Roasted Turkey Drumsticks

Delicious, fall off the bone Roasted Turkey Drumsticks that are so easy to make! These turkey drumsticks take about 2 hours to make, from start to finish, but don’t worry, you don’t need to do much! Set them in your roaster and let your oven do the work!

I absolutely adore this recipe. These roasted turkey drumsticks are not only easy to make but they are perfectly tender and wonderfully moist.

A few years ago, my aunt made this dish for me and I fell completely in love with it! That meant a cooking day with my aunt was needed and we set out to recreate this delicious meal together. It was a fun evening in the kitchen and celebrating with these succulent drumsticks at the end was perfection!

I have tweaked the recipe a bit over time but it is essentially the same recipe my aunt shared with me.

As mentioned, these turkey drumsticks are so easy to make and require very little babysitting. Prep the meal, set it in your oven and the hard part is done! The prep time is only 10 minutes as all you have to do is roughly chop some vegetables and season the dish.

The oven does the rest, with only an occasional temperature adjustment.

These roasted turkey drumsticks become so tender and flavourful as they cook in a roaster, they truly are spectacular.

A platter with three roasted turkey drumsticks and carrot medallions served with fresh parsley.

This recipe is also very easy to adjust depending on how many dinner guests you are serving. I often make it small-scale for a date night with my husband or for a small dinner party of 4 people, though you can increase the number of drumsticks and make more depending on the size of your roaster.

If you are having a small gathering for Thanksgiving or Christmas, these drumsticks are a great alternative to roasting an entire turkey. Since we love dark meat more than white meat, these are absolutely perfect for our small-scale holiday meals!

Served alongside Creamy Whipped Potatoes, Classic Stuffing, Green Beans Almondine, these make up a perfect holiday dinner! Don’t forget the Turkey Gravy too!

A roasted turkey drumstick, mashed potatoes with gravy, carrots, and green beans on a plate.

Ingredients for Roasted Turkey Drumsticks

  • Turkey drumsticks: This recipe can easily be adjusted for as many drumsticks as you need.

  • Celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes: These vegetables make a nice bed for the drumsticks to roast on and add flavour to them as they cook. I like to serve the carrots with the drumsticks as well.

  • Olive oil

  • Seasoning: salt, pepper, cinnamon stick, ground sage, bay leaves, allspice (whole). You can also add additional seasonings like paprika, dried thyme and rosemary for additional flavour.

  • Water

Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

The ingredients for roasted turkey drumsticks on a grey marble countertop.

How to make Roasted Turkey Drumsticks

  1. Prep the vegetables: In a large roaster, place chopped celery, carrots, onions, and tomato. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. Season the drumsticks: Season the drumsticks with salt, pepper and sage and place them over the vegetables. Drizzle everything with the olive oil.

  3. Season: Add the cinnamon, bay leafs and allspice to the roaster. Add the water to the roaster and place the lid on.

  4. Roast (adjusting temperature as it cooks): Roast in the oven at 375F for 30 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350F and roast for one hour. Remove the lid from the roaster and continue roasting for 15 minutes or until turkey drumsticks are cooked through.

  5. Broil for colour: To brown the turkey drumsticks, broil on high until they are golden brown. I recommend removing them from the liquid at this point and turning them to ensure all sides are browned and crispy. [Note: keep an eye on them as they will brown quickly.]

  6. Serve: Slice the carrots into medallions and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a platter along with the roasted drumsticks.
Photo collage showing 4 steps for making roasted turkey drumsticks.
Roasted turkey drumsticks served on a white platter with carrot medallions and fresh parsley.

What to serve with Roasted Turkey Drumsticks

I love to serve these drumsticks with my Creamy Whipped Potatoes (try my Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes for a delicious twist) and some veggies like Green Beans Almondine. Also, Turkey Gravy is a must as far as I am concerned.

If you are serving this for Thanksgiving or Christmas, don’t forget to add some delicious stuffing like my Classic Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce for a complete meal with all the trimmings.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Bon appetit!

-Cathy

Closeup of roasted turkey drumsticks and carrot medallions and a white platter.

You may also like:

Cranberry Sauce
Turkey Gravy from Drippings
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

A platter with three roasted turkey drumsticks and carrot medallions served with fresh parsley.

Roasted Turkey Drumsticks

Catherine
Delicious, fall of the bone Roasted Turkey Drumsticks that are so easy to make! These turkey drumsticks take about 2 hours to make, from start to finish, but don't worry, you don't need to do much! Set them in your roaster and let your oven do the work!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 785 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 small turkey drumsticks
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
  • 4 celery stalks chopped into thirds
  • 2 onions quartered
  • 1/2 tomato chopped into large pieces
  • 4 carrots cut in half
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons allspice (whole, not ground)
  • 2 cups water

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven at 375F. In a large roaster, place chopped celery, carrots, onions, and tomato. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Season the drumsticks with salt, pepper and ground sage and place them over the vegetables. Drizzle everything with the olive oil.
  • Add the cinnamon, bay leafs and allspice to the roaster. Add the water to the roaster and place the lid on.
  • Roast in the oven at 375F for 30 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350F and roast for one hour.
  • Removing the lid from the roaster and continue roasting for 15 minutes. Take temperature with a meat thermometer. If the turkey is cooked to an internal temperature of 175F and juices run clear, they are ready. If not, continue to roast until cooked through.
  • To brown the turkey drumsticks, broil on high until they are golden brown. I recommend removing them from the liquid at this point and turning them to ensure all sides are browned and crispy. [Note: keep an eye on them as they will brown quickly.]
  • Optional: Slice the carrots into medallions and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a platter along with the roasted drumsticks.

Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.

Nutrition

Calories: 785kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 68gFat: 50gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 240mgSodium: 313mgPotassium: 1274mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 10363IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 124mgIron: 7mg

The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.

Keyword fall, roast turkey, roasted turkey, Thanksgiving, turkey, turkey drumsticks, turkey leg
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