
Slow-cooked turkey legs are this year’s ultimate Thanksgiving hack. No basting, no inevitable dry meat—no fuss at all. All you have to do is make an easy festive herb butter, wrap everything in foil, and let it roast unsupervised. This recipe allows for all of the Thanksgiving sides that really can’t fit in your oven alongside a 15-pound turkey. Slow-roasting turkey legs will create a fall-off-the-bone texture in just a few hours. It’s a very forgiving cooking tactic and difficult to mess up. If you’re looking for the perfect way around cooking that complicated roast turkey, these roasted legs are the best way to wow your guests this year.
We made this recipe using a wire rack to allow for added airflow, but a baking dish or tray will work just fine. The foil is arguably your most necessary prop. Once the legs have roasted, we find that taking the foil off and broiling the legs for 8 to 10 minutes yields juicy, tender turkey legs with crispy buttery skin. Looking for ideas of what to serve with this? All of the classic sides would go perfectly with this turkey leg, from creamy mashed potatoes, Parmesan roasted green beans, classic stuffing, and homemade cranberry sauce.
Though your family members won’t be able to stay away from this dish, if you do have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup
(1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp.
chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp.
chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp.
freshly ground black pepper
- 4
skin-on, bone-in turkey drumsticks (10 to 12 oz. each)
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, combine butter, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Step 2Pat turkey legs dry, then generously coat with butter mixture. Using your hands, rub butter mixture under skin.
- Step 3Wrap each turkey leg in foil and place on a wire rack set in a baking sheet (you can also use a large baking dish; tightly cover top of dish with foil).
- Step 4Bake turkey legs until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165°, about 2 hours.
- Step 5Unwrap turkey (or uncover dish). Heat broiler. Broil turkey on high, watching closely, until skin is crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Step 6Let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

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