Description
Tender, succulent and flavourful, easy roasted turkey legs with crispy skin and vegetables is a complete wholesome turkey dinner and family favourite.
Ingredients
- 2 turkey legs with thighs, bone-in skin-on (approximately 2 lbs. each)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Half medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch wide slices
- 2 to 3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup celery, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 10 baby potatoes, halved
Instructions
- Marinate the turkey: In a large bowl or ziploc bag, combine turkey legs with vegetable oil, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to coat turkey in the marinade. If marinating in a ziploc bag, press the air out of the bag, seal tightly, and press the seasoning around the turkey legs to coat. Transfer turkey to the refrigerator and marinate for at least one hour. The longer, the better.
- Assemble the roasting pan: Arrange onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes on a large roasting pan and place the roasting rack over the vegetables in the pan. Place the marinated turkey legs onto the rack. Drizzle any remaining marinade over the vegetables.
- Bake the turkey legs: Preheat oven to 375 F. Transfer the pan into the oven and bake for 1 to 1.5 hours (depending on the size of the turkey legs) until golden brown and the internal temperature for the turkey legs reaches 165 F.
- Broil the turkey legs (optional): Turn the broiler on high and broil the turkey legs for 3-4 minutes to achieve an extra crispy skin. Make sure to monitor the colour of the turkey skin during broiling since it can burning very quickly.
- Serve: Serve with the vegetables and drizzle with the juices from the pan. You can also use the pan drippings to make an easy 2-ingredient turkey gravy and drizzle on top.
Notes
Equipment used: large roasting pan with rack, digital meat thermometer, and fine-mesh sieve (if making gravy).
How to customize:You can customize this easy one pan dinner by switching up the vegetables and adding in whatever you have on hand. Some other great choices are sweet potatoes and butternut squash.
How to check for doneness: The turkey is ready once the internal temperature reaches 165F. Insert a digital meat thermometer halfway inside the thickest part of the leg to get a quick reading. This will ensure that you never end up with undercooked or overcooked turkey.
Cooking with skin vs. no skin: I highly recommend cooking this turkey with the skin. The skin is required to get that beautiful brown colour. You can certainly make it without the skin, but the results will not be quite the same.
How to make turkey gravy: Use the turkey pan juices to make easy 2-ingredient turkey gravy. You can also make a large batch of gravy using turkey stock in this classic turkey gravy recipe.
How to store: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Use any leftovers to make leftover turkey sandwich, turkey fried rice or turkey wild rice soup.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (+1 hour to marinate)
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Turkey
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: American