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Baked turkey drumsticks in a white baking dish.
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Baked Turkey Drumsticks (fall-off-the-bone meat!)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Aleksandra

Ingredients

  • 4 large turkey drumsticks 4 1/2 pounds or 2 kg
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1/2 tablespoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • salt to taste I used about 5 teaspoons, season to your taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • In a medium bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the rub until well combined.
  • Pat dry turkey drumsticks with paper towels. Place them in a large casserole dish (9x13 inches or 23x33 cm or similar).
  • Loosen the skin from the meat without totally detaching it. Rub the legs thoroughly with the spice mixture all over the meat, under the skin, and a little bit between the muscles (detach the skin without totally removing it, just to get as much of the seasoning under the skin as possible). Try to cover the meat again with skin as much as you can.
  • Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Reduce the temperature to 325°F (160°C) and bake for 1 hour. If the drumsticks are getting too brown for your liking, cover the dish loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
    If you have smaller turkey drumsticks, the baking time stays the same, it does not need to be shortened (I'm even using this method for chicken drumsticks which I bake for 2 hours and they are perfect).
  • Take out of the oven and let stand for at least 15-20 minutes for the juices to redistribute (you can leave the legs in the liquid in the baking dish, they will still be very warm after this time). Pour some of the baking liquid over the meat.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Baking time – IMPORTANT NOTE: we are baking the meat longer than it’s necessary to reach the safe temperature of 165°F (74°C). This will result in fall-off-the-bone meat. You can do that with just bone-in legs, not breasts! You can certainly bake your turkey leg until it reaches 165°F, it will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours instead of 2 1/2 hours. The meat will be good but it needs to be cut off the bone with a knife and it’s just not that tender. If you follow this recipe, the meat is so tender, you can easily tear it apart with your hands.
  • You can also use bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks or thighs (I tested this). Just bake them for 2 hours in total, not 2 1/2, they come out amazing.
  • You can rub the legs with the spice mixture and leave them in the fridge for 24 hours or at least overnight for even better results. Take out of the fridge 1 hour before you plan on cooking them (the meat will bake more evenly).
  • Calories = 1 serving (1/6 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!

Nutrition

Calories: 440kcal