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These slow cooker turkey legs are perfect for the holiday season. Serve the clay pot turkey thighs with a mild sauce made with pan juices.
Slow cooker turkey legs are a great alternative to cooking a whole bird for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. For example, a whole slow cooker turkey, red wine turkey, or Dutch baking turkey is great, but if your home is small, you’ve probably already considered cooking only a few smaller turkey parts.
For more inspiration, check out this popular Dutch baked turkey breast, learn how to cook turkey thighs in the oven or how to cook turkey thighs. Or make baked turkey wings.
And if you want things to go really fast, try the Air Fryer Turkey Legs.
Slow-cooked turkey paws
make a delicious meal for any occasion, not just during the holidays; this is an easy recipe that requires minimal prep work, one of our favorite ways to serve juicy turkey feet regularly.
Recipe ingredients
- Turkey feet (thighs): 2 large or 4 smaller. The ones I had were huge (about 1.2 lb/550 g each) and were enough to serve four people. You will need one leg per serving if you have smaller pieces (1/2 – 3/4 lb / 220 – 350 g).
- Seasoning: mix salt, black pepper, sweet and smoked paprika powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and dried herbs.
- However, your favorite bird seasoning will be excellent (see expert tips). You will need 4-5 teaspoons of seasoning to rub your legs generously.
- Olive oil to rub on the legs.
- Chicken broth: preferably low in sodium to avoid too salty sauce. You can use homemade chicken broth or turkey bone broth if you wish.
- For the sauce: pan juices topped with chicken broth to get 2 cups / 500
- ml.Butter and flour for all purposes.
How to cook turkey legs in the slow cooker (clay pot)?
Crockpot turkey legs
:
- Seasonal: Mix the spices in a small bowl. Dry turkey thighs with paper towels, rub them with the oil and sprinkle them with the mixed spices. Rub them well all over.
- Cook: Pour the broth into the bottom of the slow cooker and place drumsticks over it (1). Slowly cook turkey paws for 3-4 hours over high heat or 6-7 hours over low heat (2).
- Check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer; it should be 165°F/74°C.
- Roast on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for 3-4 minutes on each side. Watch; They should be browned and golden and crispy but not burned (3).
- Rest for 10-15 minutes and make the sauce while the meat rests.
Sauce:
- Measure the liquid from the slow cooker in a measuring jug. If you have less than 2 cups, top with chicken broth.
- Combine: Melt the butter, add flour and stir for about 1 minute, until golden brown.
- Slowly add the chicken broth while beating continuously to avoid lumps (4).
- Simmer the sauce until it thickens slightly; it will happen fast. Don’t let it get too thick, as it will also continue to thicken slightly after removing it from the heat.
Seasoning Expert Tips
- : If you substitute spices with a store-bought spice mix, check to see if the seasoning mix contains salt. Use salt accordingly.
- If the seasoning mixture contains salt, sprinkle the legs only lightly with salt before rubbing them with the seasoning. If you don’t have salt, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of fine sea salt (or kosher salt) to season the meat.
- Fat: You can remove some of the fat before using the juices from the pan to make the sauce. Transfer the liquid to a large container and refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Use a spoon to remove fat from the top of the liquid. Please don’t delete everything; A little fat makes the sauce tastier.
- Roast: Don’t skip roasting drumsticks; it’s the only way to get a crispy skin.
Recipes FAQ
How to serve?
Slow-cooking turkey legs are perfect for a smaller Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner
.
Serve them with your favorite holiday side dishes. Try our canned cranberry sauce; the crushed potatoes with crispy garlic, the mashed potatoes with garlic and parmesan, the cast iron cornbread and the green bean casserole without soup.
Make a tasty sweet potato puff pastry, a sweet potato dolphinoid or the best roasted pumpkin (spicy slices).
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