How To Cook Turkey Thighs - Best 3 Ways

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Are you wondering how to cook turkey thighs for Thanksgiving? Well…I have you covered. For those dark meat turkey lovers out there, I’ll show you how to cook turkey thighs three ways. Roast them in the oven, Air fry them or smoke them on your smoker. Grab those turkey thighs and let’s get cooking!

Table of Contents

Cooking turkey thighs in the oven, air fryer or smoker is a great way to make extra dark meat turkey for your upcoming Thanksgiving dinner.

See a video of different ways to cook turkey thighs…

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How to make turkey thighs in the oven

First, let’s check out the classic way to cook turkey thighs in an oven…

Quick look at this recipe for oven roasted turkey thighs

Dry rub season turkey thighs and add them to a roasting pan.
Cook turkey thighs in the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Broil on high to finish with crispy skin (done at 175 degrees F internal temp).
Rest and enjoy.

See all of Sip Bite Go’s Thanksgiving turkey recipes…

Oven Roasted Turkey Thighs

How to make smoked turkey thighs…

These turn out super smokey, though it’s the longest way to cook turkey thighs on this list…

Quick look at this recipe for smoked turkey thighs

Dry rub season turkey thighs.
Smoke turkey thighs at 250 degrees F for ~1.5 hours.
Increase smoker temperature to 400 degrees F until done at 170 – 175 degrees F internal temperature.
Remove and enjoy.

How To Smoke Turkey Thighs

How to make turkey thighs in air fryers

This one is the fastest way to make turkey thighs, but you can only make 1-2 at a time since the air fryer is smaller than an oven or smoker…

Quick look at Air Fryer Turkey Thighs recipe

Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F.
Pat dry and season turkey thigh with poultry rub.
Air fry for ~25 minutes until done at 170 – 175 degrees F internal temperature.
Remove, rest and enjoy.