Sometimes an entire turkey is just too big for a small Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering. Enter this delicious and easy baked turkey legs recipe! Simply season turkey legs with turkey rub, then roast for approximately an hour in the oven, and dinner is served!
Dark meat lovers, rejoice! These baked turkey legs are easy enough for weeknight dinners yet tasty enough to serve for Thanksgiving!
Whether youre celebrating Thanksgiving alone, as a couple, or as a small family, baking an entire turkey might be a bit much. Especially if you dont want to eat leftover turkey sandwiches for weeks to come.
One whole turkey leg (thigh and drumstick) can easily serve two people, so this recipe can serve 4 comfortably. However, if you have a slightly larger group to feed, you may want to consider a Traeger smoked turkey breast, which feeds 6 to 8.[feast_advanced_jump_to]
Turkey legs are a tasty part of the bird that often get overlooked. With their juicy dark meat and crispy skin roasted turkey legs make a nice alternative to cooking a whole turkey. But what do you do with the leftovers? Whether you roasted your own turkey legs or have some leftover from a holiday meal, you don’t need to toss them out. There are so many delicious ways to use up leftover turkey legs.
Make Hearty Soups and Stews
One of the easiest ways to use up turkey legs is to simmer them into a flavorful soup or stew. The long cooking helps tenderize the meat so it easily falls off the bone. Try adding legs along with classic soup vegetables like onions, carrots celery and potatoes. Chicken stock beef broth or water makes a nice base. Season the broth well with herbs and let it simmer until the meat is fall-apart tender.
Some tasty turkey leg soup ideas include:
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Turkey Noodle Soup – Simmer legs and veggies in chicken broth. Shred the meat and add egg noodles for the last 5 minutes.
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Turkey and Wild Rice Soup – Cook legs with onions, carrots and celery. Shred meat, add wild rice and cook until tender.
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Turkey Posole – Simmer legs in a chili-spiced broth with hominy. Top with shredded cabbage, radishes, lime and avocado.
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Turkey Chili – Cook legs in chili seasoned tomato sauce. Shred meat and add beans and veggies.
Whip Up Hearty Pot Pies
Cover chopped turkey leg meat with gravy and bake in a pie crust for an easy meal. Or make it more of a pot pie by adding frozen veggies like peas, carrots and pearl onions. The gravy helps keep the turkey and veggies moist. Top with a second pie crust or biscuit dough and bake until golden.
Make Juicy Sliders
Ground or minced turkey leg meat makes the perfect base for flavorful turkey sliders. Shape the meat into patties and cook in a skillet until nicely browned. Melt cheese on top and serve on buns with all your favorite burger toppings – lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup and mustard.
Build Tasty Tacos
Shredded turkey legs make fantastic taco meat. Just heat the shredded meat in a skillet with taco seasoning until warmed through. Then pile it into warm tortillas or taco shells and top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, guacamole and sour cream.
Make a Quick Stir Fry
Slice turkey leg meat into thin strips and stir fry with your choice of vegetables – broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, and baby corn all work well. Cook until the meat is heated through and vegetables are tender-crisp. Toss everything with a savory sauce – teriyaki, sweet chili or garlic-ginger all taste great. Serve over rice.
Toss with Pasta
Chop or shred cooked turkey legs and add to your favorite pasta sauce like marinara, Alfredo or pesto. Let the meat heat through in the sauce, then toss with cooked pasta. Garnish with Parmesan for a hearty and comforting meal ready in minutes.
Pile Onto BBQ Sandwiches
For easy bbq turkey sandwiches, shred leftover turkey legs and mix with your favorite barbecue sauce. Pile the saucy turkey onto buns and add pickle chips for crunch. You could also try smoking turkey legs from raw for even more intense flavor.
Make Healthy Turkey Salad
Chop cooked turkey legs and toss with mayonnaise, minced celery, diced apples, halved grapes or dried cranberries, and toasted pecans or walnuts. Enjoy scooped over a bed of lettuce or stuffed into a pita or wrap.
Add to Fried Rice
Stir diced turkey leg meat into fried rice along with frozen peas and carrots, shredded cabbage and scrambled eggs. The savory turkey amps up the protein and flavor.
Bake Into a Casserole
Mix shredded turkey with cooked rice or pasta, frozen vegetables, canned soup and shredded cheese. Transfer to a baking dish, top with more cheese and breadcrumbs and bake until bubbly.
Stuff Quesadillas
Warm flour tortillas in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle each with shredded turkey, cheese, black beans and sautéed onions and peppers. Fold in half and cook until the cheese melts. Cut into wedges to serve.
Bake Enchiladas
Fill tortillas with shredded turkey, enchilada sauce and cheese. Roll up and arrange in a baking dish. Cover with more sauce and cheese and bake until hot and melty. Top with avocado, cilantro and sour cream.
Save the Bones for Broth
After removing all the meat, save the turkey bones and scraps to make a nourishing bone broth. Simmer for at least 6 hours to extract all the collagen, minerals and flavors from the bones. Strain out the solids and use the savory broth as the base for soups, stews or gravy.
With a little creativity, leftover turkey legs can be transformed into all sorts of easy, delicious dishes. Keep some handy in the freezer so you always have tasty turkey meat ready to go.
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- Turkey: I used 2 turkey hindquarters (unseparated leg and thighs) totaling 5 lbs. You may substitute with legs or thighs. Cooking times may need to be adjusted if you use smaller or larger turkey legs.
- Herbs: Rubbed sage, herbs de Provence (or a combination of thyme and rosemary), and marjoram (similar to oregano but sweeter).
- Spices (rub): Salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and Tajin seasoning (optional). If you prefer, you can use your favorite turkey rub or seasoning.
- Ghee or Oil: To get that desired crispy turkey skin, youll need to slather the turkey with either ghee or oil. I prefer using ghee over melted butter. Since its clarified, it does not have any water content, which helps to crisp up the skin. However, you can still use softened unsalted butter if thats what you have on hand.
*A full list of ingredients can be located in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How To Bake Turkey Legs
Step 1: Bring turkey legs to room temperature then pat dry with paper towels. Gently loosen the skin by inserting one or two fingers under the skin and carefully lifting it away from the muscle.
Pro Tip: If you decide to season both under and over the turkey skin, you may want to season more lightly so that the turkey does not end up too salty. Another option is to reduce the amount of salt in the turkey rub.
Step 2: Rub turkey with olive oil, ghee, or softened butter including under the skin. Mix turkey rub ingredients in a small bow, then sprinkle seasoning generously on all sides of the turkey and lightly under the skin. Allow the turkey seasoning to infuse the turkey flesh for a couple of hours or overnight.
Step 3: Preheat oven to 450℉. Place the turkey legs in a roasting pan or high-rimmed baking sheet and insert a probe into the thickest part of the thigh or leg. Set probe temperature to 180°F.
Pro Tip: When inserting the probe or meat thermometer, make sure it does not touch the bone.
Step 4: Roast turkey legs, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Brush turkey legs with rendered juices then turn the temperature down to 400°F.
Step 5: Loosely cover the turkey legs with foil and bake for another 35 to 45 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the probe or meat thermometer reaches 180°F.
Pro Tip: Allow the turkey to rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute, however, dont tent with foil. The condensation created between the foil and the turkey will cause the crispy skin to soften.
Turkey Legs Recipe – Fall off the bone!
What can I do with a turkey leg for making gravy?
Turkey legs or thighs can be used to make delicious turkey stock for gravy. If you don’t have turkey broth, chicken broth can be used instead. If you are spatchcocking the turkey, you can use the turkey back to make the broth.
What are the health benefits of ground turkey?
Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.
What can I make with leftover turkey legs?
Turkey leg recipes are fun to make at home and budget-friendly, too. You can make a down-home soup with leftover turkey. Create a broth by roasting the turkey, garlic and vegetables.
What do you put on your turkey legs for dinner?
Marinated and smoked, tender and juicy turkey legs. Crispy bacon, tasty ham, pineapple, onion and stretchy mozzarella, finished with a BBQ swirl. Extra-virgin olive oil, mozzarella cheese, thinly-sliced steak meat, garlic, green peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes.
How do you eat turkey leg meat?
For an easy dinner, cover chopped turkey leg meat with gravy and bake in a pie crust. Or make it more of a pot pie by adding veggies like peas, carrots and celery. Grind or mince turkey leg meat and shape into patties. Cook the patties in a skillet until browned and top with cheese, lettuce, and condiments to make turkey sliders.
What goes well with smoked turkey legs?
Sesame Seeds – These tiny flavor bombs add the perfect finishing touch to the glazed turkey legs, and they are easy to source at your local grocery store or online. Chives – These slender green onion-like herbs add flavor and the perfect splash of green to contrast with the red smoked turkey legs. Add flavor to everything you’re cooking