These perfectly seasoned turkey drumsticks are roasted in the oven until succulent, smoky, and tender. A wonderful family meal or low-maintenance holiday dinner made from simple and healthy ingredients!
In my world, turkey isn’t just for holiday dinners. It’s one of my favorite proteins to enjoy for regular weeknight dinners with a vibrant salad and roasted vegetables on the side. Whether I transform the turkey into meatballs or burgers, it’s always a hit!
For an even more hands-off meal, I turn to this oven baked turkey drumsticks recipe. It’s a flavor-packed family meal or small-scale holiday dinner that’s much easier than cooking a whole bird. The drumsticks are seasoned with oil and simple seasonings before being roasted to juicy and tender perfection in the oven. Yum!
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
- Minimal ingredients and gourmet flavors. Olive oil and savory poultry seasonings are rubbed all over the drumsticks before baking, giving every bite a restaurant-quality flavor.
- Juicy and crispy. Forget all about dry and bland turkey! In this recipe, the drumsticks are cooked at a high temperature in their own juices, giving you succulent meat on the inside and crispy skin on the outside.
- An easy family meal. Whether you make them for weeknight dinners or small-scale holiday dinners, roasted turkey drumsticks will always be a hit.
- Easier than a whole turkey. Forget about spending hours roasting and babysitting a whole turkey for Christmas or Thanksgiving. Make these easy turkey drumsticks instead!
Ingredients needed
All you need is oil and pantry-staple seasonings to help the drumsticks taste like they’ve been smoking for hours. Check out these ingredients notes for more info:
- Turkey drumsticks. Use bone-in and skin-on turkey drumsticks (also called “turkey legs”). This recipe should also work with turkey wings, thighs, or breasts instead.
- Oil. Olive oil or any neutral-tasting oil should work well. Softened unsalted butter is a nice choice, too.
- Dry herbs and spices. Salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried thyme, and chili flakes are stirred with the oil to create a flavor-rich rub for the turkey.
How to make roasted turkey drumsticks
Just like baked chicken legs, these drumsticks are brushed with oil and seasonings before baking to juicy perfection. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1 – Make the spice rub
Stir the oil, dry herbs, and dry spices together in a small bowl.
Step 2 – Season the turkey
Brush the oil and spice rub all over the turkey legs.
Step 3 – Roast
Transfer the turkey legs to a roasting pan. Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Then cover the pan with a layer of foil and roast for another 25 minutes.
Step 4 – Rest, then serve
Let the baked turkey drumsticks rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Tips to make the best recipe
- Pat dry. Pat the drumsticks dry with paper towels to help the oil-spice rub stick to the skin.
- For extra crispy turkey legs, heat them under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes at the end.
- Perfect doneness. You’ll know the turkey is ready to eat when the meat is no longer pink, the juices run clear, and the skin is brown and crisp. You can also use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the meat. Turkey is safe to eat when it reaches 165ºF.
- Use the drippings. As they bake, the drumsticks will release deliciously savory drippings you can use to make gravy!
Flavor variations
Feel free to play around with the seasonings in this recipe to find your perfect flavor. You can make your own oil or butter and spice blend using any of these ingredients:
- Minced garlic
- Sage
- Softened unsalted butter
- Parsley
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Allspice
- Cumin
- Brown sugar
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
Optional: A quick soak in my chicken drumstick marinade will infuse the meat with even more flavor and moisture before adding the spice rub.
What to serve with this dish
Because roasted turkey drumsticks are easier to cook than a whole turkey, you can serve them for low-maintenance holiday meals with roasted potatoes, green bean casserole, cabbage steaks, and sauteed carrots on the side. Don’t forget the gravy!
Storage instructions
To store: Store the leftover turkey in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.
To freeze: The baked and cooled turkey legs can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat: Warm the leftover turkey in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or in a 350ºF oven until heated through.
Recommended tools to make this recipe
- Pastry brush. To brush the seasoned oil mixture all over the turkey.
- Roasting pan. For baking the turkey drumsticks and collecting the drippings.
- Meat thermometer. A thermometer will help you measure the meat’s internal temperature so you can tell when it’s safe to eat.
More turkey recipes to try
- Sausage Patties
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Ground Turkey Meatloaf
- Turkey Wings
- Turkey Bacon
- Turkey tenderloin
- Spatchcock turkey
Frequently asked questions
The exact cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your turkey legs. For this recipe, 1 kilogram of turkey drumsticks took about 50 minutes to cook in a 450ºF oven.
Coating the turkey in oil and roasting it in a covered dish should help the meat stay succulent and juicy, despite the higher cooking temperature.
Yes! Frozen turkey drumsticks will work just as well as fresh here. Just remember to thaw them in the fridge before cooking.
Turkey Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 2 lbs turkey drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220C/450F.
- Combine the spices with the oil and mix well.
- Brush the turkey with the oil mixture all over.
- Place the drumsticks in a roasting pan and cook for 25 minutes, uncovered. Cover with foil after that and cook for 20 more minutes.
- Rest the meat for couple of minutes and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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