If you're looking for a dinner that feels fancy but is totally doable, this Stuffed Turkey Thighs with Spinach & Feta is your new go-to. I'll walk you through how to debone, roll, and roast turkey thighs so that each bite delivers a spiral of flavour. Think of it as a show-stopping yet homey centerpiece that's easier than it looks!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Impressive presentation: When sliced, the spiral of stuffing makes it look elegant
- Moist, flavourful dark meat: Turkey thighs stay juicy and rich
- Flexible format: You can make one large log or multiple individual rolls
- Nutty & tangy stuffing: The combination of red pepper, feta, spinach, and pine nuts hits a great balance
- Great for leftovers or entertaining: Slice cold or warm for versatile serving
Ingredients
Turkey & Seasoning
- Bone-in, turkey thighs
- Olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika (optional)
Stuffing
- Olive oil
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Spinach
- Rosted red bell peppers
- Feta
- Pine nuts
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Fresh sage (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Lemon-Herb Butter
- Unsalted butter
- lemon
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh thyme
- garlic
See the recipe card below for exact quantities.
Instructions
Deboning and Butterflying the Thighs
Place one turkey thigh skin side down (or where the skin was, if removed).
Use a sharp boning knife to cut along the bone on each side, freeing it without cutting through the meat entirely.
Remove tendons and excess fat.
Open ("butterfly") the thigh by slicing horizontally (like a book), leaving the two halves attached so it lies flat.
If needed, make gentle incisions between muscle seams so the piece lies more flat or use a meat mallet to help flatten.
Option 1: One Large Log
Overlap the four butterflied thighs (skin side down) on a large sheet of parchment or plastic wrap, forming a rough rectangle.
Make the Stuffing:
In a skillet, heat a bit of olive oil over medium. Sauté shallot and garlic until translucent.
Add spinach and cook until wilted. Drain or blot to remove excess moisture.
In the same skillet, combine spinach, roasted peppers, crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts, thyme (and optional sage). Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Spread the stuffing evenly over the turkey rectangle, leaving about a 1-inch border on all sides.
Roll from the short side as tightly as possible into a log. Tuck edges under as needed.
Tie butcher's twine around the log every 1½ inches to hold it together. If using skin, you can drape skin over the exterior before tying to get a golden finish.
In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Brush over the log.
Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Place the roll on a rimmed sheet pan or roasting tray.
Roast for 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 minutes, brushing with the lemon-herb butter during the last 10 minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 °F (74 °C).
Remove from oven and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes.
Slice into 1 to 1½-inch rounds and serve drizzled with pan juices and leftover lemon-herb butter.
While the turkey is cooking, prepare the Lemon-Herb Butter
Option 2: Four Individual Rolls (easier to tie & manage)
Follow the same steps up to deboning and stuffing, but instead:
After butterflying each thigh, portion out one-quarter of the stuffing to each thigh.
Spread the stuffing onto each thigh, leaving about a ½- to 1-inch border.
Roll each thigh individually into a tight cylinder.
Secure each roll with twine at 2 or 3 points (e.g., every ~1½-2 inches).
Place rolls seam-side down in a baking dish or sheet pan with space in between.
In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Brush over the logs.
Roast at 375 °F (190 °C). Because these are smaller, start checking at around 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Roast until each roll reaches 165 °F (74 °C).
Let rest for 10-15 minutes under foil before slicing each roll into rounds.
Lemon-Herb Butter
In a small bowl, mix softened butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, and a pinch of garlic powder (optional).
Reserve some for brushing during roasting; serve the rest on the side.
Serve & Enjoy
Serve with roasted delicata squash, cauliflower, broccoli and fingerling potatoes. Sprinkle with pomegranate arils, optional.
Tips & Substitutions
Tips:
- Use a digital instant-read thermometer to ensure doneness (165 °F / 74 °C).
- After cooking, rest the meat before slicing, this helps prevent juices from running out.
- If your stuffing seems wet, squeeze out excess moisture from the spinach after cooking.
- Tie snugly but not overly tight, you don't want to compress and squeeze filling out.
Substitutions:
- Swap spinach for Swiss chard or kale (lightly steamed)
- Use goat cheese instead of feta for a creamier texture
- Substitute walnuts or slivered almonds for pine nuts
- Add sun-dried tomatoes, chopped artichoke hearts, or mushrooms in to the stuffing
- Use dried herbs if fresh ones are not available (use about ⅓ quantity)
Other Turkey Thigh & Breast Recipes to Try:
- Turkey Au Vin Rosé (Turkey Thighs in Rosé Wine)
- Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Turkey Breast
- Wood-Fired Turkey Breasts with Ginger-Jalapeño-Cranberry Sauce
Every step for these stuffed turkey thighs came together beautifully with our Hestan favourites: the filling sautéed in the Thomas Keller Insignia 12.5" Sauté Pan, butter prepared in the NanoBond Butter Warmer, spinach drained in the Provisions Colander and roasted to perfection on the OvenBond Sheetpan. Proud Hestan Culinary Ambassador. Opinions in this post are always my own.
📖 Recipe
Stuffed Turkey Thighs with Spinach & Feta
Ingredients
Turkey & Seasoning
- 4 turkey thighs, bone-in (320-350 g each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika optional
Stuffing
- Olive oil
- 1 small shallot finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 2 red bell peppers roasted, peeled, and chopped
- ¾ cup crumbled feta
- 3 tablespoon pine nuts lightly toasted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon-Herb Butter
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1½ teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- garlic
Instructions
Deboning and Butterflying the Thighs
- Place one turkey thigh skin side down (or where the skin was, if removed).
- Use a sharp boning knife to cut along the bone on each side, freeing it without cutting through the meat entirely.
- Remove tendons and excess fat.
- Open ("butterfly") the thigh by slicing horizontally (like a book), leaving the two halves attached so it lies flat.
- If needed, make gentle incisions between muscle seams so the piece lies more flat or use a meat mallet to help flatten.
Option 1: One Large Log
- Overlap the four butterflied thighs (skin side down) on a large sheet of parchment or plastic wrap, forming a rough rectangle.
- Make the Stuffing:
- In a skillet, heat a bit of olive oil over medium. Sauté shallot and garlic until translucent.Add spinach and cook until wilted. Drain or blot to remove excess moisture.In a mixing bowl, combine spinach, roasted peppers, crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts, thyme (and optional sage). Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Spread the stuffing evenly over the turkey rectangle, leaving about a 1-inch border on all sides.
- Roll from the short side as tightly as possible into a log. Tuck edges under as needed.
- Tie butcher's twine around the log every 1½ inches to hold it together. If using skin, you can drape skin over the exterior before tying to get a golden finish.
- In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Brush over the log.
- Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Place the roll on a rimmed sheet pan or roasting tray.
- Roast for 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 minutes, brushing with the lemon-herb butter during the last 10 minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 °F (74 °C).
- Remove from oven and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- Slice into 1 to 1½-inch rounds and serve drizzled with pan juices and leftover lemon-herb butter.
- While the turkey is cooking, prepare the Lemon-Herb Butter
Option 2: Four Individual Rolls (easier to tie & manage)
- Follow the same steps up to deboning and stuffing, but instead:
- After butterflying each thigh, portion out one-quarter of the stuffing to each thigh.
- Spread the stuffing onto each thigh, leaving about a ½- to 1-inch border.
- Roll each thigh individually into a tight cylinder.
- Secure each roll with twine at 2 or 3 points (e.g., every ~1½-2 inches).
- Place rolls seam-side down in a baking dish or sheet pan with space in between.
- In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Brush over the logs.
- Roast at 375 °F (190 °C). Because these are smaller, start checking at around 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Roast until each roll reaches 165 °F (74 °C).
- Let rest for 10-15 minutes under foil before slicing each roll into rounds.
Lemon-Herb Butter
- In a small bowl, mix softened butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, and a pinch of garlic powder (optional).
- Reserve some for brushing during roasting; serve the rest on the side.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with your favourite roasted vegetables (carrots, Brussels sprouts, fingerling potatoes) Serve with a light lemony pan sauce or extra herbed butter
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