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Have you ever considered making a delicious roast dinner with Turkey Leg? It’s a great option. This juicy, tender meat has loads of flavour, but is so much easier to cook than a whole bird. It’s an ideal alternative for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any time of year!
There is a time and place for cooking a whole turkey, but for some an enormous bird centrepiece is unnecessary, costly and a lot of work.
This Turkey Leg recipe is here for you instead. Succulent juicy meat with so much flavour of the bird’s dark meat, it’s also so much more economical than even just a crown, and it’s definitely easier to cook.
In fact, it takes just a little over an hour to cook, and to prep all we do is make a delicious marinade that is zesty, smoky, garlicky and herby at the same time.
The flavours in the rub are all things you will likely have in the cupboard already, but combined they make this dish even more special and infuse into the turkey meat, as well as give a beautiful golden crispiness on top (we start at a higher heat, then reduce the oven temperature to achieve this).
Adding a little liquid in the bottom of the baking tray (I like to use stock but water is fine too) ensures the drumsticks stay moist as we roast them, and acts as a delicious boost of flavour to any gravy you might want to make after you’ve cooked the Turkey Legs.
Why you’ll love this Turkey Leg recipe
⭐️ Super simple to cook
⭐️ Perfect for special occasion or weekend roast dinner
⭐️ Cost effective and versatile – leftovers go far!
Buying a Turkey Leg
While buying a large bird during the Christmas or Thanksgiving season can sometimes be costly, depending on the kind you buy and where from, turkey is a really economical meat to buy year-round.
That’s especially true when it comes to a turkey leg.
If you’re in the UK, finding a whole leg might be trickier, so buying drumsticks is a good option instead. (Farm shops are more likely to have a whole leg if you want the thigh meat too.)
Because it’s such good value, if you’re cooking for a group, simply buy a few and cook them together!
For this recipe, we’re using 2 turkey drumsticks as it makes the perfect amount for 4 people, but you can tailor how many you roast according to how many you’re serving.
Ingredients for Roasted Turkey Leg
- Turkey legs – Two drumsticks or a drumstick and thigh.
- Lemon – Zest and slices.
- Onion – Peeled and sliced.
- Olive oil – Mix with the ingredients to make a rub to coat the meat with.
- Herbs – A combination of dried rosemary and oregano, plus garlic granules and paprika.
- Sea salt and black pepper – Season generously.
- Honey – This gives a lovely sweetness and fantastic glaze.
- Chicken stock or water – This is to keep the meat moist (and you can use the flavours after to add to gravy – yum!)
How to Cook Turkey Legs
1. Add slices of lemon and onion on the bottom of a roasting tray, as per the full recipe below. Pat the turkey legs dry and place on top.
2. Mix together the olive oil, lemon zest, rosemary, oregano, garlic granules, paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Rub the mixture all over both turkey pieces, making sure they are well coated.
4. Add a little stock or water, then roast according to the timings below. Rest before serving.
Leftovers
Leftover turkey meat is fantastic for using in salads, sandwiches, wraps, pastas or rice dishes. It’s even great as a chicken alternative in a pie, such as Chicken & Mushroom Pie.
In the fridge Keep this in a container or covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
In the freezer You can freeze the cooked turkey meat wrapped well for up to 3 months.
How to know when the meat is cooked through
Use a meat thermometer to gauge whether your turkey is cooked or not. Always check the thickest part of the meat. It will be ready when its temperature is recorded at either:
- At 65°C/150F for 10 minutes
- At 70°C/160F for 2 minutes
- At 75°C/170F for 30 seconds
If you don’t have a thermometer, make sure the juices run clear. If they’re still pink, it’s not ready.
Serving suggestions…
Christmas Recipes
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Side Dishes
Roast Potatoes {Best Ever Easy Recipe!}
Side Dishes
Stuffing {with Sausage meat}
Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Gravy {Make Ahead}
FAQs
No need! Unlike a full bird that can be high maintenance to get right in terms of cooking through/not burning the outside, drumsticks and thighs are relatively simple because there’s not as much to cook. So leaving it uncovered is fine.
That said, you can loosely cover it with foil if the skin starts to brown too quickly.
Start off at 200℃ fan/220℃/Gas Mark 7 for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 for another 45-55 minutes.
They should take about 1hr 15 minutes to cook thoroughly.
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Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Roast Turkey Legs
Ingredients
- 2 Turkey drumsticks (about 1–1.2kg or 2.2-2.7lb total)
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Onion, Peeled and cut into 1 cm thick slices
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tsp Dried rosemary
- 2 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 tsp Garlic granules
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Honey
- 100 ml (1/2 cup) Chicken stock or water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7.
- Prepare the roasting tray: Zest the lemon into a bowl then slice the rest and place in the bottom of a roasting tray with the sliced onion. (This is for your turkey to sit on.) Pat the turkey pieces dry with kitchen paper and place into a roasting tray on top of the sliced onion and lemon.
- Mix the marinade: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon zest, rosemary, oregano, garlic granules, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Marinate the drumsticks: Rub the mixture all over both turkey pieces, making sure they are well coated. Pour the stock or water into the bottom of the tray.
- Cook: Roast the turkey legs uncovered for 30 minutes until the skin starts to turn golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and cook for another 45–55 minutes. (Loosely cover with foil if the skin starts to brown too quickly.)
- Check the meat is cooked: The turkey is cooked when the thickest part of the meat reaches 65°C/150F for 10 minutes, 70°C/160F for 2 minutes or 75°C/170F for 30 seconds, OR when the juice from the thickest part of the drumstick run clear.
- Rest: Leave it for 10-15 minutes before carving and serving.
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Notes
- At 65°C/150F for 10 minutes
- At 70°C/160F for 2 minutes
- At 75°C/170F for 30 seconds
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutritional values are per portion unless otherwise stated.
Such a great idea! I am serving this up for a family meal before Christmas.