These baked turkey drumsticks are an excellent alternative to a whole turkey roast, offering juicy, succulent meat inside and crispy skin on the outside.
With a shorter cooking time than a whole bird, these oven-baked turkey drumsticks can be enjoyed for a weeknight meal in under an hour instead of being saved just for Thanksgiving.
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Since this baked turkey drumsticks or turkey wings recipe takes a little time in the oven, I love preparing air-fried roasted potatoes as a quick and delicious side dish. Whenever I have to feed a gathering or want to make a super filling meal for my family, I pair these roasted turkey drumsticks with Jamaican rice and peas.
Nothing can beat this refreshing cucumber tomato salad or pasta salad to balance the bold flavors of the turkey marinade. If you want something saucy on the side, this mushroom sauce is perfect. Sometimes, I love making a whole turkey for special occasions because I have many mouths to feed.
Why Choose This Recipe?
It's easier and quicker to cook than roasting an entire turkey, with a mostly hands-off preparation method—letting the oven do the heavy work.
Olive oil, butter, and a few savoury herbs and spices are rubbed all over the turkey drumsticks and baked at a high temperature, resulting in nicely charred turkey legs with crispy and juicy fall-off-the-bone meat.
Few and easy-to-find pantry ingredients are needed for this recipe.
Recipe Ingredients
Turkey Drumsticks: I highly recommend using bone-in and skin-on whole turkey legs for maximum flavour. These are meaty, flavorful, and ideal for roasting.
Olive Oil Or Melted Unsalted Butter: This helps the seasoning adhere to the turkey while ensuring a crispy skin. Coating the turkey in salted butter makes it super tasty, as the butter gets toasty while baking. Definitely more flavorful than olive oil. But olive oil or any neutral-tasting oil works, too.
Herbs and Seasonings: Seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, and chicken bouillon powder combine to make a homemade turkey drumstick marinade. These seasonings and herbs add a subtle smokiness and vibrant colour to the roasted turkey legs and intensify an umami flavour.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Baked Turkey Drumsticks
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Lightly grease a baking dish or line it with parchment paper. (For a tangy twist, line the dish with onion and lemon slices as I did.)
- Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle the seasonings on the turkey drumsticks. Season the turkey generously.
- Place the drumsticks in the baking dish and bake uncovered at 400℉ for 1 hour.
- When the internal temperature reads 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the meat, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes, then serve.
Variations & Substitutions
- Make them Spicy: Add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.
- Citrus Twist: Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the drumsticks before baking for a bright, zesty contrast.
- Alternative Fats: Use avocado oil instead of olive oil for a high-smoke-point option.
- You can also use turkey wings for this recipe, although the cooking time will differ.
Storing Leftovers
Refrigeration: If you have leftover turkey drumsticks, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Freezing: For extended storage, store the cooked and cooled drumsticks in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container in your freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Warm in the oven at 325℉ until warmed.
Recipe Tips
Dry the Skin Well: Patting the turkey dry before seasoning ensures the marinade sticks to the meat and results in crispy skin when baked.
Use a Wire Rack: Elevate the drumsticks on a wire rack in the baking dish for even heat circulation.
Don’t Skip Resting Time: Letting the turkey rest ensures juicy meat.
Enhance Flavor: For deeper flavor, marinate the turkey with the spice mix for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Add liquid to the roasting pan for moisture if it drying out quickly.
Check Temperature: Use a meat thermometer to avoid overcooking.
Turkey leg size matters: Larger or smaller turkey legs will affect the cooking time, so aim for drumsticks of the same size to bake evenly.
Prevent Over-Browning: If the skin browns too quickly before the inside is done, tent loosely with foil. This will keep the legs from burning while still allowing crispness.
Basting Keeps Them Juicy: Basting the drumsticks with their own juices halfway through baking enhances moisture and flavour.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Baked turkey legs are a perfect match when served with roasted potatoes
or steamed veggies. To make it a fancier meal, you can also try them with this healthy veggie mac and cheese that's packed with nutritious veggies.
Storage
Let the turkey wings cool down to room temperature (within 2 hours), then place them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
Recipe FAQs
At 400℉, turkey drumsticks typically take about 1 hour to cook. However, the cooking time may vary depending on their size. I highly recommend buying evenly sized drumsticks and always using a meat thermometer to ensure the thickest part reaches 165°F.
Tough turkey legs usually result from undercooking or overcooking. Cooking them at the right temperature and ensuring they reach 165°F internally will help achieve tender, juicy meat. Letting them rest for 15 minutes after baking also helps retain moisture.
Flip the wings halfway through cooking if you aim for crispness and browning. This helps prevent one side from becoming too dry or overly browned.
If you're baking at a lower temperature, covering the turkey wings with foil for 30 minutes to an hour can help retain moisture. Afterward, you can uncover and continue baking to crisp the skin or bake and cover them later.
More Dinner Recipes to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried these Baked turkey drumsticks or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Baked Turkey Drumsticks
These baked turkey drumsticks are an excellent alternative to a whole turkey roast, offering juicy, succulent meat inside and crispy skin on the outside.
- Baking Dish
- Mixing bowl
- Baster
- Paper towel
- 4 Turkey Drumsticks
- 2 teaspoon Seasoned salt (or regular salt)
- 2 teaspoon Onion powder
- 2 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Blackpepper
- 1 teaspoon Chicken boullion (powder)
- ¼ cup Olive oil (or melted unsalted butter)
Preheat the oven to 400℉ and lightly grease a baking dish or line with a parchment paper. ( I greased and lined mine with some onion and lemon slices).
Pat dry the turkey with a paper towel.
Sprinkle all the seasonings and pour the oil on the turkey drumsticks. Using your hands, make sure you season the turkey well all over.
Place the drumsticks in the baking dish and bake uncovered at 400℉ for 1 hour. If your turkey is drying out too fast, cover it after the first 30 minutes and baste it with the juice often. Also, if the turkey doesn't have enough juice, add a little water or broth before you cover it so it cooks for the remaining 30 minutes.
When the internal temperature reads 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the meat, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes, then serve.
- Patting the turkey dry before seasoning ensures the marinade sticks to the meat and results in crispy skin when baked.
- Elevate the drumsticks on a wire rack in the baking dish for even heat circulation.
- Letting the turkey rest ensures juicy meat.
- For deeper flavor, marinate the turkey with the spice mix for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Add liquid to the roasting pan for moisture if it drying out quickly
- Basting Keeps Them Juicy: Basting the drumsticks with their own juices halfway through baking enhances moisture and flavour.
Bilikis says
Super juicy and delicious
Claudy says
My family loves this. Very juicy and fall off bone. Hope you will love it as we did.