Roasted Turkey Drumsticks

Roasted Turkey Drumsticks with a hint of paprika and garlic, super moist and delicious, and a great alternative to the whole roast turkey if you have a small gathering and you do not want to cook a whole bird. The turkey legs are a lot quicker to cook, and they go down well with the whole family.

When I think of feasts like Thanksgiving and Christmas, I automatically picture mountains of gargantuan dishes that make your mouth water and your belly pop. But, if you don't have a large family, or your gathering is rather small, there is no point preparing such a gigantic feast.

I never roasted a whole turkey, but was rather happy with my roast turkey crown which was big enough for us, and now these delicious turkey drumsticks have made a great roast for us. They are obviously way bigger than the regular chicken drumsticks, and 2 legs can usually feed really well a family of 4.

Depending on the size of the turkey legs, they shouldn't need longer than an hour to an hour and a half - and that's again to do with the oven temperature. I chose to roast these turkey drumsticks on a high heat, and I was really pleased with the results.

Jump to:

• Ingredients needed
• Step-by-step photos and instructions
• Expert tips
• Other turkey recipes
• Roasted Turkey Drumsticks

Ingredients needed

• turkey drumsticks - the weight could vary, but regular ones could weight between 700 to 900 grams, mine had 800 grams
• butter - I used salted butter for a nicer flavour
• paprika - I used regular sweet paprika, but hot or smoked paprika also ok
• garlic granules
• salt & pepper
• Italian herbs - or any other dried herbs

Step-by-step photos and instructions

1. melt the butter over a low heat, then transfer it to a bowl
2. add the paprika, garlic granules, salt, pepper and herbs to it, and give it a good mix

1. use a brush to brush the mixture very well all over the turkey drumsticks
2. transfer them to a large roasting tray
3. roast in the preheated oven at 230 degrees Celsius ( 450 Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes, urn the drumsticks over, roast for a further 15 minutes, then cover the tray loosely with tin foil and roast again for 30-40 minutes until the meat is tender and the juices run clear

Expert tips

As previously mentioned, the weight of the turkey drumsticks will dictate the cooking time - if you think it needs longer in the oven, you can add 10-15 minutes longer.

Since the drumsticks are covered with kitchen foil, they will not become dry, but they will stay moist and juicy. Turkey legs have a dark meat, which doesn't tend to dry out as much as the white meat from the turkey crown.

The butter will also help massively to keep the legs moist, and very flavourful too. You could swap it for oil if you wish, it will still help with the moisture.

Other turkey recipes

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