How to cook turkey leg quarters in the air fryer or the oven instructions are here. Tender meat inside with crispy skin it is a great protein packed meal. If you don’t want to cook an entire bird for dinner this is how you cook smaller pieces to crisp.

It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving or Christmas time to roast turkey legs and thighs. They come out great and can be served up year round. Use our simple butter rub or dry rub on the outside for great flavor. We’ll share it as an easy air fryer recipe and baked too. (affiliate links present)
How to Cook Turkey Leg Quarters
Whether you bought these at the store just like this or cut up a raw turkey yourself this year you may want to know how to cook this dark meat. Honestly it is my favorite part. Way more flavor and tender than the more popular white meat counterpart for sure. Overlooked I think but we’ll make you believers too.
If you have ever air fried chicken leg quarters this is really no different, other than it takes longer. Only reason for that is that they’re larger and thicker. The easiest way to do it is to leave them together as you see here. If you want to cut them apart at the joint I will share how to cook legs and thighs on a turkey that way too.
In the Air Fryer
I will start with those first since the printable recipe card gives you instructions of them attached. I used light seasonings to cook turkey thighs in air fryer or in our Ninja Foodi this year and my husband was obsessed. He is not a “I love anything you make” kinda’ guy, he’s pretty picky so this was a huge compliment.
Alternatively you can follow our air fryer turkey legs directions and go that direction. Faster and the skins get crispier than the other for sure. You can use any brand you might have at home, we have an AirWave and Cosori we love.
In the Oven
If you wanted to cook baked turkey legs it does take much longer, but gets the insides tender like no other. Like fall off the bone, and you can get it crisp with a few minutes under the broiler at the end too.
How to Cook Turkey Legs and Thighs
We have cooked them all. If you have only baked a moist turkey whole you really should try dismantling it and baking like like parts of a turkey together using your method of choice. Reason being is it’s much faster and you can get the crispiness all the way around each piece, that is important to us.
If you want to cook everything together at once, I suggest using our sheet pan turkey directions too. That is a pretty popular one. As far as this one goes, with just the dark meat on the legs here is what you’ll need;
Ingredient Notes
Turkey leg quarters means the leg and thigh are attached. I am telling you, this cut is super cheap since there is less work for the butcher to separate them. There is a lot of meat with both pieces and will feed hungry boys in their teenage years. ๐
You will want some salted Butter that is room temperature, softened not melted. I love Kerrygold personally for the flavor and creaminess. A dairy free alternative will work too but doesn’t have as much yum to that….
How to Season
As far as seasonings go I typically will add some sort of turkey dry rub or you can make a mixture of Parmesan grated, garlic powder, with some minced garlic as well as a pinch of salt and pepper and/or other spices you like
Another idea is that you could simple turkey brine the day before which adds tons of flavor and makes it even more moist.
Turkey Leg Quarters Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 turkey leg quarter
- 5 tbsp butter, softened
- 2 tbsp parmesan, optional
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Set the air fryer to heat at 400 F and preheat for 5 minutes. Place grated parmesan, soft butter, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix everything thoroughly until you get a paste.
- Rinse a quarter of the turkey and dry thoroughly with paper towels, then spread the butter and garlic paste with a knife. Spread the paste on the other side of the turkey as well.
- Transfer a quarter turkey to the basket of the preheated air fryer and roast for 15 minutes on one side. Then turn it to the other side and cook for another 15 minutes, then check the readiness by piercing the meat to the bone with a skewer.
- If pinkish juice appears, then most likely the turkey is not yet fully cooked, so you should increase the cycle by 5-10 minutes, turning the turkey several times. If juices are clear and temp is 165 F. it is done.
- Serve the finished turkey quarter whole or cut into pieces, with gravy and extra parmesan.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
The best way to do this is to blot the skins dry with paper towels and cook your thigh and drumstick piece in the air fryer with olive oil or melted butter as we explain to you here. Yes you can do this in the oven on broil once the inside reaches 165F. but for a crispy golden brown in 30 minutes I think air fried is the best method.
in a Ninja Foodi
In this air fryer machine you would need to use the lid that is attached and the air crisp button on the front of the screen. Other than that the directions in the recipe card are the same.
What temperature are turkey leg quarters done?
If juices from meat are clear and you use a meat thermometer to determine whether internal temperature is 165 F, it is done. Remember that the temp will rise another 5 degrees when it rests (which is recommended before serving) so taking out at 160 works.
Serve the finished turkey quarter whole or cut into pieces, with turkey neck gravy and extra parmesan.
Always allow your proteins to rest for 10 minutes when done so it stays juicy meat inside. Serve your pieces with mashed potatoes and veggies on the side. After you enjoyed this you will also love how to cook a Butterball turkey breast on a sheet or roasting pan as well.
How do you reheat cooked turkey leg quarters?
This goes for both pieces. You don’t want to dry them out so keep some of that gravy in the fridge with it overnight. Spoon a tbsp of that over the top and heat in a skillet, in the microwave or again in your air fryer for a few minutes just until warmed in the center.
What to do with leftovers
Instead of keeping leftovers whole, remove the meat from the bones and add it into a new leftover turkey recipe. That way the sauce from the casserole, turnover or pot pie will soak into the meat and liven it up again. Dark meat has a bit more moisture but it is still easy to dry it out heating it again so use gravy or broth on top first.