Go Back
–+ servings
A platter with two marinated roasted turkey legs on, surrounded by a sauce with lemon and onion.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Roast Turkey Legs

This simple Roasted Turkey Leg recipe is a perfect meat to serve up for Christmas, Thanksgiving or any time of year. It’s packed with flavour and juicy, moist meat and is so easy to do.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Family Food
Servings: 4
Author: Sarah Rossi

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 Chicken stock or water
Metric - Imperial

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.

Did you make this recipe? Click here to let us know how it went and give it a ⭐️ rating! Your feedback helps us to make more recipes you really want.

Notes

Leftovers: This cold meat is fantastic for using in salads, sandwiches, wraps, pastas or rice dishes. Keep this in a container or covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can freeze the cooked turkey meat wrapped well for up to 3 months.
How to know when it’s cooked: Make sure the juices run clear. If they’re still pink, it’s not ready. OR 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

 

Nutrition

Calories: 544kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 67g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 240mg | Sodium: 834mg | Potassium: 1010mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 277IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 6mg