Tandoori Turkey Legs

Last Updated on November 18, 2021 by Babita

Tandoori Turkey legs is a spicy Indian recipe, a delicious alternative to the traditional roast turkey. If you want juicy, tender turkey legs baked perfectly, this recipe is for you.

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About the recipe

This tandoori turkey recipe is perfect for people who don’t like the gamey smell of turkey but would still like to eat turkey. The liberal use of Indian spices masks the gamey smell the turkey has without compromising the taste.

I have so many Indian friends who avoid making turkey for a couple of reasons. Some of the reasons are:

• Turkey has a gamey smell which bothers many people who are not used to it.
• Cooking a whole turkey sounds too overwhelming for some. So they avoid making turkey and substitute it with chicken or turkey breast.
• Some find the size of the turkey too big for their family, so they prefer to cook chicken instead.
• They also don’t want to spend the whole day slaving in the kitchen trying to cook the massive bird.

It is for the above reasons, I decided to use turkey legs instead of the whole turkey. I came up with a recipe for a tandoori spice blend and used it to marinate and cook the turkey legs. I tried it for the first time and it was a big hit with my family. For people looking to try out turkey but want to skip the traditional thanksgiving turkey, this recipe is perfect for you. These tandoori turkey legs are perfect for a small Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients for Marinating Turkey Legs

Turkey Drumstick (legs): for this recipe, I used turkey drumsticks. These are large drumsticks and easily weigh around a pound of 2 each. I used two pieces, but you can use the marinade for at least three pieces.

Chili Powder: I use either Reshampatti or Kashmiri chili powder. Both these chili powders are mildly spicy, and they add beautiful natural color to the turkey legs.

Cumin powder: you can either use store-bought cumin powder or roast cumin seeds and powder them in a blender or coffee grinder.

Ginger-Garlic paste: I prefer homemade ginger-garlic paste. I am not a fan of bottled paste as they are not strong enough in aroma or flavor. Home-made is always the best.

Garam masala: is a blend of spices that adds aroma as well as heat to the Indian recipes. You can find garam masala in most Indian stores and also online on Amazon.

Onion powder: for this recipe, I like to use onion powder. However, if you don’t have onion powder, you use fresh onion. Just blend it with ginger, garlic and make a paste out of it.

Coriander powder: you can find coriander powder in Indian stores. You can also make coriander powder at home. Lightly roast coriander seeds and blend them into a fine powder.

Turmeric Powder: is an essential ingredient in every Indian cuisine. It has many health benefits and adds beautiful yellow/orange color to the dish.

Yogurt: is added as a meat tenderizer. It also adds a slighty tangy taste.

Water: is required to mix all of the marinade together.

Salt: is as per taste.

Lemon Juice: is an optional ingredient. You can add a tsp of it for a more tangy taste.

Chili Flakes: this is an optional ingredient as well. The chili powder that I use is not spicy and has mild heat. For spicier-tasting turkey legs, you can add a tsp of chili flakes to the marinade.

How to Marinade the Turkey Legs

• Remove the drumstick from the package and rinse it under the running water well.
• Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel and score them. Cut 3 to 4 deep slits in the drumsticks.

• In a mixing bowl, combine chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, yogurt, salt, onion powder, garam masala, and 1 tbsp of oil.
• Add water and mix the marinade well.

• Add the turkey legs and apply the marinade generously. Make sure to apply the marinade in between all of the slits.
• Cover and place in refrigerator. Allow it to marinate overnight.

Instructions for Cooking Turkey Legs

The pan I like to use for this recipe is the 2-piece broiler pan set. As the turkey legs are baking, it allows all the excess juice to fall in the tray below. If you don’t have this kind of pan, you can use a regular baking pan with a rack.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease the rack with some oil.
• Place the drumsticks on the rack. Drizzle some more oil on top of the drumstick.
• Bake the drumstick for 30 mins. Remove from oven.
• Flip it over. Drizzle oil on top and place in oven again.
• Bake it for another 30 mins.
• Take it out of the oven and flip it again.
• Set the oven to broil.
• Bake the drumstick for another 7 to 10 mins or until it reaches the internal temperature of 170 degrees F.
• Remove from oven.

Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Products/Tools I used for this recipe