John Myers
Turkey thighs can be made into many delicious dishes. We will show you which cooking times you should pay attention to with the various preparation options and at which core temperature the meat is perfect.
Cooking time when stewing
The cooking time when braising turkey thighs is between 1 ½ and 2 ½ hours. First, the meat is seared and then braised in the oven in a casserole or Römertropf. You should not exceed a maximum temperature of 220 °C in the oven. We have just the right recipe for you for turkey thighs from the oven.
Slow and gentle: low-temperature cooking
The cooking time for low-temperature cooking is 2 ½ to 5 hours for a turkey thigh. Here you cook the meat slowly and gently. The maximum temperature is 80 °C.
The liquid is the magic word
No matter which cooking method you choose, always make sure that you pour enough liquid over the turkey thighs during the cooking time. This ensures that the meat does not become stringy or dry during cooking.
Tip: The more aromatic the stock that you add to the meat, the tastier your meat will be in the end. For example, you can cook vegetable stock from the peels and leftovers of the vegetables that you have planned as a side dish.
The core temperature of the turkey thigh
Like all other types of poultry, turkey meat must always be fully cooked through. The optimal core temperature here is 80-90 °C. If the planned cooking time for the turkey thigh isn’t enough, you’ll need to lower the temperature and cook your meat longer.
You can check if your thigh is done using three different methods:
- Pierce the center of the turkey thigh with a cooking thermometer. If the thermometer shows a core temperature of over 80 degrees, the meat is done.
- Using a metal skewer or long meat fork, pierce the thigh deeply. Wait 4 to 5 minutes.
- If the skewer is hot, your turkey is done. Pierce the meat with a skewer. If the escaping meat juice is clear, the meat is done.
