How to Cook Turkey Drumsticks

Co-authored by Jennifer Levasseur

Last Updated: March 19, 2024 Approved

Turkey drumsticks are a flavorful alternative to chicken. They are best known for their savory dark meat and crispy brown skin. Drumsticks are much easier to prepare than a whole turkey, so they're a great choice for weeknight cooking. Learn how to bake, grill, slow-cook, or boil turkey drumsticks to perfection.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Baking Turkey Drumsticks

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Before you do anything else, switch on your oven. Let it warm up to 350 °F (177 °C) while you prepare your drumsticks.^{[1]
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2
Peel back the skin. Grip the skin near the bone and gently peel it toward the top of the drumstick. Don't pull it off entirely; just peel it back, so you can tuck butter and seasonings underneath. ^{[2]
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- Turkey drumsticks are much larger than chicken drumsticks, so you'll only need 1 per person (2 at most).
Warning: Don’t rinse your turkey legs before cooking them. Rinsing raw turkey won’t remove bacteria effectively, and in fact it could spread harmful germs around your kitchen and increase your chances of getting sick.^{[3]
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Rub 1 tablespoon (14 g) of butter over the meat of each drumstick. This will keep the meat moist while the drumsticks bake. For larger drumsticks, you can use up to 3 tablespoons (42 g) of butter.^{[4]
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- To make the butter easier to spread, bring it to room temperature before applying it to the turkey.
- Use olive oil in place of butter if you're calorie conscious.
With the skin still pulled down, sprinkle salt and pepper all over the turkey legs. For more flavor, try rubbing a tablespoon (about 2-4 g) of chopped herbs onto the buttered turkey meat while the skins are still pulled back. Rosemary, thyme, and sage make great seasonings for turkey.
Stretch the skin back over the meat and rub another 1-3 tablespoons (14-42 g) of butter over the skin of the turkey. This will help the skin crisp up as it bakes.
Use a liberal amount of both salt and pepper to bring out the best in the turkey's flavor.
Use a pan large enough to easily hold all of the legs with no overlap. If you want to catch the drippings, use a metal roasting rack over a drip pan.
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Bake the turkey drumsticks for 90 minutes. Place them in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Turn them over and cook them for another 45 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. They are ready when the internal temperature reaches 165 °F (74 °C).^{[5]
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- To ensure that the turkey stays juicy, you can baste it every 20 minutes with a turkey baster or spoon. Use the drippings as your basting liquid, or baste with extra melted butter.
- Larger drumsticks may take a total of 2 hours to finish cooking.
This gives the juices time to reabsorb into the flesh, making the meat juicy. Serve whole or remove the meat from the bone.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Grilling Turkey Drumsticks

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1
Heat your gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Turkey drumsticks require almost an hour on the grill, and it's important to maintain a steady heat of about 300 °F (149 °C) so they don't burn or end up undercooked.^{[6]
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- Use a grill thermometer to test the heat of your grill.
2
Season your turkey drumsticks. Sprinkle the meat all over with salt and pepper. If you want to add spices and other seasonings, spread mixed spices all over each drumstick to coat the skin. Try these delicious combinations:
- For hot and spicy drumsticks: combine 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- For herb-encrusted drumsticks: combine 1/2 teaspoon (.4 g) dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon (.7 g) dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
Lay them on a part of the grill that isn't getting a stream of direct heat, since this will cook them too quickly.
This will ensure they cook evenly on all sides. Keep going as each side turns golden brown and crispy.^{[7]
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Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. The drumsticks are ready when the internal temperature reaches 180 °F (82 °C).

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using a Slow Cooker

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Use as many drumsticks as you can fit in your slow cooker. Since the skin won't get crispy in the slow cooker, it's best to remove it before cooking.
Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper on each of the drumsticks to enhance their flavor as they cook.
Since the drumsticks are so large, you might have trouble fitting more than 2. You can lop off the ends of the bones if necessary.
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Cover the drumsticks with chicken broth. The liquid is necessary to flavor the turkey and help it cook evenly and slowly in the slow cooker. Fill up the slow cooker until the turkey legs are completely submerged.^{[8]
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- For extra flavor, add a packet of onion soup mix to the pot.
- Or add the following: 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt, 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) pepper, and 1 teaspoon (3 g) garlic powder.
Plan ahead so you can time the drumsticks to be ready for your dinnertime.
Transfer the drumsticks to a plate or other heat-proof surface and allow them to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
The turkey meat is delicious served with your favorite sauce over noodles or rice. You can also add it to a casserole or soup.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Boiling Turkey Legs

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Make sure it's big enough to comfortably hold all of the drumsticks you want to cook.
Fill the pot to within a few inches of the top of the rim, rather than right up to the edge. The drumsticks should be completely submerged.^{[9]
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Add a teaspoon (6 g) of salt, a half teaspoon (1 g) of pepper, and any other seasonings you desire. The seasoned water will penetrate the turkey meat to flavor it as it cooks.
Bring the liquid to a rolling boil, then reduce it slightly to a low boil that won't splash. After an hour, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. The turkey legs are ready when the internal temperature reaches 180 °F (82 °C).^{[10]
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Pour them over a colander to drain out the water, then let the meat cool for about 10 minutes before you try to handle it.
Be careful to make sure small bones are removed. Use the meat to make barbecue, soup, or a casserole.

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How do I braise turkey legs?

Jennifer Levasseur
Personal Chef
Chef Jennifer Levasseur is a Personal Chef and the Owner of The Happy Cuisiniere based in Breckenridge, Colorado. She has over 12 years of culinary experience and specializes in Mountain and Contemporary Rustic cuisine. Moreover, she can craft dishes and modify menus to accommodate dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and dairy-free diets. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Houston, Chef Jennifer holds Associate’s degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts from Houston Community College.

Jennifer Levasseur

Personal Chef

Expert Answer

You can follow the same instructions as you would for coq au vin, but instead, sub in turkey legs. This ensures you have delicious, fall-off-the-bone turkey meat.

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When temperature do I bake it in a fan oven?

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If there is only a conventional baking temperature and no fan forced temperature, fan forced will be about 20 degrees less than whatever the conventional temperature is, so if it says bake in a conventional oven at 400 degrees, it'll be 380 degrees for fan-forced ovens.

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How long do I cook frozen turkey legs?

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Thaw before cooking so that you can reach the proper safe internal temperature. Thawing overnight in the fridge is the safest method for poultry, but if you need to you can also thaw the legs in a bowl of cold water.

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Warnings

Don’t rinse raw turkey, since doing so could spread harmful bacteria around your kitchen. The best way to kill any bacteria in your turkey is to cook it thoroughly.^{[11]
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