Best Southern Collard Greens Recipe

When it comes to truly classic Southern dishes, collard greens are up there with the heavy hitters. Smoky, meaty, and with a bit of earthy bitterness, collard greens are one of those dishes for which everyone has their own unique recipe. Here, I kept things classic and simple. Southern cooking can sometimes appear intimidating or too involved, but this recipe is anything but. All you need are a couple of hours, a handful of staple ingredients, smoked turkey, and your collard greens (the star of the show) for an easy side (or meal on its own!) you can serve all year long. While this recipe is perfect as is, it’s also completely adaptable based on your tastes, crowd size, and what you have on hand—you can truly make it your own.

How To Make Southern Collard Greens

INGREDIENTS

• Collard Greens: It’s imperative that you give these greens a thorough wash; nobody wants any dirt in their collard greens! A good rinse should be sufficient, but you can soak them if you really want to get in there.
• Onions: Vidalia onions give a mellow, balanced flavor to these collard greens. Vidalias are worth seeking out, but if you can’t find them, yellow or Spanish onions will work too.
• Smoked Turkey: You can use any combination of smoked turkey necks, legs, butt, or wings, or you can swap it out for an equal amount of ham hocks if that’s your preference; if you do, make sure they’re smoked so you don’t miss out on any of the flavor.
• Chicken Bouillon Cubes: I create the broth by using 2 chicken bouillon cubes and water. I highly recommend not substituting these for the best possible flavor.
• Seasonings: A combination of garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes adds plenty of flavor and a small kick of heat to these greens, but feel free to adjust based on taste.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

When it comes to prepping your collard greens for cutting, you’ve got a couple of options: If you like more fibrous greens, you can keep the heart of the stem on and only snap off the end. Not a fan? Pull your leaves away from the stem, and snap them off completely. Then, working in batches, roll up the greens and cut them horizontally into small pieces.

Then, thoroughly rinse your greens under cold water until all the grit and debris come out and they run completely clean. Make sure to be thorough here—you want to remove every bit of dirt. Grab a Dutch oven or large pot, then heat your oil. Add the chopped onion, season with salt, and sweat them out until translucent. This should take around 7 minutes.

Then, add in your greens, and pour in enough water to just cover them—most likely around 4 to 5 cups. Then you can add your turkey, bouillon cubes, and seasonings. Bring the pot to a rolling boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. You’ll know your collard greens are done when the meat starts to fall off the bone, and your greens turn a rich, dark color. My greens were ready after around 2 hours, but one of my favorite things about collard greens is that you can’t overcook them! If they need to cook down a little longer, or you prefer more liquid in your recipe, feel free to keep ’em going.

Once your collard greens are to your liking, transfer the turkey to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Then return the shredded turkey back to the pot, and stir well until fully combined.

Give it a taste, then season with more salt and pepper as needed before serving.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

What To Serve With Southern Collard Greens

Collard greens are a great side to many dishes, Southern and otherwise. For an authentic Southern dinner through and through, serve the collards alongside other Southern classics like Louisiana-style red beans & rice, fried catfish, crispy fried chicken, or another side like Southern baked mac & cheese.

Recipe Tips

• Prefer more broth? If you like your greens with more liquid, feel free to add more water to the pot. Just remember to add more seasoning as well!
• Make it your own. I don’t use any vinegar in this recipe, but if your collard greens aren’t complete without it (or a little bit of sugar), add that in. This recipe is nothing if not customizable.
• Feeding a crowd? This recipe will feed between 6 and 8 people, but if you’re feeding a group (or want leftovers), feel free to add more collard greens and adjust the seasonings accordingly.

Southern Collard Greens Variations

While this classic Southern preparation is easily one of the best ways to enjoy the staple greens, you can also toss them in with another Southern classic: Black-eyed peas. Collard greens are great in any black-eyed pea dish, like New Year’s black-eyed peas or black-eyed pea bruschetta. For a more modern spin on the classic dish, use your collard greens as a wrap in recipes like rainbow collard green wraps, collard green burritos, or collard wrap bento boxes.

Storage

If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3 to 4 days.