How Long to Cook a Cut Up Turkey: A Complete Guide

Instead of roasting a whole turkey this year, consider making a deconstructed turkey. It cooks up faster, and every piece turns out juicy and moist.

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Cooking a turkey is a bit tricky. Most of us only cook a whole turkey once a year, and it takes so much longer than the chickens we’re used to roasting. Not to mention the pressure of serving a perfectly cooked bird to your entire family! Traditional turkey recipes usually result in overcooked, dry breast meat while you wait for the legs and thighs to come to 170°F. Brining helps, and spatchcocking will crisp up all the skin evenly, but you’ll still run the risk of over- or undercooking some of the parts.

The solution: deconstructed turkey. This turkey tip was made popular by Julia Child and can be found in Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. It’s a great way to ensure all parts of the turkey stay juicy and moist. Not only that, but it cuts the roasting time in about half!

Cooking a whole turkey can be intimidating. It’s a large bird that requires hours in the oven, frequent basting, and careful monitoring to ensure it cooks through without drying out. For many home cooks like me, breaking down the bird into parts is a great alternative. Turkey parts cook faster than a whole bird and give you more flexibility to cook white and dark meat at different temperatures and cook times.

In this complete guide, I’ll cover everything you need to know about how to cook a cut up turkey. You’ll learn how to break down a whole turkey yourself figure out cook times for different turkey parts add flavor, and more. Let’s get started!

Benefits of Cooking a Cut Up Turkey

There are several advantages to preparing a cut up turkey rather than wrestling a 20 pound bird into the oven:

Shorter cook times Turkey parts require far less time in the oven than a whole turkey. Breasts may take only an hour or two while legs and thighs need up to 2 1/2 hours Wings cook quickly in just 1 1/2 to 2 hours
Better temperature control With a whole turkey, the white and dark meat are crowded together in one cavity making it tricky to properly cook both. Separating the bird lets you monitor the temperatures and cook times of the breast, legs and wings independently.
Easier to work with: Trying to maneuver a large, awkward whole turkey in and out of the oven can be challenging Turkey parts are smaller and lighter Breasts can be cooked in a sheet pan or baking dish while legs and wings fit nicely on a rimmed baking sheet.
More flexible: Cook some parts one day and save others for another meal. Make a turkey breast for sandwiches and serve roasted legs and wings for dinner. Repurpose leftover turkey into soups, salads, and wraps.
Reduced waste: With parts, you can better gauge how much turkey you actually need to prepare. No picking at a hulking carcass for scraps of leftover meat.

How to Cut Up a Whole Turkey

If you opt to break down a whole turkey yourself instead of buying pre-cut turkey parts, here’s a quick overview of the process:

Remove the legs and wings. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut through the joints attaching the legs and wings to the body.
Separate the thighs from the drumsticks. Find the fat line between the thighs and drumsticks and slice between the joints.
Cut off the breast meat. Run the knife along one side of the breastbone, easing the breast meat off. Repeat on the other side. You can cook the breasts whole or cut them in half crosswise.
Separate the back from the carcass. Cut down either side of the backbone to remove it, reserving it for making stock.

Ask your butcher to cut up the turkey for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.

How Long to Cook Turkey Parts

Cooking times will vary based on the size and shape of the particular turkey parts. Use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness instead of relying on cook times alone. The safe minimum internal temperature for turkey is 165°F.

Here are general guidelines for how long to cook cut up turkey parts:

Turkey Breast: 1 to 2 hours at 325°F to 165°F. Roast bone-in, skin-on breasts in a baking dish or pan. Tent with foil if browning too quickly. Cook tenderloins and boneless, skinless breasts for less time, around 40 to 60 minutes.
Turkey Legs: 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours at 325°F, until 170° to 175°F. Roast on a rack in a roasting pan so the undersides don’t steam.
Turkey Wings: 1-1/2 to 2 hours at 350°F to 165°F. Bake on a sheet pan. Cut between the joints before serving for easier eating.
Turkey Thighs: 75 to 90 minutes at 350°F to 175°F. Roast bone-in, skin-on thighs in a baking dish, sheet pan, or cast iron skillet.

Seasoning and Flavoring Turkey Parts

Turkey doesn’t have to be bland or boring. For delicious roasted turkey every time, try these easy flavoring techniques:

Dry poultry seasoning – A classic blend of herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme adds savory flavor. Rub it under the skin before roasting.
Soaking brine – Soak turkey parts in a salty, seasoned brine before cooking to infuse flavor and keep the meat juicy.
Aromatic vegetables – Stuff the turkey cavity with onions, carrots, celery, and herbs to impart flavor from the inside out.
Fresh herbs – Stuff sprigs of rosemary, thyme, and sage under the skin or in the cavity. Chopped parsley or chives make a bright finishing garnish.
Compound butter – Slather turkey with a flavored compound butter before and during roasting. Try compounds made with citrus, herbs, honey, or spices.
Spice rubs – For more flavor, coat turkey with bold spice blends featuring flavors like garlic, chili powder, cumin, curry, or jerk seasoning before cooking.

Cooking Methods for Turkey Parts

There are several different ways to cook cut up turkey pieces beyond roasting in the oven. Consider these alternate cooking methods:

Grill – Get crispy skin and smoky flavor grilling turkey legs, wings, thighs and boneless breasts over indirect heat. Use lower heat, around 325°F.
Smoke – Slow smoke turkey legs or wings low and slow until fall-off-the-bone tender. 325°F is ideal.
Poach – Gently poach boneless, skinless turkey breast in stock or water with aromatics for use in soups, sandwiches, wraps, and salads.
Sous vide – Cook turkey breasts sous vide for super juicy, tender meat. Cook at 145°F for 2 to 5 hours depending on thickness.
Braise – Braise turkey legs or thighs until tender in broth or wine with vegetables.
Fry – For crispy, juicy fried turkey, try pan frying boneless breasts, legs, thighs, cutlets, or wings.

Splitting up a turkey makes the cooking process much less stressful. With different cook times and temperatures, you can easily roast juicy, flavorful white and dark meat. Next holiday, consider taking on just a few manageable turkey parts rather than one huge bird.

how long to cook a cut up turkey

Why Deconstruct a Turkey Instead of Cooking It Whole?

There are two major benefits to cooking a deconstructed turkey. For starters, it takes about half the amount of time to cook. Air can circulate more easily around the individual turkey pieces, reducing the cook time significantly. This method also allows you to easily remove the pieces from the oven as they finish cooking, ensuring the whole bird is juicy and moist.

Don’t worry about the pieces getting cold as they sit, either. When the whole bird is finished, you can place the turkey parts in a 500°F oven to crisp up the skin and reheat any meat that may have chilled.

The first thing you’ll want to pick up for a deconstructed turkey is a pair of poultry shears. They make it infinitely easier to remove the backbone, and you could use them instead of a knife to break down the turkey if that feels less intimidating.
You’ll also want a sturdy roasting pan with a rack or a baking sheet lined with an oven-safe rack. Elevating the turkey pieces from the bottom of the pan promotes airflow, crisping up the skin on all sides.
To ensure your turkey cooks perfectly, you’ll definitely want to have a good thermometer. You can use an instant-read meat thermometer to temp the turkey when you think it’s finished, but we prefer using a probe thermometer. The probes allow you to remotely monitor the temperature, knowing what’s going on inside without opening the oven door.

How to Deconstruct a Raw Turkey

How to Cook Deconstructed Turkey sydney watson/taste of home

If you have a great local butcher near you, they can probably take care of this step for you, selling you a ready-to-roast deconstructed turkey. But it’s not too hard to do it at home, so don’t be afraid to tackle it!

Start with a defrosted turkey. (It would be extremely difficult to do this process on a half-frozen turkey!) Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity, saving them for making stock and gravy.

Place the bird breast-side down on the cutting board. Pull the wing away from the body and make small cuts until you can cut see the joint that connects the wing to the back. Flex the wing to pop the joint out of the socket before slicing through the joint to disconnect the wing from the body. If you hit a hard bone, you’ve missed the joint, so reposition your knife and try again.

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Use your fingers to identify the knuckle joint that connects the wingtip to the wing. Slice through the joint and add the tips to the bag for stock. Repeat the process for the second wing.

Editor’s Tip: If you’re running short on time, feel free to skip this step. Simply remove the wingtips, twist the wings to tuck them behind the back and roast them on the breast. They’ll be a little overcooked, but they have enough fat that they’ll turn out just fine!

Flip the turkey onto its side and pull the leg away from the body. If the turkey is very stiff, wiggle the legs around to loosen things up. Using your sharpest knife, slice through the skin until you reach the point where the leg meets the body. Cut a semi-circle shape around the oyster (a small, oval-shaped piece of meat on the spine). Don’t stress this part too much; if most of the oyster meat remains connected to the spine, it will still add flavor to your stock.

When your knife meets the thigh bone, pull the turkey leg up until it’s parallel to the spine. Hold the leg at the knee (where the drumstick meets the thigh) and pull the leg down away from the wing to break the joint. You’ll hear a satisfying “crack” when it’s finished. If you’re having trouble, the leg is probably too far extended. Pull it up towards the body and try again. Cut through the sinew in the now-exposed leg joint and continue to cut downwards along the backbone to remove the leg.

Repeat the process for the second leg.

Place the turkey breast-side down on the cutting board. Using a pair of kitchen shears, remove the backbone by cutting it on either side. Add the backbone to the bag for stock.

Turn the turkey over and remove the excess skin from the neck. Feel around in the neck area for the wishbone, a thin bone that runs along the top of each breast. Make a small slit on either side of the wishbone to expose the bone. Grab ahold of it with your hands and pull it towards you to remove it from the turkey. It’s sometimes helpful to grab this slippery bone with a paper towel to help with grip.

Using your palms, press down on the breastbone to flatten it.

From here, you can season and roast the turkey straight away, or you can brine the turkey pieces using one of our turkey brine recipes. Use the bones to make turkey stock, an essential component of a great giblet gravy.

F*ck The Whole Bird, I Cook My Turkey Like This Now

FAQ

How long does a cut-up turkey take to cook?

Place turkey on top of rack on top of vegetables, trying to leave a little space between the turkey pieces. Roast turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a breast piece registers 150°F (66°C), 2 to 3 hours total.

What temperature to cook a deconstructed turkey?

Roast turkey:

Preheat oven to 425°F. …
Remove turkey parts from brine, pat dry with paper towels, and place, skin side up, on racks set in 2 medium roasting pans (be sure to leave space between parts for air circulation). …
Lower heat to 400°F, switch positions of pans, and rotate each pan 180°.

How long to heat up sliced turkey?

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.
Slice the turkey and spread into a baking dish. …
Cover the turkey with broth and dot with the butter. …
Reheat in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. …
Serving.

How long to cook 20 pound spatchcock turkey?

How long to roast it. At 425°F / 218°C, estimate 4 to 6 minutes per pound of spatchcocked turkey.Nov 1, 2019

How do you cook a deconstructed Turkey?

A deconstructed turkey has been broken down into its individual pieces: breast, legs and wings. You can cook them all together in a roasting pan as we describe below or use different cooking methods for each part. Roast the legs while you slow cook the breast, or braise the thighs on the stovetop to free up the oven for side dishes.

How long do you cook a cut-up turkey breast?

When cooking a cut-up turkey breast, the general rule is to cook it for about 20 minutes per pound at 350°F. However, it’s important to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature and ensure it reaches 165°F before serving. 2. Can I cook the turkey pieces in a slow cooker? Yes, you can definitely cook cut-up turkey in a slow cooker.

How long does it take to cook a Turkey in the oven?

Shorter cook times. Turkey parts require far less time in the oven than a whole turkey. Breasts may take only an hour or two while legs and thighs need up to 2 1/2 hours. Wings cook quickly in just 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

How long do you cook turkey thighs at the same time?

All of these recipes cook at the same temperature (350 F), so you can cook the parts at the time, even in the same pan; just stagger the start times. Add the turkey legs after the breast has been in the oven for 30 minutes, then after another 30 minutes add the thighs so they’re done at about the same time.

Can you cook a cut up Turkey before cooking?

Before you start cooking your cut up turkey, it’s important to properly prepare it. Make sure to thoroughly clean and pat dry the turkey pieces, and season them with your favorite herbs and spices. You can also marinate the turkey for a few hours before cooking to infuse it with even more flavor.

How long does it take to cook a turkey leg?

Roast turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a breast piece registers 150°F (66°C), 2 to 3 hours total. Remove breast and set aside. Continue roasting legs until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F (77°C) when inserted into leg, about 30 minutes longer.