Roast Turkey Legs with Hot Honey

It's no secret that I love to cook.  That's obvious I guess - I'm a food blogger.  I'm always trying new recipes and as many recipes as I've been through over the past 11 years of blogging, I don't tend to stray too far from what I know.  I don't like to get too far out of my cooking comfort zone. 

Poultry is my wheel house.  It's where I feel the most comfortable.  I cook a LOT of chicken and turkey because I EAT a lot of chicken and turkey.  Sometimes I feel like I've cooked it in every possible way that a person can cook a bird.  🍗 Baked, grilled, fried, stuffed, sautéed and roasted.  I've made it with sauce, with herbs, with breading and with vegetables.  Just when I feel like I've exhausted all of the chicken possibilities - I find a new and exciting recipe.  

I actually do a little happy dance when I find a new way to fix chicken.  (I get excited about the weirdest things.) That is exactly what happened when I ran across this recipe for Roast Chicken with Hot Honey in a copy of Food and Wine Magazine - and I was on an airplane at the time. 😂 I was familiar with fried Honey Hot Wings but I never thought about applying the same techniques to roasted chicken.  

I happened to shop for the ingredients for this chicken recipe on the worst possible day.  I made it to the grocery store about 8 hours after everyone else in my town had already raided the stores of most of its inventory.  The shelves were empty by the time I made it to the store.  The ONLY thing left in the meat case was a single package of turkey legs.   I guess I was late to the party.  (or slow to react.) 💁🏻‍♀️ 

Figuring that my chicken recipe would work just as beautifully with turkey legs as it would chicken legs, I decided to go for it.  Infusing honey with spices, fresh herbs, garlic and orange is a just about the best idea ever.  This stuff is like crack.  Stopping myself from eating it by the spoonful was the hardest part of this whole recipe.  Drizzle this sweet delicacy on this roast chicken and save the leftovers for your next batch of ribs, biscuits or ham.  

Roast Turkey with Hot Honey
2 Tablespoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
4 turkey legs
1 cup honey
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 orange peel strips
1 thyme sprigs
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

Stir together 4 t. salt, pepper and cardamom.  Sprinkle over turkey legs.

Arrange turkey on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.  Let stand 1 hour at room temperature. 

Whisk together honey, vinegar, cayenne, paprika, garlic, orange peels, thyme and 2 t. salt in glass bowl. 

Place bowl over a saucepan with 1" of water.  Infuse honey on low for 1 hour.

Cool to room temperature for 1 hour.  Pour through strainer.  Discard solids.

Grill turkey 30-35 minutes or until temperature reaches 165.

Let rest 10 minutes.  Drizzle each serving with hot honey.

Sprinkle with pecans before serving.  Ok, so this might have worked better with chicken legs. It's hard to get a nut to stick to a turkey leg.   😂

Ciao!

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