**Moist Turkey and Dressing: A Thanksgiving Classic with a Twist**
Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, and food. And what's a Thanksgiving dinner without a moist and flavorful turkey? This recipe for moist turkey and dressing is sure to impress your guests, with its tender meat, savory dressing, and crispy skin. But that's not all. This article also includes recipes for a variety of delicious side dishes, such as mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. So whether you're a seasoned pro or a novice in the kitchen, you'll find everything you need to make a Thanksgiving dinner that everyone will love.
VERY MOIST AND FLAVORFUL ROAST TURKEY
Does your turkey need a boost of moisture and flavor? Try this! Tweak it to your own liking as much as your imagination wants. Carve the entire turkey and save the bones, joints, tail, wing tips, drippings, and reserved onion, garlic and celery (but NOT the skin) to make turkey soup. Mix the apple pieces into your dressing.
Provided by Andie
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 4h30m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces, quarter the pieces, and refrigerate butter until needed.
- Use your fingers to loosen the skin over the turkey breast and thighs. Cut a hole in the turkey skin between tail and body (to affix legs); cut a hole on each side of the turkey beneath each wing (to affix wings). Rub the entire skin with vegetable oil.
- Toss apple and onion wedges, garlic cloves, and celery in a large bowl until combined; sprinkle poultry seasoning over the apple mixture and toss again to coat. Stuff the body and neck cavities with the apple mixture. Insert each wing tip into the hole under the wing to secure wings; insert both legs into hole near tail to secure legs.
- Place turkey onto a rack and set in a roasting pan. Insert cold butter pieces under the loosened skin, distributing the butter as evenly as possible.
- Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 3 1/2 hours. Check for doneness after 3 hours.
- Remove roasting pan containing turkey from oven and cover with aluminum foil, lightly pressing the foil directly onto the bird. Let the turkey rest for 40 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 774.2 calories, Carbohydrate 6.1 g, Cholesterol 284.8 mg, Fat 40.3 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 91.3 g, SaturatedFat 14.2 g, Sodium 305.3 mg, Sugar 3.5 g
CLASSIC STUFFED TURKEY
For years, my mother has made this moist stuffed turkey recipe. Now, I do the same thing. The turkey stuffing nicely compliments the tender, juicy slices of oven-roasted turkey. -Kathi Graham, Naperville, Illinois
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 4h5m
Yield 12 servings (10 cups stuffing).
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a large skillet, saute the onions, celery and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add broth and seasonings; mix well. Place bread cubes in a large bowl; add mushroom mixture and toss to coat. Stir in enough warm water to reach desired moistness. , Just before baking, loosely stuff turkey. Place any remaining stuffing in a greased baking dish; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush with melted butter., Bake turkey, uncovered, at 325° for 3-3/4 to 4-1/2 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 30-40 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Cover turkey with foil and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 571 calories, Fat 26g fat (11g saturated fat), Cholesterol 153mg cholesterol, Sodium 961mg sodium, Carbohydrate 42g carbohydrate (5g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 44g protein.
CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY WITH HERBED STUFFING AND OLD-FASHIONED GRAVY
After trying every turkey-roasting method under the sun, I've finally settled on this as absolutely the best. The secret? Slow down the cooking of the breast area, which tends to get overcooked and dried out before the dark meat is done, with a cover of aluminum foil. These instructions are for a 12-pound turkey, which serves eight people. But you can easily scale it up for a bigger bird. Estimate about one pound of meat per person (one and a half pounds if you want lots of leftovers) and refer to the chart in the Test-Kitchen Tips, below, for the scaled-up cooking times.
Provided by Rick Rodgers
Categories turkey Roast Thanksgiving
Yield Makes 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Lightly brush roasting rack with vegetable oil and place in roasting pan.
- Remove plastic or paper packet of giblets from turkey (usually in small cavity). Remove from packaging and rinse; reserve gizzard and heart; discard floppy, dark purple liver. Remove neck from large cavity. Remove from packaging, rinse, and reserve. Using tweezers or needlenose pliers, remove any feathers and quills still attached to skin (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others). Pull off and reserve any visible pale yellow knobs of fat from either side of tail (not found on all birds).
- Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Loosely fill small (neck) cavity with stuffing. Fold neck skin under body and fasten with metal skewer. Loosely fill large body cavity with stuffing. Transfer remaining stuffing to buttered dish and drizzle with 1/4 cup stock. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to rack in roasting pan. Tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks loosely together with kitchen string. Rub turkey all over with softened butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Tightly cover breast area with foil, leaving wings, thighs, and drumsticks exposed.
- Transfer gizzard, heart, neck, and reserved turkey fat to roasting pan around rack. Pour 2 cups stock into pan.
- Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices (lift up foil to reach breast area) and continue roasting, basting every 45 minutes, 1 1/2 hours more (2 1/4 hours total). Baste again and, if pan juices have evaporated into glaze, add 1 cup stock to pan. Roast another 45 minutes (3 hours total). Remove foil from breast area, baste, and add stock if necessary, until instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 180°F, about 1 hour more (4 hours total).
- Insert instant-read thermometer into center of stuffing in body cavity. If thermometer does not read 165°F, transfer stuffing to microwave-safe baking dish and microwave on high until 165°F, about 3 minutes for 10 degrees. Cover and keep warm. Using turkey holders (or by inserting large metal serving spoon into body cavity), transfer turkey to large serving platter. Let stand 30 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, bake extra stuffing and make gravy: Raise oven temperature to 350°F. Remove giblets and neck from roasting pan and discard. Pour pan juices into measuring cup or gravy separator. Let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and reserve fat or, if using separator, carefully pour juices into measuring cup, reserving fat left in separator.
- Transfer foil-covered dish of extra stuffing to oven and bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add enough remaining stock to pan juices to total 4 cups. Measure turkey fat, adding melted butter if necessary to total 6 tablespoons. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners on moderate heat and add fat. Whisk in flour, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan, then cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in pan juice-stock mixture and bring to a boil, whisking often. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and keep warm. (Gravy can be kept warm over very low heat, covered, up to 20 minutes. If it thickens, thin with additional stock before serving. If skin forms on top, whisk well to dissolve.)
- When extra stuffing has baked 10 minutes, remove foil and bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Pour gravy through fine-mesh sieve into large bowl, then transfer to gravy boat. Carve turkey and serve gravy and stuffing alongside.
- Test-Kitchen Tips:
- •To combat dryness, most frozen turkeys and some fresh are injected with a saline solution. This is not a good thing, though: Injected birds generally lack flavor and can have a mushy texture. For this reason, we recommend buying a fresh turkey and checking the label to be sure there aren't any additives. (Look for the words "all natural.") Don't be too concerned, though, with the many other terms that can be applied to turkeys, such as free-range, organic, or heritage. All can be excellent.
- •When buying a fresh bird, be sure to purchase it no more than two days before Thanksgiving. If you must get a frozen bird, defrost it in the refrigerator in a pan to catch drips, allowing a full 24 hours for each 5 pounds.
- •Warm, moist stuffing is an optimal environment for bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli to multiply, so it's important to follow safe procedures. Be sure to make the stuffing at the last minute so it can go into the bird warm. This helps it move above the "danger zone" (the optimal temperature range for bacteria growth) more quickly during roasting. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the middle of the stuffing to make sure it's 165°F, the temperature at which bacteria will be killed. If it's not 165°F, scoop it out of the cavity and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
- •More stuffing tips: Be sure not to overpack the cavities, as the stuffing will expand during cooking. Loosely fill the turkey, then spread the extra in a casserole dish (no more than 2 inches deep) and bake it after the turkey comes out (be sure to refrigerate it until then to impede bacteria growth). Drizzle the portion in the casserole dish with extra stock to make up for the juices it won't get from the turkey. If you want the stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey to be extra-moist (as opposed to having a crisp crust where it's exposed), cover the exposed portion with a small piece of aluminum foil.
- •Opinions vary on whether or not to stuff the bird-some people think it can cause uneven cooking. If you prefer not to stuff your bird, fill the cavities with a chopped vegetable and herb mixture that will impart its flavor to the meat and pan juices: Chop 1 onion, 1 celery rib with leaves, 1 carrot, and 3 tablespoons fresh parsley. Mix this with 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, sage, and thyme. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place the mixture inside. An unstuffed bird will take about 15 minutes to a half hour less to cook than a stuffed bird. When the turkey is cooked, tilt it to allow any juices that have collected in the cavity to drain into the pan. Do not serve the vegetable mixture, as it may not have cooked to a safe temperature.
- •This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve more people. Estimate about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person. Cooking times (for a stuffed bird, cooked at 325°F to an internal temperature of 180°F) will be as follows: 8 to 12 pounds: 3 to 3 1/2 hours 12 to 14 pounds: 3 1/2 to 4 hours 14 to 18 pounds: 4 to 4 1/4 hours 18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours 20 to 24 pounds: 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
- •Some experts prefer to cook their turkeys to an internal temperature of 170°F (rather than 180°F, as in this recipe). If you don't mind having the meat slightly pink, this is perfectly safe and makes it more moist. However, Rick Rodgers, who created this recipe, believes that the dark meat in particular does not achieve its optimum flavor and texture until it reaches 180°F. If you choose to stuff your turkey and cook it to only 170°F, its stuffing will almost definitely not reach the safe temperature of 165°F. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the center of the stuffing, and if necessary remove it and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
- •Letting the turkey stand for half an hour after it comes out of the oven is an essential part of the roasting process. When meat roasts, its juices move to the outer edge of the flesh. Letting it rest gives the juices time to redistribute, making for a moister turkey. An added bonus: The resting time provides an excellent window of opportunity to make the gravy and reheat the side dishes. There's no need to cover the bird-it'll stay warm enough, and covering it would only soften the crispy skin.
MOM'S TURKEY STUFFING
Make and share this Mom's Turkey Stuffing recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Green Cuisine
Categories Egg Free
Time 30m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Melt butter in skillet.
- Add onions and celery and cook until tender.
- Place bread in a large bowl and add onion mixture. Use your hands to mix well. The ingredients should hold together in a ball.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Stuff in turkey and bake as directed.
- Double recipe for a larger bird.
MOIST TURKEY BREAST
My family always requests this turkey at family gatherings. The Italian dressing adds zip and moistness that you don't find in other recipes. If you're wondering how to cook a moist turkey breast, this is the recipe to try. -Cindy Carlson, Ingleside, Texas
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 2h10m
Yield 14 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Place turkey breast in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Combine the seasonings; sprinkle over turkey. Pour dressing over the top. , Cover and bake at 325° until a thermometer reads 170°, for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, basting occasionally with pan drippings. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 406 calories, Fat 22g fat (5g saturated fat), Cholesterol 122mg cholesterol, Sodium 621mg sodium, Carbohydrate 2g carbohydrate (1g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 47g 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
GRANDMA WINNIE'S TURKEY STUFFING
A classic stuffing recipe to serve with any turkey dinner. If you have turkey broth on hand, it can be substituted for chicken broth.
Provided by Lipo
Categories Side Dish Stuffing and Dressing Recipes Bread Stuffing and Dressing Recipes
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter one 2 quart casserole dish.
- In a saute pan, cook onion and celery in butter until soft.
- In a mixing bowl, combine onion and celery, bread cubes, poultry seasonings, mushrooms, egg and stock. Mix well and add to casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 154.1 calories, Carbohydrate 15.6 g, Cholesterol 35.8 mg, Fat 9 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 3.1 g, SaturatedFat 5.2 g, Sodium 296.2 mg, Sugar 2.2 g
THE BEST TURKEY DRESSING (STUFFING)
This dressing is adapted from "The Silver Palate Cookbook. It's rich and is always a big hit. No other bread is needed on the Thanksgiving table. Cook your turkey about 12-15 minutes per lb. at 325 degrees, basting frequently.
Provided by Alan in SW Florida
Categories Thanksgiving
Time 1h30m
Yield 12-14 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan. Add onions. Cook over medium heat until onions are quite soft and tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer onions and butter to a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Melt another 6 tablespoons butter in the same frying pan. Add apple. Cook over medium heat, until lightly colored but not mushy. Transfer apples and butter to mixing bowl with onions.
- Crumble sausage into frying pan. Cook over medium heat, until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to mixing bowl. Reserve fat. Add remaining ingredients, except eggs and stock, to mixing bowl. Mix well. Add eggs. Mix. Add enough stock to bowl to make a moist, but not runny, mixture. Add fat to stuffing if desired. Stuff a 20-lb. turkey. If cooking dressing separately from turkey, pour fat over dressing in casserole. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, or until nicely browned and cooked through.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 325.4, Fat 29.1, SaturatedFat 11.5, Cholesterol 93, Sodium 336.9, Carbohydrate 9.8, Fiber 2.3, Sugar 5.5, Protein 8.2
MOI'S TURKEY AND DRESSING
My mom makes the very best cornbread dressing I've ever had. It makes a huge roaster pan and there is always plenty of leftover for us to take home. She loves to tell the same story every Christmas and Thanksgiving that she had the measurement for the Sage down perfect when spices still came in the little tins, like McCormicks. She used the whole small tin, and it was perfect. Now that most spices comes in bottles she had to experiment some to get it perfect. Just a note do not make the mistake of using Jiffy cornbread it is too sweet, regular yellow cornbread is best. I love old traditional recipes and had my Mom write this down for me to have for a family cookbook. And yes you can tell we are from the South since we make Dressing, not stuffing.
Provided by True Texas
Categories Poultry
Time 2h30m
Yield 16 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- You will need a large roaster pan for this dressing.
- Cook cornbread according to pkg. directions. I use Martha White, not a sweet cornmix like Jiffy.
- Chop onion and celery finely, saute in one stick butter.I like to saute' my onions, but I add a small amount of water, enough to cover the onions and celery to finish cooking them.
- After cornbread has cooled crumble in pan. Add celery, onion and chopped eggs to the cornbread, along with any water that is left. Crumble a few slices of white bread, biscuits or I like to use about a half a loaf of day old French bread.
- Add sage, salt and pepper to cornbread. We use a lot of sage, so use what you need. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- All of this can be done the day before and then keep in the refrigerator until the turkey is cooked.
- We cook our turkey in a cooking bag. (This is where you can be as creative as you want with the turkey, JUST SAVE THE JUICES WHEN IT IS DONE.).
- Add chicken broth also, at least 1 and half or 2 of the broth, I use low sodium and then add as much of the turkey drippings as you need to make the mixture loose. I add a couple of raw eggs now. My mom never did.
- If the mixture is too dry and does not jiggle when you shake it add enough turkey juice from the pan or more broth.
- That is very important step my mom always emphasied, the dressing needs to be "loose" when you shake it. (my mom's words).
- At this time we taste it to see if we need more sage, pepper or salt, before we cook. .
- Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until it is brown on top. The last half hour uncover it so it will brown. We always have someone sample it to see if done.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 442, Fat 18.6, SaturatedFat 4.7, Cholesterol 106.3, Sodium 1447.6, Carbohydrate 55.9, Fiber 6.1, Sugar 17, Protein 12.1
Tips for the Perfect Moist Turkey and Dressing
- Use a fresh or thawed turkey. A frozen turkey will take longer to cook and may not cook evenly.
- Brine the turkey for at least 12 hours before cooking. This will help to keep the turkey moist and flavorful.
- Roast the turkey at a low temperature (325 degrees Fahrenheit) for a longer period of time. This will help to prevent the turkey from drying out.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the turkey is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. This will help to redistribute the juices and make the turkey easier to carve.
- Serve the turkey with your favorite sides, such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.
Conclusion
Moist turkey and dressing is a classic holiday dish that is sure to please everyone at your table. By following these tips, you can ensure that your turkey is cooked to perfection and that your dressing is flavorful and moist. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy this delicious meal!
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