Oven Slow Cooked Turkey Leg

Last Updated on 24/03/2020

A slow cooked turkey leg with tender meat and crispy skin, I can’t think of a tastier and easier way of cooking turkey.

TURKEY LEG RECIPE

This is our favorite way of cooking turkey: slow roasted turkey leg in the oven, until the meat falls off the bone and the skin is crispy. A vegetable sauce made with the vegetables cooked together with the turkey and some oven roasted potatoes.

A beautiful and delicious turkey leg recipe suitable for a feast. Yet so easy to make, you could make it on a regular basis.

What better recipe for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner than something delicious, but which involves so little trouble?

Preparing the turkey leg for roasting takes less than 15 minutes. OK, it needs quite a while in the oven, but there is nothing you have to do during this time, except taking care of the other dishes you want to serve.

SLOW COOKED TURKEY LEG RECIPE

I don’t know about you, but I have rarely cooked a whole turkey. They are quite expensive and soooo large and there is no Thanksgiving tradition in Germany, which might entice me to such experiments.

That doesn’t mean we don’t eat lots of turkey meat, I have lots of turkey leg recipes in my repertoire, like baked turkey drumsticks or other recipes for oven cooked turkey legs.

And many other recipes using the breast of the turkey, something like this roasted turkey breast or turkey rolls, recipes using the wings and the neck, for instance turkey stock or bone broth for soups and many more.

We are so lucky to be able to buy our turkey and beef directly in the village, from farmers raising their birds and cows organically. The price is reasonable and the quality fantastic and it is so nice to know where your meat comes from and that there are no antibiotics or weird stuff in the meat.

I recently got another turkey, this time a whole bird. Last year I only ordered half of a huge bird, but it was gone so quickly, I decided to get a whole one this year. Of course, not in one piece…

We already ate both legs, both cooked the same way, this turkey leg recipe is so good that I just didn’t want to risk it and try something different.

HOW TO SLOW COOK A TURKEY LEG IN THE OVEN?

I don’t have a slow cooker, they are not popular in Germany, but I like cooking meat in the oven at low temperature.

The danger of overcooking the meat when slow cooking it is low, the work involved minimal, you just need to know exactly when you want to eat and take care to put the meat in the oven soon enough.

That makes this dish such a great fit for the Christmas dinner or lunch. Not much hassle, the preparations are done in less than 15 minutes and 3 ½ – 4 hours later, you have a delicious meal on the table.

The only thing that will drive you crazy is the smell that will start filling the house about one hour after you shoved your bird in the oven…

In case you are wondering why my turkey leg looks a bit weird at the joint: the problem was that it was too big to fit in the dish and I just didn’t manage to divide the leg at the joint. So I just cut the meat around the joint and then I was able to push the two leg parts together and get them in the dish. 🙂

SLOW COOKED TURKEY LEG STEP BY STEP

1. Clean and dry the turkey leg.
2. Cut it around the joint, if necessary, just to be able to push it a little and fit it in the cooking dish. If your Dutch oven (or similar pot) is large enough, you don’t have to do that.
3. Rub the leg with the mustard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the turkey in the Dutch oven or cast iron oven dish.
4. Quarter the onions and chop all the vegetables into large pieces.
5. Peel but leave the garlic cloves whole.
6. Place them and the bay leaves in the pot around the turkey leg. Pour the stock around the turkey leg, taking care not to wash away the mustard.
7. Place the dish in the cold oven, turn the temperature to 150 degrees Celsius/ 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours until the skin is crisp and the meat very very tender.
8. Check from time to time to make sure that the skin doesn’t get too dark. If that starts to happen, place a piece of aluminum foil very loosely on top of the pot, just place it on top without pressing it or trying to close the pot.
9. Remove the turkey leg from the pot and place it on a warmed plate, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and let rest while you make the sauce.

SAUCE FOR THE TURKEY LEG RECIPE

• To make the sauce I use “soup vegetables”, that is what they are often called in Germany. That means: onions, carrots, parsley root or celeriac.
• The parsley root or celeriac can be replaced with a couple of celery sticks, but I find celeriac much better for this purpose, it adds not only a celery taste, but, unlike celery sticks, it contributes to make the sauce creamier.
• You will also need garlic, red bell pepper, bay leaves and some good quality chicken stock, I always use my homemade chicken stock.
• After removing the turkey leg from the dish, puree the vegetables with an immersion blender. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper, if necessary.

HOW TO SERVE ROASTED TURKEY LEG?

I always serve the roasted turkey leg recipe with oven roasted potatoes.

When it comes to vegetable side dishes, I change that according to what I have or what we crave.

How about some roasted Brussels sprouts or fried cabbage? You could also roast some carrots or cook some green beans.

And if you like turkey, you should really try two of my favorite turkey recipes: Pumpkin Turkey Curry and Turkey Meatballs in Turmeric Sauce.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Oven Slow-Cooked Turkey Leg

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Tender meat and crispy skin, a turkey leg slow-cooked in the oven, I can't think of a tastier and easier way of cooking turkey.

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Ingredients

• 1 large whole turkey leg of about 1.7 kg/ 3.7 lbs
• 2 heaped tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 medium onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 medium parsley root or 1 piece of celeriac, about the same amount as the carrot
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 125 ml/ 4.2 fl.oz/ ½ cup chicken stock
• fine sea salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Clean and dry the turkey leg. Cut it around the joint, if necessary. If your Dutch oven (or similar pot) is large enough, you don't have to do that. Rub the leg with the mustard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the turkey in the Dutch oven or cast iron oven dish.
2. Quarter the onions and chop all the vegetables into large pieces. Peel but leave the garlic cloves whole. Place them and the bay leaves in the pot around the turkey leg. Pour in the chicken stock, taking care not to wash away the mustard. Just pour around the leg.
3. Place the pot in the cold oven, turn the temperature to 150 degrees Celsius/ 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours until the skin is crisp and the meat very tender.
4. Check from time to time to make sure that the skin doesn't get too dark. If that starts to happen, place a piece of aluminum foil very loosely on top of the pot, just place it on top without pressing it or trying to close the pot.
5. Remove the turkey leg from the pot and place it on a warmed plate, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and let rest while you make the sauce.
6. Puree the vegetables in the pot, adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
7. Serve immediately with potatoes and vegetables.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 598Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 341mgSodium: 851mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 82g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Other Christmas main dish ideas:

Balsamic Roast Dish

German Beef Roulades

Turkey Breast in Blueberry Sauce