Recipes Ingredients Meat & Poultry Turkey Recipes Braised Turkey Legs 3.1 (45) Forget roasting and try this low-and-slow cooking method that produces tender, flavor-packed meat. Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Dark meat lovers, and anyone who doesn't want to roast a whole turkey, will want to try Martha’s braised turkey legs. Braising is a gentle cooking method where food is seared, then cooked low and slow, partially submerged in liquid. The result is tender, flavorful, falling-off-the-bone meat. Martha’s recipe uses just one pan: a Dutch oven for searing, sautéing, and braising in the oven. This recipe uses chicken stock, but turkey stock works just as well. Cooked with fresh sage, bay leaves, parsley, and thyme, the braising liquid becomes a flavor-packed sauce to accompany the turkey. 8 Ways to Cook a Turkey, From a Traditional Roast to Modern Roulade Directions Preheat oven; rinse and season turkey legs: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse turkey legs and pat dry; season all over with salt and pepper. Set aside. Brown turkey legs: Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat and add olive oil. Add turkey legs, skin side down, working in batches, if necessary. Cook, turning, until turkey legs are browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer legs to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon of rendered fat from Dutch oven. Deglaze pan Deglaze with white wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot and slightly reduced, 2 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and leeks: Lower heat to medium-high and add carrots, celery, and leeks to Dutch oven and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add herbs and stock and boil: Add thyme, sage, bay leaves, and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add turkey legs, cook in oven: Reduce heat to medium-low and add turkey legs, skin side down; cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking: Uncover, turn turkey legs, and continue cooking uncovered until legs are tender, 45 to 50 minutes more. Transfer to serving platter; skim fat from liquid and season: Transfer turkey legs to a serving platter. Skim fat from top of braising liquid and discard; season braising liquid with salt and pepper, and spoon over turkey legs. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and thyme. Other Turkey Recipes to Try: Cider-Braised Turkey Legs Apple-Braised Turkey Legs Turkey-Breast Roulade and Braised Legs Roasted Turkey in Parchment Roasted Turkey Rubbed with Coriander, Black Pepper, and Fennel Updated by Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the decorvow recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years.