Thanksgiving is almost here and no dinner table is complete without an oven-roasted turkey. Crispy skin, succulent meat, aromatic stuffing—it's the epitome of a perfect holiday meal. But roasting a bird can be daunting, especially if you're a beginner. Fear not, because we've got you covered.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about roasting a turkey, from choosing the right bird to stuffing it to carving it. We'll also share four of our favorite turkey recipes, each with its own unique flavor profile. Whether you prefer a classic herb-roasted turkey or something more adventurous like a Cajun-spiced turkey, we've got a recipe for you. So, grab your apron and let's get started on creating a Thanksgiving feast that will impress your family and friends.
APPLE & HERB ROASTED TURKEY
My daughter loves to help me make this moist apple turkey. Her job is to hand Mommy the ingredients-if she doesn't eat them first! -Kimberly Jackson, Gay, Georgia
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 3h20m
Yield 14 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325°. Combine sage and rosemary. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey breast; rub herbs under the skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks., Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Place apple, onion and celery in turkey cavity. Brush turkey with butter., Roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 3 to 3-1/2 hours. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.) Remove turkey from oven; brush with apple jelly. Tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before removing toothpicks and carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 626 calories, Fat 31g fat (11g saturated fat), Cholesterol 262mg cholesterol, Sodium 222mg sodium, Carbohydrate 10g carbohydrate (9g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 72g protein.
EASY BEGINNER'S TURKEY WITH STUFFING
This easy to make turkey is great for beginners, but experts will find it equally delicious. Adjust the cooking time for different sized birds.
Provided by DD123
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 4h30m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse turkey, remove giblets and place in a shallow roasting pan.
- Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Mix in water.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and slowly cook and stir the celery and onion until tender.
- Mix celery, onion, and toasted bread pieces into the stuffing, and season with salt and pepper. Loosely scoop stuffing into the turkey body cavity and neck cavity. Rub the exterior of the turkey with vegetable oil.
- Loosely cover turkey with aluminum foil, and roast 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) and the interior of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees F (70 degrees C). Remove foil during the last half hour of cooking to brown the bird.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 834.7 calories, Carbohydrate 15.6 g, Cholesterol 311.4 mg, Fat 40.4 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 95 g, SaturatedFat 11.4 g, Sodium 592.6 mg, Sugar 1.8 g
TURKEY APPLE STUFFING
Complementing your golden bird, the well-seasoned bread stuffing is sparked by a festive sweetness from apples and raisins. It's a staple on our holiday menu. -Nancy Zimmerman, Cape May Court House, New Jersey
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 4h5m
Yield 12 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a Dutch oven, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Remove from the heat; stir in the bread cubes, apples, raisins, salt, thyme, sage and pepper. , Just before baking, loosely stuff turkey with 4 cups stuffing. Place remaining stuffing in a greased 2-qt. baking dish; refrigerate until ready to bake. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush with melted butter. , Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 3-3/4 to 4 hours or until a thermometer reads 180° for the turkey and 165° for the stuffing, basting occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.), Bake additional stuffing, covered, for 20-30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until browned. Cover turkey and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving turkey. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 839 calories, Fat 41g fat (16g saturated fat), Cholesterol 317mg cholesterol, Sodium 774mg sodium, Carbohydrate 27g carbohydrate (12g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 88g protein.
APPLE-STUFFED TURKEY
This simple recipe takes the headache out of holiday baking. There are only three ingredients, and no basting or constant checking is required.
Provided by meezermex
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 3h
Yield 15
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- If necessary, unbind legs of turkey. Rinse and dry turkey with paper towels. Place turkey into a roasting pan with a lid, and rub the oil all over the turkey, inside and out. Stuff the body and neck cavities of the turkey with the apple quarters; arrange whole apples around the turkey in the roasting pan. Scatter any extra apple quarters into the pan. Cover the roasting pan.
- Roast in the preheated oven until the skin is browned and the meat is beginning to separate from the legs, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove lid in last 20 minutes of roasting if needed to brown skin. Use pan drippings for gravy, if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 671.4 calories, Carbohydrate 27.3 g, Cholesterol 211.6 mg, Fat 29.1 g, Fiber 4.7 g, Protein 73 g, SaturatedFat 8 g, Sodium 177.4 mg, Sugar 20.5 g
EASY ROAST TURKEY WITH APPLE STUFFING
This is a wonderful recipe I adapted from Julia Aitkin's Easy Entertaining. It gives a nice moist meat with the juices cooking into the upside down breast.
Provided by Kate in Ontario
Categories Whole Turkey
Time 4h20m
Yield 8-10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 26
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Place onion, apple and half lemon in turkey cavity- reserve other half of lemon-put some of it in neck cavity if desired Place turkey breast side down on oiled rack in roasting pan.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast uncovered for 2 hours, basting with pan juices occasionally.
- Wearing clean oven mitts or my preference disposable latex gloves, turn turkey breast side up Squeeze remaining lemon half over turkey breast and cover with bacon.
- Roast basting occasionally about another 2 hours or until done with meat thermometer Giblet stock.
- While turkey roasts place all ingredients in medium saucepan.
- Bring to boil over medium heat.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour partly covered.
- Strain and add liquid to gravy.
- Apple Stuffing.
- Cook bacon in skillet, until crisp and set aside.
- Add onion, celery and garlic to skillet and cook until soft-set aside.
- In large bowl, combine, bacon, onion, celery, garlic and lemon juice.
- Add bread cubes, apple, egg, parsley and spices.
- Spoon into greased baking dish.
- Cover with foil and cook in oven along with turkey for 30 minutes.
- Stir, add some juices from turkey and cook uncovered until golden brown.
ROAST TURKEY WITH APPLE-SOURDOUGH BREAD STUFFING
Provided by Robin Miller : Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 2h15m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a small bowl combine all the dried herbs together. Rub the turkey parts with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then rub with all of the dried herbs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the turkey in 1 layer in a large roasting pan.
- Put the turkey in the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh reads 160 to 165 degrees F, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let stand, covered with aluminum foil. It's ready to serve in 10 to 15 minutes, but can stand, covered, for up to 1 hour so that the stuffing or other side dishes can be completed. Transfer to a serving platter.
- Meanwhile heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, apples, and celery and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley, sage, and thyme and stir to coat the apples and vegetables with the herbs. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the cubed bread and the warm chicken broth. Toss to combine and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Transfer the stuffing mixture to a 5 by 8-inch baking dish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F until golden brown on top, about 45 minutes.
ROASTED TURKEY WITH SAUSAGE APPLE STUFFING
Provided by Food Network
Number Of Ingredients 29
Steps:
- Make sure the turkey is at room temperature when it goes into the oven; otherwise it will take longer to roast Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry. Season the cavity with salt and pepper and set the bird on a rack in a roasting pan large enough to let air circulate all around. Rub the softened butter over the breast and legs and season with salt and pepper. Roast the turkey in the top third of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees, cover the turkey loosely with foil and continue roasting, basting often, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 175 degrees. Transfer the turkey to a serving platter, cover again with foil, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, cut the turkey neck and gizzard in half. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan and add the neck, gizzard, heart and wing tips. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Stir in the onion and celery and cook until golden. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, thyme and bay leaf and cook over very low heat until reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 1 hour. Strain the turkey stock into a bowl; reserve 1 1/2 cups for the stuffing.
- 3. In a small bowl, mix the water with the flour until smooth. Remove the rack from the roasting pan and spoon off the fat. Set the pan over 2 burners on high heat. Add the remaining 2 cups of turkey stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the roasting pan. Whisk in the flour paste and cook until the gravy thickens, then add the port. Strain the gravy into a sauceboat. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy and Sausage Apple Stuffing.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and generously butter 2 medium baking dishes that are at least 2 inches deep. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the celery and onions and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, just until it loses its pink color, about 7 minutes.
- In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the prunes, apples, parsley and sage. Add the sausage mixture and season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the eggs and reserved turkey stock and mix well. Divide the stuffing between the prepared baking dishes. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for about 10 minutes longer, or until heated through and browned on top. Let cool slightly before serving.
HONEY SPICE ROAST TURKEY WITH APPLE PECAN STUFFING
Create a memorable holiday meal with this roast stuffed turkey recipe. Aromatic spices and just a little bit of sweetness make it a special standout.
Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Entree
Time 4h50m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Heat oven to 325°F. Starting at back opening of turkey, gently separate skin from turkey breast, using fingers. In small bowl, stir together honey, 2 tablespoons melted butter, the chili powder, allspice and cumin; brush half of mixture over turkey breast under skin (reserve remaining honey mixture).
- In 4-quart Dutch oven, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium-high heat. Cook pecans in butter 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted. Lightly stir in apple, stuffing mix and apple juice until moistened.
- Stuff turkey just before baking. Fill wishbone area with stuffing first. Fasten neck skin to back with skewer. Fold wings across back with tips touching. Fill body cavity lightly with remaining stuffing. (Do not pack--stuffing will expand while cooking.) Tuck drumsticks under band of skin at tail, or tie together with heavy string, then tie to tail. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone. Do not add water.
- Cover with foil and bake 3 to 4 hours, uncovering and brushing with remaining honey mixture for last 30 minutes of baking, until thermometer reads 180°F and juice is no longer pink when center of thigh is cut. Drumsticks should move easily when lifted or twisted.
- Place turkey on warm platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Let stand at least 15 minutes for easiest carving. Cover and refrigerate any remaining turkey and stuffing separately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 730, Carbohydrate 30 g, Cholesterol 225 mg, Fiber 2 g, Protein 77 g, SaturatedFat 10 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 570 mg, Sugar 12 g, TransFat 1 g
Tips:
- Thaw the turkey properly: Allow the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours per 5 pounds of weight. For a 12-pound turkey, this means 2 to 3 days of thawing time. Never thaw a turkey at room temperature, as this can promote bacterial growth.
- Pat the turkey dry: Before roasting, pat the turkey dry with paper towels. This will help the skin crisp up and brown evenly.
- Season the turkey inside and out: Season the turkey generously with salt, pepper, and your favorite herbs and spices. Be sure to season the cavity as well.
- Use a roasting pan with a rack: This will allow the turkey to cook evenly and prevent it from sitting in its own juices.
- Roast the turkey at a high temperature initially: This will help the skin crisp up. Then, reduce the temperature to finish cooking the turkey through.
- Baste the turkey regularly: This will help keep the turkey moist and prevent it from drying out.
- Let the turkey rest before carving: This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender and flavorful turkey.
Conclusion:
Roasting a turkey can seem like a daunting task, but it's actually quite simple if you follow these tips and tricks. With a little planning and preparation, you can easily roast a delicious and juicy turkey that will be the star of your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. So don't be afraid to give it a try!
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