Braised Turkey Legs

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

The dark meat of turkey legs and thighs is delicious and becomes silky and luxurious from all the collagen when slow-braised in a heady broth. The recipe below is Mediterranean in style, but as it’s the cooking liquid that will determine the final flavors, consider mixing up the ingredients for a different take on traditional turkey. Try making it Southeast Asian with coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and some chili pepper; Indian with curry powder; North African with ras el hanout; or South American with tomatoes, peppers, corn and chili. Let your imagination—and pantry—be the parameters. 

If you deboned your turkey for the Galantine, you can freeze the legs and make this weeks after the gourd centerpiece was dismantled. This recipe also freezes beautifully after it is fully cooked, and any leftovers can be shredded and added to tomato sauce for an easy weeknight ragù.

Serves 4–6

2 skin-on turkey drumsticks (about 1½ pounds) 
2 skin-on, bone-in turkey thighs (about 2 pounds) 
kosher salt 
freshly ground pepper 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
1½ cups thinly sliced leeks, light green and white part 
4 celery ribs, thinly sliced 
4 medium carrots, thinly sliced 
4 garlic cloves, crushed 
1½ cups red wine 
4 sprigs thyme 
2 sprigs sage 
6 cups homemade turkey or low-sodium chicken broth 
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Pat the turkey pieces dry and generously salt on both sides. In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed deep pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Working in batches, brown the turkey pieces on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch; transfer the turkey to a large plate. 

Add the leeks, celery, carrots and cook until the leeks are softened and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and use the liquid to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme and sage sprigs, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

Return the turkey and any accumulated juices back to the pot and add the broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender and cooked through and liquid is reduced by half, about 2½ to 3 hours. 

Transfer the turkey to a platter. If the sauce is not thickened to your liking, raise the heat and reduce until thickened. Strain the sauce and pour over the turkey. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve with rice, polenta, buttered egg noodles or hunks of crusty bread. 

This recipe appeared in the Fall/Holiday 2020 issue as part of a larger story on Turkey For a Small Holiday.