A simple recipe for oven-baked turkey thighs

Votes: 24

How to Cook - A Simple Oven-Baked Turkey Thigh Recipe

Time: 55 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

Turkey thighs are one of the most delicious parts of the bird. They're meaty and tender, unlike breasts, and take up much less oven space than a whole turkey, allowing you to roast a side dish at the same time. The easiest way to cook dark turkey meat, to make it even juicier, is to rub it under the skin with a mixture of butter, black pepper, and salt. This simple set of ingredients is enough to make a delicious turkey. But if you're looking for a more vibrant flavor for your holiday, you can try other butter-based stuffing options: lemon with garlic and rosemary, orange zest with cranberry, truffle with thyme, bacon, sage with onion, and lemon zest.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

2 turkey thighs, 450g each, with skin and bones
1/4 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon coarse salt
0.5 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
*Additional turkey flavor options are available below.

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: turkey, butter, black pepper, lemon zest, garlic, rosemary, Orange zest, cranberry, brown sugar, thyme, bacon, sage, shallots, lemon

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Preheat oven to 175°C.
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.

Add salt and pepper.
Lift the turkey skin and stuff it with softened butter, then press gently to spread it into an even layer.
Place the thighs in a baking dish.
Bake the thighs for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the meat registers 160°F (76°C).

*Want to add some flavor?

Here are some flavor options for turkey thighs:

Lemon, garlic and rosemary: Lemon zest, coarse salt, black pepper, crushed fresh garlic, and chopped fresh rosemary will make the bird delicious. Just be careful, as the rosemary flavor can also permeate other dishes in the oven near the turkey.

Orange and cranberry: Orange zest, chopped cranberries, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, coarse salt, and black pepper. This dish will pair harmoniously with other dishes in the oven.

Truffle butter, fresh thyme: For added flavor, rub the turkey with truffle butter, coarse salt, black pepper, and chopped thyme. This will impart a rich, umami flavor.

Bacon: For a smokier flavor, wrap the turkey in bacon and season with coarse salt and black pepper.

Sage, shallot, lemon: Freshly chopped sage and shallots, along with lemon zest, coarse salt, and black pepper, will infuse everything that bakes in the oven alongside the turkey with their flavor.