How to Cook Juicy, Crispy Turkey Pieces in the Oven

Cooking a whole turkey for Thanksgiving or other holidays can be daunting. Thawing, brining stuffing and roasting a massive bird takes time and skill. Often, the white and dark meat don’t cook evenly either. But you can avoid a lot of hassle by cooking turkey in parts instead.

Roasting boneless turkey breast or legs, thighs and wings separately gives you more control over doneness Plus you get crispy skin and uniformly moist meat with less effort Here’s a complete guide to oven-roasting turkey pieces for a stellar holiday meal.

Benefits of Cooking Turkey Pieces

Making oven-roasted turkey parts offers many advantages over wrestling with a whole bird:

• Cooks faster – Pieces roast in about half the time of a full turkey. Legs and thighs take only 1-1.5 hours while boneless breasts may need up to 2 hours.

• Easier to cook perfectly – With a whole turkey, the white breast meat dries out while waiting for the dark meat to finish. Separate pieces allow removing each when done.

• Simpler to brine or season – Brining a huge turkey is messy and takes serious refrigerator space. Smaller pieces brine faster and easier.

• More control over quantity – Buy more of your family’s favorite cuts. Satisfy dark meat lovers with extra legs and thighs.

• No tricky carving – Let’s be honest, carving an entire bird is hard. Pieces don’t require this skill.

• Extra crispy skin – The exposed skin of parts crisps up better than an intact turkey with skin touching inside the cavity.

While you may miss having an impressive whole bird on the table, the reward of perfectly cooked turkey is worth it.

Where to Buy Turkey Pieces

You have several options for sourcing raw turkey parts:

• Butcher counter – Ask the butcher at your grocery store to cut up a whole turkey for you. Ensure you get the right quantity of white and dark meat.

• Meat section – Look for packaged turkey parts sold frozen or fresh near the chicken and other poultry.

• Specialty cuts – Try my juicy boneless turkey breast recipe or turkey tenderloins for smaller groups.

Buy parts a few days before cooking so they can thaw thoroughly in the refrigerator. Rinse turkey pieces and pat dry with paper towels before seasoning.

Seasoning and Preparing Turkey Parts

To ensure well-flavored meat, coat pieces all over with:

• Oil or butter – For moisture and crispy skin.

• Seasonings – Try herbs, salt, pepper, garlic, citrus or turkey rub.

• Aromatics – Rub sliced lemons, oranges or herbs under the skin.

• Brine or marinade (optional) – For extra juicy meat, soak turkey 12-24 hours before roasting.

For even easier seasoning, apply compound butter under the skin before roasting.

How to Roast Turkey Pieces

Follow these simple steps for oven-roasted turkey with crispy skin and moist, tender meat:

• Heat oven – Preheat to 325°F. Have two rimmed baking sheets ready.

• Prep pans – Place white meat on one pan and dark meat on the other. Add broth or water to generate drippings for gravy.

• Roast at low temp – Cook thighs and legs for about 1 hour until 165°F. Breasts take up to 2 hours to reach 150°F.

• Rest – Remove pieces from oven as they finish and let sit 30 minutes covered in foil. This allows juices to reabsorb for juicy meat.

• Crisp skin – Crank oven to 500°F. Return pans for 10 minutes until skin is browned and crispy.

• Make gravy – While pieces rest, use drippings to make a flavorful turkey gravy.

• Carve and serve – Slice rested breast meat and arrange on a platter with crispy legs, thighs and wings.

Cooking turkey pieces takes a bit more hands-on time than roasting an entire bird. But the foolproof results are worth the extra effort.

Helpful Tips and Variations

• Use a digital probe thermometer to monitor doneness and get an alert when pieces reach the target temperature.

• Cut slits partway through thicker pieces so seasoning penetrates and meat cooks evenly.

• Add aromatics like onion, celery, carrots or lemon to the roasting pan for extra flavor.

• Try roasting just drumsticks and thighs for a smaller dark-meat-only meal.

• Vary the seasoning based on what flavors your family enjoys. Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper or smoked paprika all work well.

• Make extra compound butter to dollop over sliced turkey meat for added moisture.

• Sear turkey pieces in a hot skillet before roasting for deeper flavor.

• Brush pieces with a glaze or sauce in the last 10-15 minutes of roasting for a lacquered finish.

• Roast a spatchcocked turkey if you want a whole bird. It lies flat so cooks fast and evenly.

Common Questions

Should I brine turkey parts?

Brining does make the meat juicier and more seasoned. But turkey pieces roasted properly come out moist and delicious even without brining. It’s optional.

What if my turkey pieces are larger?

The cooking method remains the same. Just allow extra time for larger pieces to come to temperature and test frequently toward the end.

How do I get crispy skin?

Letting the skin dry out after rinsing, oiling or buttering it before roasting, and blasting at a high temp at the end will all help the skin crisp up.

Can I roast a stuffed turkey breast?

Yes, you can roast bone-in or boneless turkey breast over or around stuffing. Just be sure to cook the stuffing to a safe temperature as well.

What flavors go well with turkey?

Classic turkey seasonings include rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram, garlic, citrus, paprika, curry, cumin, chili powder and pepper.

The Takeaway

Cooking turkey parts instead of a whole bird may seem untraditional. But you’ll get rave reviews for moist, tender meat with crispy skin and rich pan drippings for gravy. Follow the tips here for oven-roasted turkey legs, thighs, wings and breast with minimal fuss and fantastic flavor. Your holiday table will thank you!