Turkeys aren’t for Thanksgiving only! Prepare a quick turkey leg stew in a skillet or roast them with garlic in the oven. Deliciously easy weekday meals!

Turkey legs is a familiar option as once a year it got shared around a table with friends and family but roasting is not the only way how it can be prepared. It is a nice option as it doesn’t require much attention or care and turns out just right after about 1.5 hours in the oven on 350°F / 180°C.

The meat can be prepared as any other meat is done with brine, spices and herbs but it works well with spices used only before cooking. Before applying any spice, it is recommended to poke a couple of holes into the meat, rub the spices in and around then stick a slice of garlic there.

A wide variety of herbs and spices can be used to season the legs. Thyme, rosemary, pepper, mustard, celery and the above already mentioned garlic and salt just to say a few.

If the meat isn’t covered then it needs constant attention and some care too. We have to turn it around every 20 minutes to avoid excessive burning on one side. It also needs some lard, butter or oil to be poured on top to keep it as moist as possible.

Covering it, would free us from such taxing tasks but it requires an extra grilling or roasting session when the meat gets tender enough.

Roasting is not the only option to prepare the legs though. If we are short of time preparing them in a skillet is much faster and equally or arguably even more delicious option. The only drawback is that the leg needs to be boned first.

Taking the bone out isn’t as hard as it first seems. As the legs are quite big, it doesn’t require much fiddling at all. The only inconvenient part is, cutting the thin bones off at the end but if a knife doesn’t work well, a pair of scissors has no problem cutting it free.
We can cut the meat into smaller pieces but don’t bother taking the fine bones out. Those will come off much easier from the cooked meat, much like fish bones.

Ingredients

½ cup / 100ml Oil
4 Turkey leg
2 Onion (sliced)
1 teaspoon Salt
2 cloves Garlic (diced)
1 teaspoon Parsley
6 Balck pepper (whole)
1 teaspoon Mustard
½ cup / 100ml Water

How to make Turkey leg

Cut the skin and the thin bones at the bottom of the joint around the bone.
Then pierce through the tight and cut along the bone on all four sides.
Cut the remaining thin bones and separate the meat from the bone. If a sharp knife isn’t available use a pair of scissors to cut through the thin bones.
Cut the meat up into smaller pieces for quicker cooking.
Pour oil into a frying pan and on high heat braise the legs until at least one side gets golden brown.
Add the onion, garlic, parsley and the black pepper then mix them well with the meat.
When the onion gets a translucent / glassy look add the mustard, water and turn the heat down to medium low.
Cook it under lid until the meat gets tender enough for about 20 to 40 minutes depending of the chunks of the meat. The smaller the cuts the quicker it cooks. We are after a fairly thick and tasty stew here so the water doesn’t need to be replaced. Nonetheless make sure the onion has enough liquid and stir it once in a while to avoid burning it black.

Enjoy!

If turkey leg was a joy check out some other mouthwatering happy feet that can be served at the table:

F.A.Q.

Are turkey legs healthy?

It depends on the preparation process. If it’s soaked in a sugary marinade then covered in preservatives then probably not the healthiest thing to choose from the menu. If it’s prepared with healthy natural ingredients then it’s as healthy as any poultry.

What is healthier chicken or turkey?

Both can be equally healthy option to choose from the menu but if we really want to dig deeper in the numbers then turkey will come out victorious from this battle. Turkey has slightly more protein, iron and less cholesterol, sodium, fat and calories than chicken.