Turkey legs and thighs: cooking time in the oven
Legs and thighs suit a small table, or a family that fights over dark meat. They also finish well ahead of a whole bird. The USDA publishes no times for parts, so this page lays four published recipes side by side and shows how to turn them into a start time for your dinner.
What the recipes say
Every row follows its recipe. Whole Lotta Yum's card says 160 to 165 °F but its steps say 165 °F, which is also the USDA minimum, so the table shows 165 °F. Most use 350 °F, and the times run from under an hour for thighs of about 1½ lb to two hours for large legs. The oven temperature and the size of the piece matter more than the type of cut.
| Recipe | Oven | Pieces | Time | Pulled at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Lotta Yum | 350 °F | Bone-in thighs, just under 1½ lb | 45 to 50+ min | 165 °F |
| Cotter Crunch | 350 °F | Legs, 2 to 3 lb for 3 (recipe card) | 70 to 80 min | 180 °F |
| Cotter Crunch (text) | 350 °F | Smaller drumsticks, then larger legs | 1½ to 2 h | 180 °F |
| Boston Globe | 325 °F | Thighs, 2 lb each | 1½ h | 185 °F |
| DTN Progressive Farmer | 475 °F | Thighs and legs on one pan | 45 to 50 min | 165 °F |
The Cotter Crunch recipe contradicts itself a little: its card says 70 to 80 minutes, and its text says smaller drumsticks take about 1½ hours and larger ones up to 2. The 475 °F recipe is the fast route and browns hard, so keep that one for an oven you are not sharing with the sides.
Goes in at, for a 5 PM dinner
These are the 350 °F times from the table, counted back from 5 PM with a 10 minute rest, which two of the recipes use. Change the dinner time in the planner below.
| Case | Bake | Goes in | Comes out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low end, thighs of about 1½ lb | 45 min | 4:05 PM | 4:50 PM |
| Recipe card for legs | 1 h 20 min | 3:30 PM | 4:50 PM |
| Smaller drumsticks | 1 h 30 min | 3:20 PM | 4:50 PM |
| Larger legs | 2 h | 2:50 PM | 4:50 PM |
When they are done
- The USDA's safe minimum is 165 °F (74 °C), measured with a food thermometer. For a whole turkey its brochure (University of Wisconsin Extension copy) says to check the innermost part of the thigh; for legs and thighs I'd probe the thickest part without touching the bone, as the Boston Globe recipe does. Its oven advice is no lower than 325 °F.
- Two of the recipes go higher, to 180 °F (Cotter Crunch) and 185 °F (Boston Globe), because dark meat around the bone turns tender at a higher temperature. That is a taste choice and 165 °F is the safety line. Expect those extra degrees to add some oven time; how much is not published.
- Pieces of different size cook at different speeds. Probe the largest one, and take the small ones out earlier.
- Cooked turkey that sits out longer than 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F) should be thrown away, according to the same brochure. Keep the legs hot or put them in the fridge.
Four legs and three sides in one oven
Menu for four: four legs of about 1 lb each, stuffing in a dish, roasted sweet potatoes and dinner rolls. Everything bakes at 350 °F, so the oven never changes temperature. I planned 1 h 40 min for the legs, inside the 70 to 120 minute range of the recipes. The legs go in at 3:05 PM and come out at 4:45 PM, with the 10 minute rest. The sides then go in around them. The side dish times are typical values I picked.
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 2:50 PM | Preheat the oven to 350 °F |
| 3:05 PM | Put Turkey legs, 4 at about 1 lb in the oven (350 °F, 1 h 40 min) |
| 4:15 PM | Put Stuffing (in a dish) in the oven (350 °F, 45 min) |
| 4:20 PM | Put Roasted sweet potatoes in the oven (350 °F, 40 min) |
| 4:45 PM | Take Turkey legs, 4 at about 1 lb out (15 min before serving) |
| 4:45 PM | Put Dinner rolls in the oven (350 °F, 15 min) |
| 5:00 PM | Take Stuffing (in a dish) out |
| 5:00 PM | Take Roasted sweet potatoes out |
| 5:00 PM | Take Dinner rolls out |
| 5:00 PM | Serve |
Open this menu in the planner to change the dinner time, the leg time or the dishes. For a breast instead, see turkey breast cooking time. A whole bird is on the turkey roasting time chart, and how to keep turkey warm before serving covers legs that finish early.