Oven Braised Turkey Legs Recipes

EASY ROASTED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pat dry the turkey legs with paper towels.
• Prep Turkey: Whisk the melted butter with the salt, garlic powder and pepper. Generously brush the butter mixture all around the turkey legs.
• Transfer To Oven: Transfer the turkey legs to a greased baking pan, skin side down and transfer to the preheated oven.
• Roast: Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, flip the legs so that the skin side is up and roast for another 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 170°F.

ROASTED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Fit a rimmed roasting pan with a roasting rack and spray the rack with avocado oil spray.
• Pat the turkey legs dry with paper towels. Brush them all over with melted butter and rub with the seasoning mix. Place on the roasting rack and lightly spray with avocado oil.
• Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the skin is browned.
• Loosely cover with foil, to avoid scorching the top, and continue roasting until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F (make sure it isn't touching the bone), about 30 more minutes.
• Remove the turkey legs from the oven and allow them to rest, still covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving. Do not skip this step - it allows the internal temperature to climb a bit more, and the juices to redistribute and settle.

ROASTED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse the turkey legs and pat dry.
• Stand the turkey legs upright (as if the turkey were standing). Press a knife downward into the deep tissue, creating 2 or 3 long pockets. Press a piece of celery into each opening. Pull back the skin on the legs, rub with butter, and season with a little salt. Put the skin back into place, rub with more butter, and season lightly with salt. Lay the legs in a roasting pan.
• Roast uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the legs are golden brown and the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Add more water if needed while roasting, and baste occasionally with the juices or butter.

BASIC BRAISED TURKEY

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the turkey and brown the leg (and, if you're using them, wing) portions on the skin side well, 10 minutes or more; turn and cook for another 2 minutes on the skinless side. Remove to a plate and brown the breasts in the same skillet, again mostly on the skin side; remove and keep them separate.
• Heat the oven to 300, and cook the bacon or pancetta (if using) in the remaining fat in the skillet until nearly crisp; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook the onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and herbs, in batches if necessary, until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer with the bacon or pancetta to a large roasting pan, then nestle the dark meat in there, leaving room for the breasts. Add stock or water to come about one-third to halfway up the sides of the thighs.
• Roast uncovered for about 90 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure liquid levels remain sufficiently high and stirring vegetables if they threaten to brown too much. When thigh meat is tender, place the breasts in the pan, and cook until tender, 30 to 45 minutes more, or until done. (They should register 155 on an instant-read thermometer.)
• Slice breast and thigh meat and serve on a platter with the vegetables garnished, if you like, with parsley.

OVEN BRAISED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.
• Pat the turkey pieces completely dry with paper towels. Generously season the meat all over with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add the turkey skin-side down without crowding the pot and working in batches if necessary. Sear each side until deeply browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
• Lower the heat to medium and add bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally until the fat is rendered and the meat is well-browned. Stir in the leeks, onion, carrots and celery, and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, Lepp's Turkey Rub and cook for a minute more.
• Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook until the wine is reduced by about half. Add the thyme, sage and stock to the pot, then bring to a boil. Place the turkey pieces skin-side up on top of the vegetables.
• Place in oven and bake uncovered for 1 hour. Remove the turkey pieces to a plate and stir in the sweet potatoes. Replace the turkey pieces on top of the vegetables, keeping the turkey skin exposed. If you feel the turkey is getting too brown, rest a piece of tin foil on top of the pan, without sealing it tight. Return the pot to the oven and bake until the meat is cooked through and registers an internal temperature of 165°F, about 1 hour more.
• Remove the meat from the pan and stir in the apple cider vinegar. Discard the woody stems from the thyme. At this point, the meat should fall off the bone, pull it apart into large pieces and return to the pan.

BRAISED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Rinse turkey legs and pat dry; season all over with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat and add olive oil. Add turkey legs, skin side down, working in batches, if necessary. Cook, turning, until turkey legs are browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer legs to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon of rendered fat from Dutch oven.
• Deglaze with white wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot and slightly reduced, 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium-high and add carrots, celery, and leeks to Dutch oven and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add thyme, sage, bay leaves, and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add turkey legs, skin side down; cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 40 minutes. Uncover, turn turkey legs, and continue cooking uncovered until legs are tender, 45 to 50 minutes more.
• Transfer turkey legs to a serving platter. Skim fat from top of braising liquid and discard; season braising liquid with salt and pepper, and spoon over turkey legs. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and thyme.

STOCK-BRAISED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Place salt and brown sugar in a small bowl and work together with your fingers to incorporate. Place turkey legs on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle dry brine all over both sides of legs. Chill, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 250°F. Rinse turkey legs and pat dry. Sprinkle on all sides with flour. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook 2 turkey legs, skin side down, until skin is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer legs to a large roasting pan. Repeat with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and 2 turkey legs.
• Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and orange, cut side down, and rosemary and chile to skillet and cook, undisturbed, until garlic is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add wine, scraping to release any browned bits stuck to the bottom of pan. Cook until wine is almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape into roasting pan with turkey legs. Pour in stock and cover tightly with 2 layers of foil.
• Transfer pan to oven and braise turkey until leg joints wiggle freely and meat is fork-tender, 2 1/2-3 hours.
• Place turkey legs, skin side up, on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Transfer garlic, orange, rosemary, and chile to a platter. Start with 2 cups braising liquid to make sauce. If you have more than that, set roasting pan over medium-high heat and bring liquid to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2 cups. Reduce heat so liquid is simmering and whisk in butter a piece at a time, incorporating each piece completely before adding more.
• Heat broiler. Broil turkey legs until skin is browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to platter and serve with pan sauce poured over or alongside.
• Do Ahead
• Turkey legs can be braised 3 days ahead. Let cool in braising liquid; cover and chill. Reheat, covered, until heated through before broiling.

ROASTED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Pat the turkey legs dry with paper towels and place them in a large roasting pan. Avoid rinsing poultry in the sink; that will just spread bacteria around your kitchen.

BAKED TURKEY LEGS CONNIE'S

Steps:

• 1. Rinse turkey legs and pat dry. Slip the skin of the turkey back over the leg. This is done by slipping your fingers between the skin and meat of the leg.
• 2. Smear butter onto meat on both sides of the leg.
• 3. Sprinkle meat with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• 4. Secure skin back over the leg.
• 5. Cover legs on both side with lemon or orange zest.
• 6. Place foil in the bottom of a long rectangular pan. If you wish, dice carrots and celery and add to pan.
• 7. Add chicken broth to pan.
• 8. Place turkey legs in pan.
• 9. Roast legs at 350 degrees for one hour and twenty minutes.
• 10. CAUTION: Do not over bake and since ovens are different, start checking on the turkey leg temperature after one hour. Turkey temperature should be 175 degrees when you take it from the oven.
• 11. When ready, take turkey legs from oven and let rest 15 minutes to redistribute the juices.
• 12. Taste your broth. If it's to your liking, spoon on turkey legs. If not, add salt, pepper, and a little butter and warm. Then spoon over turkey legs.

MAPLE-BRAISED TURKEY LEGS AND THIGHS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 275 degrees. Pat turkey legs and thighs dry with a paper towel and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour.
• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add turkey skin-side down and cook until browned, about five minutes. Flip and cook until the other side browns, about another five minutes. You don't want to overcrowd the pan, so don't add more than two or three pieces at a time. Otherwise, the skin won't brown properly. If the Dutch oven starts to get too hot, you can turn the heat down to medium.
• After you brown all the turkey, turn the heat down to medium if you haven't already and place the browned turkey on a separate plate. If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan. Cook the onion slices for about four minutes. Pour in the apple cider vinegar and scrap up the brown bits.
• Stir in the maple syrup, chicken stock, bay leaves, sage and thyme. Add turkey and bring the mixture to a boil. Move the Dutch oven to the 275-degree oven and cook uncovered until the leg meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, about 2 hours. Loosely cover the meat with foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving. Enjoy!

HOW TO COOK TURKEY DRUMSTICKS

Steps:

• Prepare turkey: Dry the turkey legs with kitchen paper. Sprinkle them generously with salt, pepper, and sweet paprika powder.
• Brown: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or another large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof dish. Brown the turkey drumsticks on all sides, about 3 minutes on each side.
• Simmer: Add 1 cup (250 ml) of the stock, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven: In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/ 200 degrees Celsius.
• Prepare vegetables: Clean and chop the vegetables. Whisk the tomato paste into the remaining chicken stock. Add the vegetables and tomato paste to the pot.
• Roast covered: Place the pot in the oven and roast for about 35-40 minutes. Baste the drumsticks with the cooking liquid twice while roasting. If necessary, add a bit more chicken stock.
• Roast uncovered for another 10 minutes to allow the skin to get crispy.
• Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer; it should be 170 degrees Fahrenheit/ 77 degrees Celsius (Note 4).
• Rest meat: Transfer meat to a large platter and let rest for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, make the gravy.
• Remove about 1/3 of the vegetables from the pan and set them aside.
• Blend the remaining veggies and adjust the taste with salt and pepper if necessary.
• Return the reserved vegetables to the sauce, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

BRAISED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Preheat a large 8-quart dutch oven over meadium high heat. Season turkey legs liberally with salt and pepper. Dust with flour and pat off excess. Add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil to pot. When oil ripples or whisps of smoke start to appear, brown the floured turkey legs 7-8 minutes total, in batches if necessary, careful not to over-crowd the pot, as this will inhibit even browning. Remove turkey from the pot and set aside. Pour off any excess grease left in the pot. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and butter to pot. Add carrots, celery, onions and garlic and sweat for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add oregano, thyme, paprika, pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and stir till fragrant about 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with red wine, scraping off any accumulated brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and dried cranberries. Season with salt and pepper. Line the rim of the dutch oven with aluminum foil to form a tight seal preventing steam from escaping, and cover with lid. Place the pot in the oven and braise for about an hour or until turkey is tender. Remove turkey from the braising liquid. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from the bones, careful to remove all tendons and connective tissue. Return pot over high heat and reduce braising liquid until slighty thick. Stir in turkey meat and serve over rice, mashed potatoes or noodles.