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These roasted turkey legs are perfect anytime and work especially well for small Thanksgiving gatherings.
Baking them at a high temperature ensures crispy skin and juicy meat. And with this method, this recipe takes just a little over one hour.
Not everyone wants to roast a whole turkey for Thanksgiving. Perhaps you plan on a small gathering, or maybe your family members strongly prefer white or dark meat.
Either way, roasting just a couple of turkey breasts or a few turkey legs has clear advantages, such as a shorter roasting time and a better-tasting bird. Roasting just parts of the bird means avoiding the common issue of white meat that becomes too dry by the time the dark meat is fully cooked.
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- Ingredients
- Variations
- Roasted Turkey Legs Instructions
- Expert Tip
- Recipe FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Storing Leftovers
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Ingredients
You'll need just a few ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Avocado oil spray: I use it to grease the rack and spray the turkey pieces after seasoning them. This oil has a high smoke point, making it ideal for high-heat roasting.
- Medium-sized turkey legs: Bone-in and skin-on, weighing about 10 ounces each.
- Melted butter: I use salted butter in this recipe, but unsalted will work fine, too.
- Seasoning mix: Sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and paprika.
Variations
- Use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika for a lovely, smoky flavor.
- Add more spices. I sometimes add ½ teaspoon of onion powder or ground cumin.
- Need this recipe to be dairy-free? Use ghee instead of butter.
Roasted Turkey Legs Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here's an overview of the steps for making this recipe:
Pat the turkey pieces dry with paper towels. Brush them all over with melted butter and sprinkle them with the seasoning mix, pressing to help it adhere.
Place the turkey legs on a greased rack fitted into a rimmed baking sheet (it's a good idea to line the baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup). Spray them with avocado oil.
Roast the turkey uncovered for 20 minutes in a preheated 450°F oven. Loosely cover the turkey drumsticks with foil and keep roasting them until they reach an internal temperature of 160°F. For medium drumsticks, this should take about 30 more minutes. Let them rest, still covered in foil, for 10 minutes, then serve.
Expert Tip
You'll need to adjust the oven temperature and the time the bird spends in the oven according to the size of the turkey pieces.
The method of roasting for a short time at a high temperature is perfect for medium turkey legs weighing about 10 ounces each. If yours are much bigger - around a pound each - bake them for longer at a lower temperature.
Turkey legs weighing 1 pound should be baked in a 350°F oven for at least 90 minutes and up to two hours. Cover them loosely with foil once the tops are deeply browned, which should happen after 60-75 minutes.
Always check with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg and not touching the bone to ensure it has reached 160°F. After a 10-minute rest, it should climb to 165°F.
Here is the result of using this method on a one-pound turkey leg - dark crispy skin and perfectly cooked juicy meat:
Recipe FAQs
Should I roast turkey legs at 350°F or 450°F?
It depends on their size. As long as they're not too large, baking them relatively quickly at a high temperature yields the best results: crispy, well-browned skin and juicy, succulent meat.
If the legs are huge - around a pound each - you will need to bake them for at least an hour and a half in a 350°F oven.
Why do you spray the turkey with avocado oil?
The oil helps keep the spices and herbs moist and helps prevent them from burning in the hot oven.
How do you keep the turkey from drying out?
The secret is to pick relatively small legs and roast them relatively quickly at a high temperature. Then, let them rest for a few minutes before digging in to allow the temperature to climb a bit more and the juices to settle.
Why do you rest the turkey for 10 minutes?
Resting it accomplishes two goals. The first is that it allows the temperature to climb and reach 165°F. The second is that it enables the juices to settle, ensuring juicy meat.
Serving Suggestions
At Thanksgiving, I serve these turkey legs with cranberry sauce, cornbread, and side dishes such as sausage stuffing, cauliflower stuffing, roasted Brussels sprouts, and green bean casserole.
When I make them during the year, I like to serve them with a side dish that I can roast in the same 450°F oven, such as roasted peppers, roasted broccoli, roasted okra, or carrot chips.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power. Much like leftover chicken drumsticks, they are excellent when eaten cold!
More Turkey Recipes
- Boneless Turkey Breast
- Turkey Carcass Soup
- Turkey Salad
- Turkey Burgers
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Recipe Card
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Roasted Turkey Legs
Theseroasted turkey legsare perfect anytime and work especially well for small Thanksgiving gatherings.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time50 minutes mins
Resting time10 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 432kcal
Author: Vered DeLeeuw
Ingredients
- Avocado oil spray
- 4 medium turkey legs (bone-in, skin-on, about 10 ounces each)
- ¼ cup butter melted
Seasoning mix:
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Fit a rimmed roasting pan with a rack and spray the rack with avocado oil.
Pat the turkey legs dry with paper towels. Brush them all over with melted butter and rub them with the seasoning mix. Place them on the roasting rack and lightly spray them with avocado oil.
Place the turkey in the oven. Roast it, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the skin is browned.
Loosely cover the turkey legs with foil to avoid scorching their top, and continue roasting them until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer not touching the bone registers 160°F, 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 will enable the internal temperature to climb and the juices to redistribute and settle.
Video
Notes
Roasting time:
You'll need to adjust the oven temperature and the time the bird spends in the oven according to the size of the turkey pieces.
The method of roasting for a short time at a high temperature is perfect for medium turkey legs weighing about 10 ounces each. If yours are much bigger - around a pound each - bake them for longer at a lower temperature.
Turkey legs weighing 1 pound should be baked in a 350°F oven for at least 90 minutes and up to two hours. Cover them loosely with foil once the tops are deeply browned, which should happen after 60-75 minutes.
Always check with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg and not touching the bone to ensure the internal temperature has reached 160°F. After a 10-minute rest, it should climb to 165°F.
Leftovers:
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power, or enjoy them cold.
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Nutrition per Serving
Serving: 1turkey leg | Calories: 432kcal | Protein: 56g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 555mg
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Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
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About the Author
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. Click to learn more about Vered.
Reader Interactions
Comments
R carter
I just made this with 3 legs (2.4 pounds). It came out beautifully!Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Yay! I'm so glad this was a success! Thanks for leaving a comment. I appreciate it.
Reply
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