By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus at least 2 hours’ marinating
- Rating
- 4(564)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Roasted turkey thighs are quicker, easier and more adaptable than a whole bird, and just as satisfying with their crisp, bronzed skin and tender meat. You can scale this recipe to feed as many as you’re serving, or if you want to make extra for leftovers. Simply double, triple or even quadruple it, spreading out the thighs on your largest sheet pan. Or you can halve it to feed one. The quick-pickled onions and cranberries are a tangy contrast to the richness of the meat, and, with their fuchsia hue, a welcome bit of color on the plate.
Featured in: A Sweet, Simple Menu of Thanksgiving Recipes for Two
Learn: How to Cook a Turkey
Learn: How to Make Gravy
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:2 servings
- 1lemon
- 2garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed or minced
- 1tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, preferably lemon thyme
- 1½pounds bone-in, skin-on turkey thighs (2 medium thighs)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1medium red onion, thinly sliced
- ½cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ¼cup chopped fresh cilantro, basil or parsley leaves, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
753 calories; 39 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 80 grams protein; 1299 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
See AlsoCranberry Lemon Bars RecipeCinnamon Apple Quick Bread With Apple Cider Glaze RecipeGolden Oreo Strawberry Cheesecake Bars (Easy Recipe)Newfoundland Date Crumbles - my best recipe from 40 years of baking!1
Finely grate ½ teaspoon zest from the lemon and put it in a small bowl with the garlic and thyme. Halve the lemon and squeeze 1 tablespoon of the juice into the bowl. Mix everything into a paste.
Step
2
Pat the turkey thighs dry and season with salt and pepper. Smear turkey with the paste and place thighs on a plate. Refrigerate, uncovered, so the skin can dry out, for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
Step
3
Meanwhile, squeeze the remaining juice from the lemon halves into a medium bowl. Add the onion, cranberries, lime juice, sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt, tossing well. Let the mixture sit at room temperature, tossing occasionally, until the onions wilt and turn pink, 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until serving. (These can be made up to 3 days in advance.)
Step
4
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put turkey thighs on a baking pan and dot with butter. Roast the thighs for 40 to 50 minutes, until the skin is crisp, the meat is cooked through and the juices run clear. (No need to rest here.)
Step
5
Serve turkey with a little of the cranberries and pickles on top, with herbs scattered over everything.
Ratings
4
out of 5
564
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Michael
This cooking time can't be right. For chicken, yes, but not turkey. After 50 minutes maybe it will be cooked but it will be tough. I suggest 2 hours, 1.5 hours covered and 30 minutes uncovered.
Lisa
Yes, I agree re: cooking time. I've always cooked turkey thighs for 2 1/2 hours @325, wanting them super tender and crisp. The best.
Anne
Just made roast thighs of this recipe. Given the previous messages, I searched other recipes for roast turkey thighs; majority of them cooked at 350 anywhere from 50-70 minutes, or until they register 170 degrees away from the bone. Which is what I did. Perfectly cooked, juicy and delicious at 55 minutes.
Susan
I think Michael must have missed that it is just separated thighs, not the whole bird?
pat
i'd love to try this recipe, but the note about the cooking time is worrisome. has anyone tried it yet with the recipe's time of 40-50 minutes, or, does it truly need a total of 2 hours?
bb
I haven't made this recipe but have roasted turkey thighs before. At 400F, it usually takes 60-80 minutes (flipped midway) to get fully-cooked moist thighs with crispy skin in my regular oven. Also made it in a convection oven and it only took 45 minutes.
Thomas
2 hours of roasting for 2 turkey thighs is way too long unless you like your meat dry as dust. A whole turkey only takes 3-4 hours
Annabelle
I made this with chicken thighs and it was great! I put the paste on (under the skin) and let the thighs sit in the fridge for about four hours. I put the dots of butter under the skin before baking, and it turned out great! Took about 45 minutes to be done. I made it with the rest of the two-person Thanksgiving recipes (baked the squash before), so I put the stuffing in about 10 minutes into the chicken's baking time and they were done at the same time.
Jim
Recipe calls for 1 1/2 lb of turkey thighs, which would mean they weigh only 3/4 lb each. That couldn't be right. The thighs from our local farmstand are around 2 lbs each, 3 1/2 lbs with the leg. Typo? Any advice on roasting the leg as well?
Edie
Made the pickled cranberries with onions to serve with something else. They are really good. Similar to her pickled cucs to go with schnitzel.
Christa
I think the secret to their being done in 40 minutes is allowing the skin to dry out: my mother skipped this step, and lo and behold, they weren't done. I did allow the skin to dry out, and they were done in 40 minutes. This was a wonderfully simple small-scale meal. The pickled onions and cranberries were a wonderful accompaniment along with the greens and squash. I appreciated this small-scale and simple, unfussy menu: not everyone makes or participates in Thanksgiving for 12 or a crowd.
marcia strongwater
I doubled this. My husband cooked two in the air fryer, and they were Superb!The ones in the oven were very good, but next time will use air fryer for all!Was disappointed by the cranberry/onion relish, as it did not add much to the dish.
Janet
Too many onions to cranberries in the pickle, I actually doubled the amount of cranberries and still too much onions. Will be using as a garnish on sandwiches but not on my roasted turkey.
Gaby
I made this a while back as instructed and turned out great, but today I made a few changes because I had on hand boneless skinless turkey thighs, plus I only had blueberries. I pickled the blueberries, and I really liked the result. The turkey I baked 30 minutes at 400°F and it was moist. I do think Melissa's way is better, but I think they were also tasty this way.
Mary Lowder
I baked the thighs as directed for 50 minutes. They were perfectly cooked.
Amy
Well, that was disappointing. I'm an experienced cook, but turkey has been my bane. I hoped this would do the trick. Followed (double) the recipe. Dried the turkey in the fridge for 2 days. Cooked as directed. After cooking 50 minutes the meat was safe to eat but tough and rubbery. The skin looked crisp & was beginning to burn, so I had to choose: Crisp skin or tender meat. I opted for the skin. Nope. It was the consistency of stiff vinyl and barely chewable. Gonna tent leftovers and cook more.
Heather
Love this. The herb paste under the skin flavored the meat beautifully. I did it 36 hours before cooking. I couldn’t leave the turkey uncovered in our small refrigerator, so I tented with wrap. I blotted them dry for a second time and re-seasoned before cooking. I didn’t do the relish, we had a shaved veg salad with tangy dressing instead. I agree with others on the cooking time. Mine took an hour and 15 minutes. They were juicy and delicious with crispy skin. Perfect for a small holiday feast.
feralroses
5 stars for the turkey thighs (and a breast) - tender, moist, and flavorful! I typically eat turkey because it’s a Thanksgiving tradition, but never really love it. This will be the recipe I use going forward. I took off one star for the pickled cranberries and onions - they just weren’t my cup of tea.
lindamc
Fantastic, easy recipe! Found a couple of turkey thighs in the freezer and did a test drive; next time I'm going to let them sit in the fridge for two days rather than 5 hours like today. I usually make a traditional cranberry sauce with orange zest and spices for our Thanksgiving, but I'm making a batch of this relish too this year - crunchy, tangy, refreshing. The perfect complement to the delicious yet stodgy feast.
From Toronto with Love
I made this with chicken thigh and it was so delicious. Really crispy skin and quite juicy. I pickled raisins instead of cranberries along with the onions and it added a really special, sweet zing. With leftovers, I'm going to sautee some greens to compliment the picked veg.
Matthew
Those who say this needs more time to cook are quite correct. I left the thighs in for an extra 10 minutes and they were cooked...but very tough. If, like me, you prefer fall away from the bone dark meat, I'd recommend lowering the oven temperature and going a couple of hours or more and covered until last 20 minutes at a higher temperature to crisp up the skin. That said, I think I'll move on from this one.
Linda Clifton
Made just the turkey, not the pickled topping. Delicious BUT took about 75 minutes to cook through. :-(
David
Made this for dinner before Thanksgiving to give me ideas.. The cooking time was spot on. I also added fine julienne orange peel to the pickled cranberries and onions, and kept the medley at room temperature until the thighs were ready. Also, I had to flash thighs under the broiler for better color. Food cost for this dish is about $3.30 per person (with potatoes and veg), and I posted pictures on instagram too.
delphinium54
THANK YOU THANK YOU for this recipe for 2! Haven't made this yet, but will this year since travelling for the T-giving weekend and will be hankering for leftovers when I return. Reading the comments and being a devotee of spatchco*cked turkey and/or parts, agree with the 350 (= about 375 in my convection) for 50 ish minutes for parts, then check.
Kate M
I find the thighs, even larger ones, cook surprisingly quickly. I roast them on a "rack" of celery ribs, carrot lengths, onion eighths and some garlic cloves. Perfect seasoning for the gravy!
*****
Pickled cranberries and onion are easy and delicious. Didn’t try the turkey.
Private notes are only visible to you.