign of raw meat, if the thermometer shows 74 °C.

For soup, cook the meat first and add the vegetables and grains according to their own times. The tastiest broth comes from pieces with bones and connective tissue: drumsticks, wings and necks.

• Drumsticks, wings and necks for broth: 1.5-2 hours on low heat.
• Broth from a roast turkey carcass: 2-3 hours.
• Breast for a quick soup: 30-40 minutes, then potatoes for 15-20 minutes and noodles as the packet says.
• Drumstick for soup: 1-1.5 hours, then take the meat off the bone and return it to the pot 5 minutes before the end.
• For 3 litres of soup, 500-700 g of bone-in turkey or 400 g of breast is enough.

There is no need to pour off the first water: the foam is coagulated protein and skimming is enough. Some cooks discard it only for a very pale broth, bringing the meat to the boil, draining it after 5 minutes and covering it with fresh hot water.

Use the broth for turkey soup with noodles and potatoes or turkey meatball soup.

1. Lower the breast into boiling water so less of its juice goes into the broth.
2. Turn the heat down at once: the meat should poach, not boil.
3. Cook a 500-700 g piece for 30-40 minutes, until the centre reaches 74 °C (165 °F). Chunks of 3-4 cm are done in 15-20 minutes.
4. Add salt 10-15 minutes before it is done.
5. Take the pan off the heat and leave the breast to cool in the broth for 15-20 minutes so it does not dry out.
6. For salads, slice the breast once it has cooled completely, so the slices do not crumble.

Chicken breast works the same way: see how to boil chicken breast.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the NHS recommend starting solid foods at around 6 months and giving meat every day: without it, iron, zinc and vitamin B12 needs are hard to meet. Check timing and portions with your health visitor or paediatrician.

• Cook breast or thigh meat without salt, spices or stock cubes, as the NHS advises.
• Thigh meat has twice as much zinc as breast, and more iron.
• Cook it through, to 74 °C (165 °F) in the centre: a 300-400 g piece takes about 30-40 minutes.
• Blend the meat with a little broth or water until smooth.

Multicooker

• Use the "Stew" or "Soup" mode.
• Drumsticks and thighs: 50-60 minutes.
• Wings: 40-45 minutes.
• Breast: 45-50 minutes.
• Do not fill above the max line; skim the foam 10-15 minutes after it comes to the boil.
• Multicookers heat differently, so check the meat with a thermometer the first time.

Pressure cooker

• Under pressure, cooking takes about a third of the usual time, according to the USDA.
• Breast: 10-15 minutes at pressure.
• Wings: about 20 minutes.
• Drumsticks: 30-35 minutes.
• Let the pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes: the meat will not dry out and the broth will not spurt from the valve.

• Washing raw turkey. Splashes carry bacteria around the kitchen, and the bacteria on the meat die during cooking anyway.
• Boiling breast as long as drumsticks. Breast is done in 30-40 minutes; after an hour and a half it dries out and crumbles.
• Taking drumsticks out too early. At 74 °C (165 °F) they are safe, but the tendons are still tough. Drumsticks need 1-1.5 hours, until the meat comes off the bone.
• Boiling hard. The broth turns cloudy and white meat goes stringy.
• Cooking large frozen pieces for the usual time. The centre stays undercooked. Allow 1.5 times longer and check with a thermometer.
• Leaving the pot on the stove overnight. The broth stays in the danger zone for hours. Cool it within 2 hours and refrigerate.

• Refrigerate the meat and broth within 2 hours of cooking. A large pot cools faster in a sink of cold water.
• Boiled turkey keeps for 2-3 days in a closed container. The USDA allows up to 4 days; the UK FSA advises eating it within 2 days.
• Broth keeps for 2-3 days; bring it back to the boil before eating.
• Boiled meat and broth in portions keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Do not freeze salad made with boiled turkey and mayonnaise.

• Turkey soup with noodles and potatoes made with the broth.
• Turkey meatball soup.
• Turkey and cabbage pie: boiled meat makes a good filling.
• Salads with boiled turkey breast instead of chicken.
• For comparison with roast turkey: turkey fillet baked in foil and baked turkey thigh.

Times for other poultry: how long to boil chicken and how long to boil chicken gizzards.