Air Fryer Turkey Legs (Gluten Free)
This air fryer turkey legs recipe will walk you through how to cook gluten free, air-fried turkey legs that are deliciously crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
This is a quick and easy meal for any weeknight dinner or weekend lunch when you’re feeling lazy but don’t want to sacrifice flavor!
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How Long Do You Cook Fully Cooked Turkey Legs?
Depending on the air fryer, your cooking time could vary. The air fryer will cook for about half of the amount it would take in an oven or on a stovetop. So you will need to adjust accordingly!
For air frying fully cooked turkey legs, I typically set my temperature at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I let them cook for about 30 minutes. Making sure to flip them every five minutes or so.
If following these guidelines does not produce desired results (i.e., undercooked or overcooked), please check with the manufacturer’s instructions that came with your air fryer for suggestions.
If you are heating up some fully cooked smoked turkey in your air fryer, it should only take about five minutes per side. It just depends on the size of the turkey you are cooking.
A smoked turkey leg heated up in an air fryer should cook pretty quickly by setting the temperature at 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit for about five minutes.
Just keep in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on what type of air fryer you have. However, it will typically be less than half as long as a traditional oven would require.
How to Cook Pre Smoked Turkey Legs in the Air Fryer
Some tips for cooking a pre-smoked turkey leg in the air fryer are:
Preheat your air fryer to make sure it reaches the proper temperature to heat up your turkey legs.
To crisp up your turkey legs, you can pour liquid fat such as olive oil on your turkey legs before cooking. Or you can use cooking spray instead.
Cook with aluminum foil wrapped around your turkey legs to ensure that all sides are cooked evenly.
How Do You Make Air Fryer Turkey Legs?
Air fryer turkey legs are a great substitute for the traditional stuffed and baked Thanksgiving turkey. It takes a lot less time to cook too!
Air frying is also healthier than cooking with oil or butter too. So not only will you be saving time with your Thanksgiving meal prep, you will be saving calories too!
However, turkey legs can be enjoyed year-round! I have many memories of visiting fairs and carnivals in the summer. As well as pumpkin patches in the fall and enjoying delicious turkey legs at each.
Here is how to make incredibly easy and absolutely irresistible turkey legs:
Ingredients
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Directions
First, dry the turkey legs as much as you can by patting them with a paper towel.
After the turkey legs are pretty dry, season them to your liking with salt and pepper.
Next, use a small bowl and stir in the remaining seasonings with the softened butter, combining them well.
Following that, take the seasoned butter and rub it generously on each turkey leg. Just make sure to get under the skin if you can as well.
Next, be sure to preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Finally, place as many turkey legs as will fit without touching into your air fryer. Then cook for about 30 minutes.
Lastly, make sure each turkey leg reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Add more cooking time if needed to reach the proper temp.
After cooking, let your turkey legs rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Cooking the Turkey Legs
Cooking air fryer turkey legs is one of those tasks that can be easily accomplished with a simple set of instructions. It’s easy, it’s gluten free and I am betting your family will love them!
When cooking your turkey legs, it’s important to make sure they reach the proper temperature in order to be completely cooked.
You’ll know they are done when there isn’t any pink remaining around the bone and your meat thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Farenheight.
Crispy Air Fryer Turkey Wings
Turkey wings are a great alternative to turkey legs and there’s no deep-frying needed! The wings have less surface area which means they need less oil and will taste just as crispy.
Air fryers use convection heat so you can cook food in the air fryer with significantly lower temperatures than required for traditional ovens or deep fryers and it doesn’t take as long!
How to Make Them Crispy
For extra crispy turkey wings in the air fryer, you can spray them with some extra cooking oil spray and cook them slightly longer. Also, be sure to flip them about halfway through cooking time.
What Are the White Things You Put on Turkey Legs?
Turkey Legs are traditionally served with gravy on the side. That is what we see with large family dinners, especially during Thanksgiving time.
However, if you would like to make air fryer turkey legs without sauce or coating, plain or seasoned is great too!
You can also create a dry rub by combining paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper into one mixture. That mixture can then be applied to your turkey legs before cooking in your air fryer in order to give them flavor.
If you want something more similar to an oven-roasted turkey leg you can apply butter onto the turkey skin and sprinkle lemon juice on top.
So what are those white things you see on turkey legs on tv? These are called turkey booties and they are for the well-dressed turkey.
Whether you’re hosting a Thanksgiving dinner or just want to provide an extra fancy touch to the presentation of your meal, these paper caps will make any bird look as festive as can be!
Turkey booties, also called turkey frills, are little paper caps that people stick on the end of turkey legs to cover up the ugly bone ends.
The paper caps look like little chefs’ hats and can be either rounded or frilled at the top. They are so cute and fancy!
How Long to Cook Turkey Thighs in the Air Fryer
I have noticed that sometimes turkey legs can be tough to find at nearby grocery stores. Don’t worry though, if you are craving turkey legs but cannot seem to find them, there are some yummy alternatives!
Turkey thighs are a super delicious alternative to legs and are full of flavor. Air frying is a great way to cook turkey thighs because they can be cooked quickly and evenly.
They are also great to air fry because you don’t need any oil, which makes them a healthier option than traditional frying.
For cooking bone-in turkey thighs, you will need to heat your air fryer to about 380 degrees Farenheight and cook for about 12-15 minutes on each side.
How Long to Cook Turkey Wings in the Air Fryer
Air-fried turkey wings are another flavorful alternative to turkey legs! These are insanely delicious and actually cook up much faster than other cuts of turkey.
You just need to adjust the temperature settings as the air fryer does not create the same amount of heat as an oven and thus cooks faster. You don’t want to overcook them!
These are a great option for those who want to cook up a large batch when they have guests over so everyone can enjoy them at their leisure!
Just season your turkey wings to your liking and heat them in your air fryer at around 350 degrees Farenheight. Then, cook them for about 10-15 minutes on each side.
How Do You Reheat Turkey Legs in the Air Fryer?
Got some pre-cooked turkey legs for the air fryer? These gluten free turkey legs are super easy to reheat.
To reheat turkey legs in the air fryer, simply cook them for three minutes on each side, and you’ll have hot crispy air fried turkey legs!
They’re perfect as a snack or with mashed potatoes to make it a main meal.
If you want your air-fried food extra moist, then use some of those leftover juices from cooking as a marinade before placing it into the air fryer.
This will keep your meat juicy while giving it that delicious crispness you desire when eating this type of cuisine.
You can also reheat smoked turkey legs in the air fryer the exact same way!
Air Fryer Turkey Legs (Gluten Free)
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 4 turkey legs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp butter softened
- ¼ tsp rosemary
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp thyme
Instructions
- First, dry the turkey legs as much as you can by patting them with a paper towel.
- After the turkey legs are pretty dry, season them to your liking with salt and pepper.
- Next, use a small bowl and stir in the remaining seasonings with the softened butter, combining them well.
- Following that, take the seasoned butter and rub it generously on each turkey leg, making sure to get under the skin if you can as well.
- Next, be sure to preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Finally, place as many turkey legs as will fit without touching into your air fryer and cook for about 30 minutes.
- Lastly, make sure each turkey leg reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Add more cooking time if needed to reach the proper temp.
- After cooking, let your turkey legs rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
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Air Fryer Turkey Legs (Gluten Free)
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This is a quick and easy meal for any weeknight dinner or weekend lunch when you’re feeling lazy but don’t want to sacrifice flavor!