These Air Fryer Turkey Legs are the perfect way to make jumbo turkey legs right at home! Whether you are making this for a thanksgiving meal for 2 or you are making it for Christmas or Easter, the air fryer does a good job with this cut of poultry. Who’s imagining walking around and taking a bite out of a giant turkey leg right about now? If you are - you’re my instant best friend!
Forget about spending the big bucks at the local fair and cook your own instead. Plus, since you’re using the air fryer, there is going to be less grease and fat involved, making it a total win!
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Table of Contents
Easy Air fryer Turkey legs recipe
The good thing about turkey legs is that you can prepare them in the air fryer and not have to worry about them drying out. The way that the hot air circulates creates the perfect outer crispy skin, leaving the inside of the turkey leg tender and juicy.
Cooking Turkey legs, thighs, wings or breast in the air fryer is super easy and need no special occasion to enjoy it. While Most people cook whole turkeys for the holidays, you can decide to do things differently and cook Turkey portions instead.
Making fried turkey legs using the air fryer is the perfect way to make a healthy main dish for everyone to enjoy plus there’s just something so fun about eating with your hands!
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Why this recipe is so good
- Turkey legs are a great way to get a lot of lean protein into your daily diet
- Using the air fryer gives that fried taste without any extra grease
- It’s a simple recipe that takes away the fear of overcooking the meat
- Perfect for when you are not feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
- Chicken legs
- Oil
- Butter
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Italian seasoning
- Fresh Thyme
- Black pepper
How to cook Turkey legs in the air fryer
This is an overview of the recipe with step by step photos. Scroll down to the end of this post for a printable recipe card with the amount of ingredients and full recipe instructions.
Step 1: Wash Turkey legs and pat dry.
Step 2: Mix the oil, butter and turkey seasoning blend together in a bowl then brush the Turkey legs with the mix till well coated
Step 3: Place seasoned Turkey legs in the air fryer and cook for 30 to 35 mins or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the legs is 165°F (74°C). Remember to turn the turkey half way through cooking time. Feel free to add more time if it’s not full cooked after the stated time in this recipe.
Step 4: Tent the Turkey legs with foil (not shown) and let it rest for about 10 mins.
Step 5: Serve with your favorite side dish.
What to serve with air fryer Turkey legs
It’s really tempting to serve this turkey leg without anything else with it. (and you totally can if you want!) It’s great to grab, and eat!
However if you want to add some simple sides, mashed potatoes with cranberry sauce, baked sweet potatoes, air fryer baked potatoes or even a helping of macaroni and cheese would be amazing.
How to store and reheat
If there is no way that you’re able to eat a turkey leg in one sitting, don’t stress. Just let the turkey leg cool down completely, and then add it to a sealable bag or airtight container. Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
You can reheat it in the air fryer or quickly in the microwave.
FAQs
It’s important to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. If the thermometer reads 165 degrees, the turkey is done and ready to be taken out of the air fryer.
Yes, they do. Let the turkey legs rest for 5 to 10 minutes before eating. This will give them time to cool down and release juices to be super moist and delicious.
You can! You can freeze them raw, or cooked! The key is to add them to a freezer safe bag or container and keep the air out.
This will depend on the size of the drumsticks and brand of the air fryer. Small to Medium Turkey legs typically cooked in 30 to 35 minutes at 400°F, flipping halfway through while large turkey legs can take up to 50 mins to cook. The most important thing is to use an instant read digital thermometer.
The internal temperature at the thickest last should read 165°F (74°C) you can go up to 175°F without it drying out. Dark meat are usually more forgiving.
Here you’ll find answers to common questions about this recipe. If your question isn’t answered, please leave us a comment below and we’ll gladly answer them.
Air frying Tips
- No need to preheat.
- While you can definitely cook frozen Turkey legs in the air fryer, if the turkey legs are right out of the refrigerator and you are not in a hurry, let it sit for about 10 mins on the counter before cooking.
- You can switch up the seasoning with your favorite poultry blend.
- The length of time it takes to cook Turkey legs in the air fryer will depend on the size. Bigger Turkey legs will take longer to cook. The ones shown in this recipe are medium sized if your are larger you will need to add more time. Most importantly let the internal temp be your guide. It should be 165°F (74°C).
- Feel free to add more time if it’s not full cooked after the stated time in this recipe.
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Tools used for this recipe
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- This recipe was made using the Cosori air fryer.
- Mixing bowl
- Perforated Parchment paper or perforated silicon Mat (optional)
- Kitchen tongs (optional
- Digital instant read Meat thermometer
- Heat resistant mat for your counter top
- Meal prep bowls for storage and easy reheating
More air fryer recipes for the holidays
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Air Fryer Yum’s Pro Tip! Air fryer temperatures may vary depending on size, make and model. When making a recipe for the first time, start with less time, check for doneness then add more time as needed.
Air fryer Turkey legs
Equipment
- 1 Cosori Air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 Turkey legs
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- 2 sprigs Fresh thyme (remove the leaves)
Instructions
- Pat the Turkey dry, mix the oil, melted butter, seasoning and thyme leaves in a small bowl.
- Brush the seasoning all over both turkey legs till well coated.
- Transfer Turkey legs to the air fryer basket. Set temperature to 400°F (200°C) and cook for 15 mins. Flip the drumstick then continue cooking for 20 mins or until internal temperature reaches. 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part of the meat.
- Feel free to add more time if it hasn’t reached the internal temp at the time stated in this recipe.
- When turkey legs are fully cooked, tent with foil and let it rest for up to 10 mins before serving. This step will help to redistribute the juices to keep the meat tender and juicy.
- Serve with your favorite side dish. Kindly refer to the blog post for our tasty recommendations.
Nutrition
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