Thanksgiving Turkey with Gravy and Herb Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 (12 to 14 pound) whole turkey, patted dry with paper towel
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
- 2 large shallots, quartered
- 1 large apple, quartered
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 rosemary sprigs
- 8 thyme sprigs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
- Traditional Gravy:
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock, or more to taste
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Green Herb Sauce:
- ¼ (packed) cup cilantro leaves
- ¼ (packed) cup parsley leaves
- 2 green onions, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 jalapeno pepper, destemmed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Place a roasting rack into a large roasting pan.
- Remove giblets from turkey cavity and discard. Season turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff shallots, apple, carrots, rosemary, and thyme sprigs into the turkey cavity.
- Place turkey on roasting rack. Brush about half the melted butter onto the skin of the turkey. Pour chicken stock into the roasting pan.
- Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- While the turkey begins to cook, pour remaining butter into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir soy sauce, maple syrup and thyme leaves with the butter; cook and stir until the mixture thickens into a glaze.
- Reduce oven heat to 325°F (165°C).
- Brush about half the glaze over the turkey.
- Return turkey to oven and continue roasting, basting regularly with pan juices and glaze, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F (75°C), 2½ to 3 hours. If turkey skin starts to get too dark, tent with aluminum foil.
- Transfer turkey to a platter and tent with aluminum foil; rest turkey for 1 hour before carving. While the turkey rests, pour 1½ to 2 cups drippings from the roasting pan through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Skim fat from top and discard.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir flour into butter with a whisk and cook until it smells nutty and forms a paste. Slowly stream turkey drippings and chicken stock into the pan while whisking to incorporate; season with salt and pepper.
- Blend cilantro, parsley, green onions, garlic, jalapeño pepper, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth.
- Carve turkey to serve with gravy and sauce.
Use turkey stock in place of the chicken stock in making the gravy if available to you.
Reviews
What others are saying
Greg Jones says:
Delicious, moist, and juicy turkey! The herb flavors were really nice. Can't go wrong with rosemary, thyme, garlic, etc. Solid recipe!
Sam Dalton says:
Very good turkey recipe, super impressed with the results! The meat was tender and flavorful. This is now our tried and true "family recipe" for the holidays we can pass down.
Laura Griffin says:
Perfect Thanksgiving dinner recipe! Really impressed with the herb sauce, turned out nicely.
Katie Hason says:
This is my new go-to recipe for roasted turkey on Thanksgiving! You don't have to worry about under or over cooking. All of the measurements are perfect, and the flavor is impeccable.
Jessica Scott says:
This recipe was so easy to follow! Such a great idea to reserve the turkey drippings to make gravy. Smart! This turkey turned out perfect and it was simple to make, even for a first timer like myself.
Tal Levitas says:
I didn't expect the green sauce to work but it really does! That said, I'm still a gravy fan. Putting chicken stock in the roasting pan ensures that the turkey stays moist! Yummy!