Keto Oven Roasted Turkey Legs [Recipe + How To Cook] (2024)

FAQs

What temperature should turkey legs be cooked at? ›

Lay the turkey legs in a roasting pan. Pour in water. Roast uncovered until the legs are golden brown and the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

So, yes, you do want to cover the turkey with foil to give it a chance to roast without getting dry. But then, towards the end of the cook time, remove the foil so the skin—the best part in this writer's opinion—gets a chance to crisp up.

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

Why It Works. Separating the breast meat from the leg meat before roasting your turkey allows you to cook both white and dark meat to the proper temperature. Simmering aromatics and the turkey carcass in stock creates a flavorful base for gravy.

The Fork Method

To find out if your turkey is done without a thermometer, pierce the mid-thigh muscle with a fork, explains Johnson. "When the juices run clear, and no longer reddish or pink in color, it's a good indication that your turkey is done."

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

Wet brining your turkey legs involves submerging the drumsticks in saltwater and placing them in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. Brining will soften the turkey meat, ensuring it takes less time to grill. It will also infuse the turkey legs with extra moisture to prevent the meat from drying out while it grills.

Place roast, skin side up, on a flat roasting rack in 2-inch deep roasting pan. Do not add water to pan. Roast uncovered according to Cooking Schedule or until meat thermometer in center of breast roast reaches 170° F and in center of turkey roast reaches 175° F.

How long to cook at 325 vs 350? ›

In general, you may need to increase the baking time by 10-25% to compensate for the lower temperature.

How do you clean a turkey before cooking it? Well... you don't! Just like with other meat, the USDA recommends skipping washing your turkey before you cook it. It doesn't matter if you're roasting, frying, or smoking your turkey, there's no need to give it a rinse unless you've brined it (more on that below).

Cook your turkey at 375 °F until the internal temp is 165°F. You should flip the leg a few times during this process to make sure both sides are evenly cooked. The result are a tender and hot turkey leg with crispy skin in about 20 minutes! This is one of my favorite methods.

Cooking all the parts separately is always more efficient than in one piece. Mainly because all the parts of the animal need different cooking time due to different muscle load during life. For instance turkey legs work more than the breast, hence the meat on the legs is more tough and requires more cooking time.

You'll find that most people (including the USDA) consider the turkey to be done once it's reached a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) in the thickest part of the thigh.

Hold the thermometer still until the numbers stop increasing. If it is not ready, return it to the oven. According to the Department of Agriculture, a turkey must reach 165 degrees F to be safe, but you can take it out of the oven as low as 160 degrees F because the temperature will rise at it rests.

Whole turkey: On your meat thermometer, a whole cooked turkey should reach an internal temperature of 165°F in the breast and 175°F in the thigh. Whole turkey, stuffed: The center of the stuffing must reach 165°F. Turkey breast, boneless: The thickest portion of the turkey breast should reach 165°F.