Bacon and Red Wine-Braised Turkey Legs
Bacon and Red Wine-Braised Turkey Legs
Bacon and Red Wine-Braised Turkey Legs
Bacon and Red Wine-Braised Turkey Legs

Bacon and Red Wine-Braised Turkey Legs

David Venable

You don't have to cook the whole bird! These tasty turkey legs are great for a smaller Thanksgiving gathering.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 whole turkey legs
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup bacon, diced
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 3-4 sprigs thyme
  • 3-4 sprigs rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 qt chicken stock
  • Parsley, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Preheat a large skillet with the cooking oil until just shimmering, about 1–2 minutes.
Pat the turkey legs dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Add the turkey legs to the skillet and brown on both sides. Transfer the browned turkey legs to an 8'' x 12'' baking dish.
Add the bacon to the hot skillet and cook until golden and crispy.
Remove all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon fat, then put in the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and butter. Cook until just tender, about 3–4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and honey, cooking and stirring for 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for an additional minute.
Add the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Deglaze the skillet with the red wine and reduce by half. Put in the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Pour the contents of the skillet over the turkey legs. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
Transfer the baking dish to the oven. Cook until the turkey leg meat falls apart and is tender, about 2–3 hours.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the ingredients to cool, about 10–15 minutes.
Transfer the liquid into a deep stockpot and boil until reduced by half, or thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the reduction over the turkey legs, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Cook's Notes

You can prepare this dish 1 or 2 days before serving (allow it to cool completely before storing). Reheat in a 300°F oven for about 1 hour, then serve.

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