One of the most overlooked best buys in the grocery store has to be turkey legs. Turkey legs are usually only seen on the dinner table connected to the rest of the bird during the holidays, but they are available year round in the meat department. They are usually very cheap and are a wonderful change from chicken or beef. Braised Herbed Turkey Legs in the Crock Pot makes your holiday meal even easier.
This post has been updated in August 2017 from the original October 2008 entry.
I’m always a little surprised at what stays popular on this little ol’ blog of ours. Some things are more surprising than others.
Take our Baked Chicken Fajitas for example. It’s a quick and easy chicken dish and it’s not that surprising that even after all of these years, its still a very popular post.
Then there are recipes like Ham and Cabbage Soup, Fried Grit Cakes and Braised Beef Shanks that are slightly odd little recipes that have built up quite a following over the years.
And then there is this recipe from 2008.
I had only been blogging for a few months back then and the blogging world was so different. My pictures were awful and the content was very short and the recipes were just typed out, not contained in a handy printable like they are now.
You’ll still find several of recipes like that on this blog. We are working our way through them, trying to breathe a little new life into them. But there are some that I just can’t bring myself to update.
They are so much like journal entries to me. They contain stories of life with two toddlers, tales of our daily adventures that I don’t ever want to forget. Blogs were always meant to be like that.
A place to keep your stories, and for us the stories and the food always went hand in hand. We weren’t so worried about SEO and search titles back then either. I loved coming up with witty little titles to go with the stories, I miss being able to do that.
Of course people used to actually read the content , too. I had so many blogging friends back then that just stumbled upon my little corner of the world and came back every week.
They were a welcome change to the sometimes exhausting life of a stay at home mom. Some have left the blog world, some have gone on to bigger and better blogs, and I still run across an old friend every now and then.
But enough reminiscing, lets talk turkey.
The original entry for Braised Herbed Turkey Legs in the Crock Pot was all of 3 sentences long, but it has been a recipe that people continue to come back to.
So I thought a little redo was in order. I’ve tweaked the recipe just a smidgen since 2008, adding cornstarch to help thicken the gravy. Depending on your turkey legs you may or may not need it, but it’s an easy and painless way to make your gravy like gravy instead of soup.
Turkey in the Crock Pot
While I’m not a huge user of the Crockpot, I do appreciate how handy it is in times of hustle and bustle. When you just can’t stomach one more pizza night or Taco Tuesday.
These turkey legs have all of the comfort of Thanksgiving without all of the fuss. And watching your kid’s eyes pop out of their head when you plop a big ol’ turkey leg on their plate is pretty fun too.
If you can manage to keep the cook time on this towards the lower end, you’ll have a juicer turkey leg as turkey tends to dry out no matter what, but since this is dark meat you do have some wiggle room.
And if you have never eaten a turkey leg all by itself, be forewarned that there is a little more cartilage in them than chicken legs, but nothing major.
Adapted from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon butter
- 4 turkey Legs
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup carrots sliced 1/2" thick
- 1/3 cup celery 1/2" thick
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3-4 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs I used Basil, Rosemary and Oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoon heavy cream or unsalted butter optional, I used butter
- Rice couscous, or mashed potatoes to serve
Instructions
- In large heavy skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Brown turkey legs and transfer to crock pot. Add onion, celery, garlic and carrots to the skillet and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil make sure to scrape up any brown bits. Let wine reduce for 2-3 minutes then add herbs and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer mixture into crock pot, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours ( or Low for 4-6 hours).
- To finish the gravy: Transfer turkey legs and vegetables to plate when done and cover to keep warm. Pour the sauce through a strainer into a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water, then add to the sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until it thickens, about 2 minutes.Remove from heat, stir in cream until it is hot or the butter just until it melts. Serve.
These look DELICIOUS Jodie!
I would like to invite you to share this at Slow Cooking Saturdays Recipe Swap. This week the theme is crock pot turkey dishes ……. how cool is that?!?! Here is a direct link to the recipe swap
http://crockpotrecipeexchange.blogspot.com/2010/10/slow-cooking-saturdays-recipe-swap_29.html
Keep on crocking!
yum!
I hardly ever make turkey when it’s not Thanksgiving but this sounds like a great option. Perfect recipe for fall!
It totally is! Thanks for stopping by!
This sounds so good! I am pinning to make this later!
Thank you!
The legs are the best part…IMO!! Doing them in the crock pot is a great idea. Now I can have turkey dinner any time I want.
Yes! I’m such a dark meat girl. Thanks for stopping in!
I love turkey legs. Seriously, my mom used to make turkey leg soup and I would gobble it down. I love that your recipe uses a crock pot. I’m all over easy recipes in crock pots especially if they are yummy recipes!! I can’t wait to try it. (On a funny note, I used to act in a renaissance fair and used to walk around with a roasted turkey leg all the time, taking bites every once in a while. It was my schtick.
Ha!! Everyone needs a schtick, and if it involves eating a turkey leg I think it sounds like a good one.
I have a friend who raises Heritage turkeys and she promised to give us one this fall. Totally saving this recipe – It sounds like the perfect way to prepare it!
A heritage turkey for Thanksgiving? Super jealous! I hear they are delicious!
Nothing easier than using crockpot. And your turkey leg looks so juicy and satisfying. Love this.
Thank you!
I can see why these have remained popular — they look and sound divine! What a unique and delicious way to enjoy a turkey leg!
Thanks Erin!
My husband loooooves turkey – especially dark meat. This looks like such an easy way to prepare it – can’t wait to try it out!
Let me know how it goes!
This looks so good! Who doesn’t love to chow down on a nice juicy turkey leg?
Right?! Thanks for stopping by!
This looks AMAZING! And I love that it’s made in the slow cooker
Thank you! It’s really good.
I’ve not been blogging as long as you have, but I can totally relate to how you are feeling about it. I wish we didn’t have to worry about seo and all that goes with it, it sucks the life out me! I still read blog posts though and I’m really glad I’ve come across your lovely blog x And those turkey legs are drool worthy, I’m not surprised they are so popular
Oh, I love your blog! Isn’t it funny how much the whole food blog world has evolved? It’s still fun though and that’s why I’m still around. Thanks for the kind words and I’ll see you around!
You are so right about turkey legs being overlooked. They’re so flavorful and budget-friendly! This looks like the perfect recipe for them.
Thanks Carol!
My slow cooker was recently broken during our move, but this recipe makes me want to go out and replace it this weekend. These look amazing!
Jodie, it looks soooo delicious!!! I`m so planning to try it this week! Thanks for sharing it!