Recipe: Disney Turkey Legs

The easy way to make turkey legs that taste like Disney’s at home!

If you’ve ever wanted to recreate the magic of a Disney turkey leg at home, but don’t have access to a smoker, look no further. This adaptation of the Disney turkey leg recipe can be done in your oven and tastes just as good. One note: it does require you to brine the turkey legs overnight, so make sure you plan ahead! 

Disney Turkey Legs

Yields 3 servings 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

• ¼ cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon ground sage

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• 4 cups of water

• Package of turkey legs 

Instructions:

**Start this recipe the day before you want to eat the turkey legs, as it needs to brine overnight.

1. Add kosher salt, sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, black pepper, ground sage, cumin, and 4 cups of water to a 9x13 casserole dish and stir with a whisk until combined.

2. Add the turkey legs to the casserole dish and roll so they are coated in the brine. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and store in the fridge overnight. 

3. The next day, remove the brined turkey legs from the fridge and transfer them to a clean plate. Return to the fridge for another 20 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 325ºF and prepare a casserole dish with aluminum foil. Add the turkey legs to the prepared casserole dish.

5. Bake for 20 minutes per pound (based on the package weight of the turkey legs).

6. Use a temperature probe or frequently check the temperature manually to see when the turkey legs reach 155ºF. At this point, turn the oven up to 400ºF.

7. After the turkey legs reach 165ºF, take them out of the oven.

Takeaway:

This recipe was very easy, it just takes a bit of planning since you need to brine them overnight. The flavor differs slightly compared to the ones that you can get at Disney, but this is mostly due to the fact that the Disney turkey legs are smoked and these are cooked in the oven. These turned out very juicy and flavorful. If you want your turkey legs to have more of the brown crispy color of the Disney ones, try broiling them after they have been fully cooked. 

Check out our TikTok to see us make this recipe and review how the turkey legs turned out!