Air Fryer Turkey Legs
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This Air Fryer Turkey Legs recipe is an easy weeknight dinner that will become a staple in your household. Seasoned with a garlic pepper rosemary blend, these will be on the table in under an hour.
Whether you are looking to make a small dish for Thanksgiving or looking add to your list of game day recipes, these turkey legs will fit in perfectly!
Air Fryer Turkey Legs are mouth watering; they’re crispy on the outside and deliciously moist and juicy on the inside, making them so much better than traditional smoked turkey legs. This easy recipe requires just a little prep and only 40 minutes of cook time, which is great if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen!
Why You’ll Love Making A Turkey Leg In Air Fryer
Air fryer recipes are some of my favorite to share! I honestly don’t think I could live without my air fryer (I also have the best air fryer). Air fryers are so much more convenient and I use mine almost every single day, as it does a really great job of cooking quickly and efficiently.
Enjoy air fryer recipes as much as I do? Give these air fryer chicken recipes a try sometime!
Turkey is an extremely versatile protein and you can cook turkey similarly to chicken, like Oven Baked Chicken and Cauliflower. You can even use your leftover turkey to make Leftover Turkey Tacos.
This recipe is a healthy alternative to deep frying. Turkey legs themselves are a great option and a pretty healthy meal because the dark meat in them has more vitamins and minerals than white meat on other parts of the turkey.
You can remove the skin if you want to reduce the fat content, but the crispy skin makes them irresistible! Especially because the skin of the turkey legs are seasoned with a tasty dry rub that gives it loads of flavor when cooked.
Because of the hot circulating air in the air fryer, this method will give you deliciously crispy turkey legs. This is honestly the best way to cook turkey drumsticks!
For a complete meal, serve your turkey legs with cornbread stuffing and homemade orange cranberry sauce.
How to season Turkey Legs
I keep the seasoning for my turkey legs pretty simple and that’s what I love about this recipe! You will need:
- garlic powder
- garlic salt
- seasoned pepper
- brown sugar
- fresh rosemary
How to Cook Turkey Lets in Air Fryer
Step 1: Make the dry rub. In a small bowl, mix the garlic powder, garlic salt, seasoned pepper, brown sugar, and rosemary.
Step 2: Season they turkey legs. Spray the turkey legs on both sides with olive oil and evenly coat them with the dry rub.
Step 3: Air fry. Air fry for 20 minutes at 400°F. Flip and cook for 20 more minutes. Cook until the internal temperature has reached 180° F at the thickest part of the leg.
Step 4: Serve. Enjoy with stuffing and cranberry sauce, or your choice of sides!
How long to cook Turkey Legs in Air Fryer?
Turkey legs should be cooked in the air fryer for about 40 minutes, or until they have reached an internal temperature of 180 F. To get the internal temperature, you’ll want to use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey leg.
Air Fryer Turkey Legs Variations
There are a ton of ways you can change up this recipe. Adding onion powder to the dry rub will really bring out the rest of the flavors. You can also substitute black pepper for seasoned pepper if need be.
Skip the olive oil and mix the spices with melted butter, making it seasoned butter, which will make a juicy turkey leg even juicier. For crispier turkey legs, rinse them before adding the dry rub and dry them off using paper towels.
If you’re feeding more people, you can use the same dry rub recipe and air fry a whole turkey, though cooking time will definitely be different. If you can’t find turkey legs at your local grocery store, try buying a turkey breast instead. Air fryer turkey breast is a great alternative, it will come out just as juicy as this air fryer chicken!
Another side dish you can serve with these is Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato or for a less Thanksgiving-like side dish, try Air Fryer Broccoli. Store any leftover turkey legs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
What to serve with Air Fry Turkey Legs
Storing Air Fryer Turkey Legs
Cooked turkey legs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen for 2-3 months.
How to reheat Turkey Leg in Air Fryer
To reheat your turkey legs, preheat the air fryer to 350 F. Air fry the turkey legs for 5-7 minutes, or until they are heated through.
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You’ll love making Air Fryer Turkey Legs
Ingredients
- 4 turkey legs
- olive oil spray, for cooking
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400° F.
- Mix the Garlic Powder, Garlic Salt, Seasoned Pepper, Brown Sugar, and Rosemary, and set aside.
- Lay the turkey legs on a plate or cutting board. Spray them on both sides with olive oil. Coat the turkey legs with the dry rub on both sides.
- Place the turkey legs in the air fryer basket and cook for 20 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 180° F. (Make sure you are taking the temperature from the thickest part of the turkey leg)
- Serve with stuffing and cranberry sauce, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Turkey legs are fully cooked once they have reached an internal temperature of 180F. To get the internal temperature, you’ll want to use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey leg.
