Bulgur with turkey: 5 recipes, cooking tips

Bulgur is a type of wheat grain that is popular in the Balkans and the Middle East. It consists of steamed and crushed wheat grains. Thanks to this treatment, it cooks quickly, but does not turn into mush even after prolonged cooking. Bulgur retains the benefits of wheat and goes well with different types of meat, mushrooms, vegetables, and fruits, which has made it popular in cooking, especially among supporters of a healthy diet. Of the many options for dishes made from this grain, many health-conscious people often choose bulgur with turkey. The meat of this bird is dietary, has high nutritional value with low calorie content, has a pleasant taste, and is relatively inexpensive. The main ingredients can be supplemented with vegetables, mushrooms, dried fruits, thanks to which you can get dishes that are completely different in their organoleptic qualities and thereby diversify the menu.

Culinary secrets

Bulgur with turkey meat is prepared simply enough for even an inexperienced housewife to cope with this task. However, she needs to know a few nuances, otherwise the result may be disappointing.

Medium or coarsely ground bulgur is suitable for preparing second courses. Small bulgur is only suitable for adding to dough or minced meat.
Bulgur is not washed or sorted before cooking. Sometimes these grains are roasted for a minute or two to bring out their inherent nutty notes. This can be done in oil or in a dry frying pan.
For cooking burgur porridge, liquid is required 1.5 times more than cereal. The dish will be ready in 15-20 minutes, but in a slow cooker it will take 5-10 minutes longer.
Before combining with the grain, the turkey is fried to lock the juices under a golden brown crust. Then the poultry meat remains tender and juicy.
Vegetables and mushrooms, if they are part of the dish, can also be fried, together with the turkey or separately.
If you want your turkey meat in bulgur to remain juicy, choose fresh or chilled poultry. If you need to cook from frozen meat, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator. Due to the sudden change in temperature when heated in the microwave, the turkey will lose a lot of juice and become tough and dry.

A dish of bulgur and turkey meat will turn out even more delicious if it is supplemented with sauce and vegetables. Both fresh and pickled are suitable.

We think you might also be interested in options for bulgur dishes with minced meat.

Subtleties of technology for preparing bulgur with turkey meat

Bulgur cooks faster than wheat, but does not turn into a viscous porridge like semolina. It's really easy to prepare. However, those who are dealing with this cereal for the first time may have a number of questions. In order for you to get a result that meets your expectations, we offer you information about the technology for preparing turkey with bulgur, and reveal some culinary secrets.

The most common question that housewives ask is related to the preliminary preparation of bulgur for cooking. Many people are interested in the question of whether it needs to be washed. The answer will be no. Bulgur is steamed and does not need to be washed. However, if you are dealing with coarse grains, you can stick to tradition and wash them as you would with any other grains.
When choosing bulgur to cook with turkey, you need to know how it differs. Wheat comes in fine, medium and coarse crushing. Finely crushed bulgur is added to the dough when preparing baked goods; sometimes it is added to minced meat to make it thicker. Medium or even coarsely crushed grits are prepared with turkey.
To get an excellent result, you need to know how much liquid to take per glass of bulgur. Usually a ratio of 1:1.5 is used, that is, one and a half glasses of water or broth are required for a glass of cereal.
You need to cook bulgur for 15-25 minutes in a saucepan or 20-30 minutes in a slow cooker (in the “Stew” mode). The exact time depends on the temperature and size of the grains.
A little secret: if you fry bulgur in butter or at least in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes before cooking, its nutty aroma will reveal itself. The taste of the finished dish will greatly benefit from this.
Turkey breast is considered a dietary product, but you can also use the thighs of this bird. It's red meat and not too fatty either.
Dietary turkey meat does not contain a large amount of fat. When boiled or stewed, it may become dry. This risk is increased if food is prepared from poultry that has been frozen and not properly thawed. Therefore, many people prefer to purchase more expensive, but fresh or chilled turkey. However, if you have the opportunity to wait until the bird thaws in the refrigerator, you don’t have to overpay.
Many recipes for bulgur with turkey meat involve pre-frying vegetables and other ingredients. If you are on a diet, it is advisable to avoid this manipulation. The taste of the dish will not change much if vegetables, mushrooms and other foods are not fried, but stewed.

And one more tip for dessert: when serving, complement the bulgur cooked with turkey with fresh vegetables. This will make the dish more appetizing, tastier and healthier.

We also suggest you learn how to cook bulgur with minced meat. It's also tasty and healthy.

Bulgur with turkey in soy sauce

What do you need:

turkey fillet (breast or thigh – it doesn’t matter) – 0.4-0.5 kg;
bulgur – 150 g;
water – 0.25 kg;
refined vegetable oil – 40 ml;
soy sauce – 80 ml;
sweet pepper – 0.5 kg;
onions – 100 g;
garlic – 2 cloves;
hot capsicum – 1 pc.;
salt, curry seasoning - to taste.

How to cook:

Cut the turkey into one and a half centimeter pieces.
Cut the hot pepper into thin rings and remove the seeds.
Chop the sweet pepper into strips, not too fine.
Cut the onion into small cube-shaped pieces.
Chop the garlic cloves into slices.
Pour oil into a cauldron or thick-walled pan and heat it.
Place turkey pieces in oil. Fry them for 10 minutes over medium heat.
When the turkey is nicely browned, transfer it to a plate and replace it with chopped vegetables.
Fry them, stirring with a spatula, until the onions acquire a caramel color.
Return the turkey to the cauldron, add bulgur, add soy sauce and seasoning.
After 2-3 minutes, add water (it doesn’t hurt to boil it first).
Cover the cauldron with a lid and reduce the heat under it.
Cook bulgur with turkey and pepper for 15 minutes.
Stir the food, simmer it over low heat under the lid for another 5 minutes.

Pepper gives this dish of bulgur and turkey fillet juiciness and piquant taste, curry seasoning makes it aromatic and “tints” it an appetizing yellow color.

Pilaf with chickpeas and turkey

Turkey pilaf in a slow cooker can be prepared with the addition of chickpeas, a healthy and filling legume that resembles peas. Before using chickpeas for cooking, it is advisable to soak them in water for at least 2 hours.

Composition of ingredients

turkey thigh – 400 g;
carrots – 3 pcs.;
onion – 1 pc.;
rice – 350 g;
chickpeas – 130 g;
garlic – 1 head;
vegetable oil – 50 ml;
zira – 1 tsp. without slide;
turmeric – 1 tsp. without slide;
salt - to taste.

Step-by-step cooking process

The day before cooking, chickpeas should be soaked in water for 6-12 hours.
The turkey thigh should be chopped into medium-sized pieces.
The multicooker needs to be set to the “Roasting” mode for 20 minutes and pour 50 ml of vegetable oil into the bowl of the device. When a signal sounds that the appliance has reached the desired temperature, add the meat to the oil and fry it until the end of the program.
The carrots should be cut into thin bars, and the onion should be chopped into half rings.
When the signal sounds about the end of the program, you need to add vegetables, cumin, turmeric and a whole head of garlic to the meat. The mixture should be simmered in the “Roast” mode with the addition of 50 ml of water for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, you need to rinse the rice and drain the excess liquid from the chickpeas. You need to remove the head of garlic from the multicooker bowl and add rice and chickpeas into it. Pour 700 ml of water into the bowl and set the device to “Rice” or “Pilaf” mode. The dish must be prepared before the program ends.

How to serve a dish

Pilaf is served in portioned plates and sprinkled with chopped dill.

The dish is combined with a salad of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes.

Bulgur with vegetables, turkey and herbs

What do you need:

turkey fillet – 0.5 kg;
large bulgur – 0.2 kg;
water – 0.4 l;
zucchini – 0.2 kg;
onions – 100 g;
carrots – 100 g;
sweet pepper – 0.2 kg;
hot pepper – 5-10 g;
fresh mint – 10 g;
fresh cilantro – 20 g;
basil – 20 g;
salt, turmeric - to taste;
oil - how much will be needed (from 20 ml).

How to cook:

Cut the turkey meat into small cubes.
Cut the zucchini into quarters of circles about 1 cm thick or into cubes of 1-1.5 cm if yours is mature. Do not forget that a large zucchini must be peeled, pulp and seeds removed.
Cut carrots and peppers into strips, onions into thin half rings or quarter rings. Finely chop the hot pepper with a knife.
Wash mint, cilantro and basil. Without mixing, chop with a knife.
Pour the bulgur into a small saucepan, fry it lightly, add water and cook until there is no excess liquid in the saucepan.
Brown the turkey in a cauldron or deep frying pan. Add vegetables and mint. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
Add bulgur and herbs, salt and seasonings, stir.
Fry the bulgur with vegetables, turkey and herbs for 5 minutes.

If your acquaintance with oriental cuisine begins with this dish, then you will surely love it.

Bulgur with champignons and turkey in creamy sauce

What do you need:

bulgur – 150 g;
water – 0.25 l;
turkey fillet – 0.3 kg;
drinking cream – 0.2 l;
butter – 40 g;
refined vegetable oil – 60 ml;
hard cheese – 50 g;
fresh champignons – 0.25-0.3 kg;
granulated garlic, ground black pepper, Italian herbs, salt - to taste.

How to cook:

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan and fry the bulgur in it. When the cereal is almost completely saturated with oil, salt it, add boiled water and cook for 15 minutes.
In a deep frying pan in vegetable oil, first fry the turkey cut into small cubes, then the mushrooms. Champignons, cut into slices, need to be fried until the juice released from them has almost completely evaporated from the pan.
Combine turkey with mushrooms, season and add salt. Pour cream over them and simmer for a quarter of an hour.
Add bulgur to mushrooms and turkey, stir, simmer for 5 minutes.
Add finely grated cheese, stir quickly and immediately remove from heat.

It is best to serve the appetizer prepared according to this recipe fresh and hot. If you heat it up, the organoleptic qualities will suffer, although they will still remain quite pleasant.

A simple recipe for bulgur pilaf with turkey in a slow cooker

What do you need:

bulgur – 0.25 kg;
turkey – 0.4-0.5 kg;
water – 0.5 l;
carrots – 0.2 kg;
onions – 0.2 kg;
green beans or green peas (optional) – 0.3 kg;
refined vegetable oil – 60-80 ml;
garlic – 1 head;
seasonings for pilaf, salt to taste.

How to cook:

First prepare the food. Cut the onion into medium cubes, carrots into strips. Cut the turkey into 1.5-2 cm pieces.
Pour oil into the multicooker bowl. Start the device in the “Baking” mode.
Place poultry meat in oil. After 10 minutes, add onions and carrots to it, after another 5 minutes - beans or peas.
After 5 minutes, pour 100 ml of water into the multicooker, add salt and spices. Switch the appliance to the “Extinguishing” program.
After 10 minutes, add the bulgur and add water. Insert a whole head of garlic into the bulgur.
Change the program to “Pilaf”, if available. If there is no specialized program, cook in stewing mode for another 30 minutes.

Before serving, bulgur and turkey pilaf should be mixed. You can cook it not only in a slow cooker, but also in a vat.

We also invite you to learn how traditional Uzbek pilaf is prepared.

Cooking features

The process of preparing bulgur with turkey meat is not complicated, but has certain specifics. To get the best results, there are several things you need to know and take into account.

You can use both turkey breast and thigh to cook with bulgur, but these parts of the bird have different flavors and different calorie content. Breast is a more dietary product and tastes like chicken. Turkey thigh is similar to red meat. The choice depends solely on the preferences of the cook.
Frozen poultry usually costs less, but it tends to be drier when cooked. It is better to give preference to fresh or chilled product. If you do decide to cook bulgur with frozen turkey, give it the opportunity to thaw in natural conditions without exposing it to sudden temperature changes. Then it will remain almost as juicy as if it had not been frozen.
Bulgur comes in different sizes. For cooking with turkey, large grains are usually used, but medium grains are also acceptable. Main courses are usually not prepared from small bulgur; it is used mainly in the preparation of confectionery products.
Bulgur is usually not washed before cooking. It is believed that steam treatment during its production is sufficient for its disinfection. However, coarse grains can also be washed. It is also possible to fry the bulgur in a dry frying pan or in oil. This will reveal the nutty notes inherent in this cereal.
A dish of bulgur and turkey will turn out even more tasty and appetizing if you include vegetables or mushrooms in its composition. These ingredients are most often fried before being combined with other ingredients, but if you are trying to keep your diet as healthy and low in calories as possible, you can simmer the food in a little water instead of frying.