Oven Braised Turkey Legs Recipes

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.

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.

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.

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.

OVEN ROASTED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Place the salt and sugar into a large resealable bag. Pour in enough water to cover the turkey legs, and squeeze the bag to dissolve salt and sugar. Immerse the turkey legs in the brine, and seal the bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to brine.
• In a saucepan, stir together the white wine, pomegranate molasses, brown sugar, regular molasses, vinegar, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half. Season with 1 tablespoon of sage and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Taste and adjust sugar, salt and pepper if desired.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Remove the turkey legs from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine. Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Cast iron will work well. Fry the turkey, turning frequently, until browned on all sides. Place the pan with the turkey into the oven.
• Roast uncovered for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and turn legs over. Season with some of the remaining thyme and sage, and spoon some of the sauce onto the legs to coat. Return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes.
• Repeat the seasoning and baste with the sauce again, and return to the oven. Roast for 15 more minutes, then test for doneness. The internal temperature should be 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Serve turkey with remaining sauce on the side.

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.

APPLE-BRAISED TURKEY THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season turkey on both sides with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down. Cook until skin is golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer turkey to a plate and add shallots to pot. Cook until shallots soften, about 5 minutes. Add apples and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
• Return turkey, skin side up, to pot; add cider and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, then place pot in oven. Cook 1 1/2 hours. Uncover; cook 30 minutes more.
• Remove pot from oven and transfer turkey to a plate. Skim fat from cooking liquid and stir in vinegar. Slice meat off bones (discard bones) and serve turkey with apples and pan sauce.