Butter Basted Turkey Legs and Thighs with Fresh Herbs (2024)

A sure way to keep cheaper cuts of turkey moist and tasting great is with butter. Butter Basted Turkey Legs and Thighs with Fresh Herbs guarantee flavour and moistness! These are a great option for those of us who don’t have a large family for dinner. There’s no need to buy a whole turkey!

I grew up in a home where a whole roasted turkey was the norm. Well, maybe not the norm – it’s not like we ate whole roasted turkey every night for dinner, but there was a whole roasted turkey for every celebration. And, in between celebrations, if there wasn’t a whole turkey, then there was certainly my mom’s version of Butter Basted Turkey Legs and Thighs with Fresh Herbs.

Now that I’m older, I’ve come to realize that a special occasion for most families; one that would warrant the work and the effort of roasting a large turkey, is usually Thanksgiving and Christmas. For our family, as well as most Newfoundland families, a whole stuffed turkey was the main on more than two occasions per year.

ANY EXCUSE TO PREPARE TURKEY

My mom would stuff and roast a twenty-five-pound turkey for not only Thanksgiving and Christmas, but also New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday. I can’t remember any of those days without a turkey while I was young enough to still live at home.

Before mom passed away and still had her strength, she would often roast a whole turkey for a birthday, a get-together, or just because she wanted it and felt like it. It wasn’t uncommon for her to buy three or four turkeys at a time and freeze them until the mood to roast one took over.

SOMETIMES A WHOLE TURKEY IS TOO MUCH

Now though, things are different. I live in Toronto with John.e and McKenna. They’re both vegetarians, and the remaining family members aren’t that far away, but we all have lives and families of our own, so it’s not always feasible to get together for holidays. So, rather than roast a whole turkey for just me, I opt for a few legs and thighs just so that I don’t feel like I’m getting the short end of the stick.

We do limit turkey dinners to Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day though. I’ll never give that up! And, I usually prepare Butter Basted Turkey Legs and Thighs with Fresh Herbs, or a similar version for myself. I’ll roast a store-bought Tofurkey for John.e and McKenna. And, of course, we will all share the sides.

TheseButter Basted Turkey Legs and Thighs with Fresh Herbs filled our home with that familiar smell of turkey roasting in my mom’s oven, stuffed with a buttery, savoury stuffing. Even though John.e and McKenna don’t eat meat, they both commented on how good it smelled and how inviting it was.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Turkey – I used 4 turkey legs and 4 turkey thighs. You can use any combination of those you prefer.
• Butter – There’s a lot of butter in this recipe, but you won’t end up consuming all of it. It will keep the turkey super moist, but most of it will drain off.
• Fresh Herbs – Don’t be tempted to use dried herbs here. Fresh makes a huge difference! You will need summer savoury, thyme, and rosemary.
• Onion Flakes – This is a good example of dried onion working better than fresh onion. A fresh onion will most likely burn because of the long roasting time. Dried is better here.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTER-BASTED TURKEY:

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or pan with parchment paper and set aside. It’s important to note that if you purchase frozen turkey legs and thighs, they must be fully thawed and at room temperature before attempting this recipe! Pat the turkey legs and thighs completely dry with paper towels and set them aside.

Next, combine the butter, summer savoury, thyme leaves, rosemary, onion flakes, salt, and pepper. Whisk it all together until the herbs and seasonings are well incorporated into the butter. Use about two tablespoons of the butter mixture to fully massage each piece of turkey. This is messy, but the best way is to pick up the turkey leg or thigh in one hand, scoop a mound of butter into your other hand, and massage the butter completely around the turkey. It should be thickly coated on there!

Transfer the butter-slathered turkey to the baking sheet, being careful to not let the pieces overlap and not to touch the side of the baking pan. Cover loosely with foil, and bake for one hour. Remove from the oven, and baste each piece of turkey with the melted butter and turkey juices in the pan. Cover and return to the oven. Repeat this every fifteen minutes for the next hour. Leave the foil off for the last 15 minutes.

Transfer the turkey to a serving platter, and spoon over some of the butter and herbs. Garnish with more rosemary, summer savoury, and thyme if you wish, and serve. Now, that wasn’t too bad, was it?

TURKEY IS CLASSIC AND NOSTALGIC

To me, there’s nothing that compares to the familiar smell of a turkey roasting in the oven. It brings me back to my childhood, to a simpler time, to a time when our family would celebrate the holidays together with traditions that will always be a part of who I am. Even though I love Tofurkey, I have to prepare real turkey even if just for the smell. It’s the definition of comfort and good times, at least for me.

This particular meal was made complete with myHerb Butter Mashed Potatoes, Savoury Roasted Carrots, Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms,Baguette Stuffing with Swiss Chard and Caramelized Onions, Easy Oven Roasted Beets, and topped it all off with Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy.

It was quite the meal with lots of leftovers too! And, do you know what leftovers mean? Couldn’ts!!!! Yes, I know it’s not a word, but that’s what it’s called. The stuff you couldn’t eat yesterday, that you must eat today. This is John.e’s favourite part of celebratory dinner.

WHAT DO DO WITH TURKEY LEFTOVERS

I’ll take all the leftovers, put them in a skillet with butter, and fry them up to resemble a breakfast hash. I’ll dice up the carrots, chop up the Brussels sprouts, dice the leftover turkey, toss in the mashed potatoes and the stuffing, fry it until it browns, then pour over the reheated gravy. So delicious!

Another great leftover Butter Basted Turkey Legs and Thighs with Fresh Herbs option is my Leftover Turkey Casserole with Biscuits. I absolutely love this casserole and it’s so easy to make. Use store-bought canned biscuits to make this dish less cumbersome.

Now, in true Newfie fashion, I couldn’t possibly have a turkey dinner without two very popular Newfoundland condiments. You Newfoundlanders will know exactly what I’m talking about. Because gravy is never enough, I also had to have a few pieces of my Pickled Beets, and a generous helping of my Mustard Pickles. Those two will complete any turkey dinner!