Best Braised Turkey Legs Recipes

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:

• Season turkey with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Working in batches, cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 15-20 minutes per batch; transfer to a large plate.
• Add onion, leeks, celery, and garlic to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add wine, parsley, and thyme and sage sprigs; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until reduced by half, 8-10 minutes.
• Return turkey to pot and add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer until meat is tender and cooked through and liquid is reduced by half, 2 1/2-3 hours. Add carrots and cook, uncovered, until carrots are soft and meat is falling off the bone, 35-45 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer turkey and carrots to a platter. Strain sauce; serve alongside. Top with chives and 1/2 cup chopped parsley.

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.

CIDER-BRAISED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Rinse and dry turkey legs; season on all sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Place bacon in a large Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until bacon begins to crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
• Increase heat to high and add olive oil. Add turkey legs, skin side down, working in batches if necessary. Cook, turning, until turkey is 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.
• Add carrots, celery, and leeks to Dutch oven and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and cook until it begins to bubble. Add thyme, sage, bay leaves, and cider; bring to a boil and stir, breaking up any browned bits at the bottom of pan. Continue boiling until cider is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Add chicken stock and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a slow simmer and add reserved bacon. Return turkey legs to Dutch-oven, skin side down; cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 40 minutes, turn turkey legs, uncover, and continue cooking 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.

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.

TURKEY-BREAST ROULADE & BRAISED LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Place turkey breast, skin-side down, on a cutting board. Slice through the thickest part horizontally, creating a flap, and open it like a book. Cover with plastic wrap. With a mallet, pound to an even thickness (about 3/4 inch). Remove plastic and season with salt and pepper. Spread stuffing evenly over top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Working from the short side without skin, roll the breast up tightly into a log, enclosing stuffing. Turn seam-side down and pull the skin down to envelop roulade as much as possible. Tie with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals to secure. Rub 2 tablespoons butter over skin; season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange onion rounds in a single layer on one side of a roasting pan. Place roulade, skin-side up, atop onions. Rub 1 tablespoon butter over each leg, season, and place on other side of pan. Scatter thyme over turkey and pour 1 cup stock into pan.
• Roast turkey (adding more stock to pan if bottom becomes dry, 1/2 cup at a time) until a thermometer inserted in center of roulade registers 160°F, about 1 hour. Transfer roulade and legs to a carving board, loosely covering with foil to keep warm; remove and discard onion.
• Place pan on stove top over medium-high heat; add 2 1/2 cups stock. Bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and remaining 1/2 cup stock, then gradually whisk into pan. Continue boiling until thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add more lemon juice, if desired, 1 teaspoon at a time, and season to taste. Remove twine from roulade and slice into rounds. Arrange on a platter with legs and garnishes and serve with gravy.

BRAISED TURKEY LEGS WITH WILD MUSHROOM STUFFING

Steps:

• First prepare the stuffing by melting butter in saute pan. Poor over bread cubes. Set aside.
• Rinse dried porcini and soak in warm water for 15 minutes Drain and chop, reserving liquid.
• Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium heat and add onions, celery, and bacon. Cook until vegetables become translucent. Add porcini, fresh mushrooms, reserved mushroom liquid and stock. Cook over medium heat and reduce until almost dry.
• Add vegetables to bread cubes along with parsley, sage, rosemary, and beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Now prepare turkey leg & thigh sections by removing bones, silver skin, and all tendons. With skin side down, cover with plastic wrap and pound out evenly. Season inside with salt and pepper.
• Add 8 ounces of mushroom stuffing evenly across middle section. Roll into a tight cylinder. Tie with butcher's string. Season outside with salt and pepper. Heat a roasting pan and add olive oil. Sear meat until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
• Add carrots, celery, onion and rosemary and cook until brown. Deglaze with chicken stock. Bring to a boil and add turkey. Cover roasting pan with foil and braise in oven for about 2 hours and until internal temperature is 130 degrees.
• Remaining stuffing may be added to a buttered gratin dish and baked in the 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and finish roasting to get color on the meat, until internal temperature is 140 degrees. Remove legs, set aside on platter, and cover with foil until ready to slice.
• Add 2 cups of pomegranate juice to the braising liquid and simmer for 10 minutes then puree the sauce through a food mill or a with a blender. The vegetables will thicken the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Slice the turkey into half-inch portions and serve with sauce.

CIDER-BRAISED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• For the Turkey Legs: place turkey legs between two pieces of plastic wrap skin side down and pound to a thickness of 1/2-inch. Remove top layer of plastic. Place the prosciutto on turkey and carefully spread the robiola in center. Roll the meat beginning with the narrower side until enclosed and remove the bottom piece of plastic wrap. Tie with butcher's twine to secure and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• In a Dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the turkey legs and sear on all sides until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add carrots, leek, celery, garlic and thyme and cook until tender about 10-12 minutes. Add cider scraping up browned bits from bottom of the pan. Allow to reduce for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock, return thighs to the Dutch oven. Bring stock to a boil, cover, and allow to simmer on the stove for 45 minutes or until legs are cooked through to a temp of 165ºF.
• Remove legs to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, allow liquid to reduce until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Cut the butcher's twine and slice the turkey into 1/2-inch pieces. Serve over vegetables and spoon pan sauce over. Garnish with a pinch of flaky sea salt and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

TURKEY LEGS BRAISED IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Rinse turkey and pat dry.
• In a shallow bowl, mix flour, salt, oregano and pepper.
• Dust turkey with flour mixture; set remaining flour mixture aside.
• Heat oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add turkey, a few pieces at a time (do not crowd pan); cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides. Transfer to a 4 to 6-quart baking pan.
• Add onions and garlic to frying pan; cook, stirring often, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add broth and wine, stirring to scrape browned bits free. Then add bay leaf, thyme and rosemary.
• Pour broth mixture over turkey, cover, and bake in a 350*F (175*C) oven until turkey is very tender when pierced, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Lift turkey from baking pan and arrange in a serving dish.
• Measure reserved flour mixture and blend with an equal amount of cold water; stir into pan juices. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.
• Spoon some of the sauce over turkey; pour remainder in a small serving dish and offer to spoon over individual servings.

SLOW COOKER BRAISED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• In large heavy skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Brown turkey legs and transfer to crock pot. Add onion, celery, garlic and carrots to the skillet and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil make sure to scrape up any brown bits. Let wine reduce for 2-3 minutes then add herbs and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer mixture into crock pot, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours ( or Low for 4-6 hours).
• To finish the gravy: Transfer turkey legs and vegetables to plate when done and cover to keep warm. Pour the sauce through a strainer into a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water, then add to the sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until it thickens, about 2 minutes.Remove from heat, stir in cream until it is hot or the butter just until it melts. Serve.