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10 Incredibly Delicious Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

Ann Johnson

Thanksgiving Day isn’t Thanksgiving without a big tasty turkey. It’s the wonderful centerpiece of the meal.

If you are looking for some new recipes in order to surprise your guests this year, read on and find out 10 deliciously glazed, seasoned, rubbed, or stuffed turkey recipes with a tasty homemade gravy.

1. Citrus-Marinated Turkey

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 24 hr;
  • Cook time: 2 hr 20 min;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 245;

Ingredients:

Turkey:

  • 3 tablespoon canola oil;
  • 2 carrots, coarsely chopped;
  • 2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped;
  • 8 black peppercorns;
  • 9 cup chicken or turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth;
  • reserved turkey giblets and liver and neck discarded;
  • freshly ground pepper and salt;
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter;
  • 10 clove fried garlic (look Tips and Techniques);
  • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour;
  • 3 shallots, coarsely chopped;
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped;

Brined Turkey:

  • 2 cup kosher salt;
  • 1 gallon water;
  • 2 cup sugar;
  • 1 (15-pound) fresh turkey, neck and giblets reserved;
  • 2 cup apple cider;

Marinade:

  • 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 3 chipotles in adobo
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 10 clove raw garlic
  • 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup fresh orange juice;
  • 2 tablespoon annatto paste
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 10 clove fried garlic
  • 1 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoon dried oregano

Directions:

Sprinkle the turkey with salt, sugar, apple cider and water, put the bird into a plastic bag and leave in the fridge for twenty-four hours. To prepare the pickle you need to mix 10 raw garlic cloves, orange juice, the vegetable oil, kosher salt, the vegetable oil, oregano, lime juice, fried garlic with the annatto paste, allspice, cumin and chipotle. Slather the turkey with the pickle and put it in the fridge for 24 hours again. Heat up the oven to 325°F. Spread the turkey with the source and roll it up in a foil. Fry it for approximately two hours, take up the foil and keep frying for about 2 ½ hours or more at the temperature of 175°F.

Warm the canola oil in a big pot, add the neck and giblets, cook till browned. Move to a plate. Add carrots, onion, shallots and celery to the pan and fry for 5 minutes till mellowed. Bring the turkey parts back to the pan. Add peppercorns, garlic and 6 cups of stock. Let it boil and keep cooking for 1 ½ hours.

Put the turkey on a cutting board. Skim off the fat from the pan, reserving 2 tbsp. Put the reserved fat to the pan back, add flour, butter and cook for 2 minutes. Add the concentrated stock and let the mix boil. Keep cooking for 10 minutes more. Add the drippings to the gravy and spice with salt and pepper. Cut the turkey and serve with the gravy.

2. Apricot-Glazed Turkey with Herb Gravy

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 20 min;
  • Cook time: 4 hr;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 591;

Ingredients:

Turkey

  • 1 (16 – pound) fresh turkey
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 4 large rosemary springs
  • 4 large sage springs
  • 1 table spoon canola oil
  • 6 large thyme springs
  • 6 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Gravy

  • 2 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 cups turkey stock, chicken stock, or low-sodium broth
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon finelly chopped sage
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme

Glaze

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3/4 cup apricot jam
  • 2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped sage

Directions:

Spice the turkey with salt and pepper and brush it all over with oil. Fill the cavity with the crushed garlic, rosemary, lemon halves, thyme, bay leaf and sage. Heat up the oven to 350°F and fry the turkey approximately 2 1/2 hours. To prepare the glaze mix up the apricot jam, lemon zest, lemon juice, season and sage with salt and pepper in a small bowl. Heat the mix in the microwave oven. Rub the turkey with the glaze and fry it for 30 minutes at the temperature of 175°F. Remove the juice from the cavity to a frying pan and leave the turkey on a cutting board for 45 minutes.

To make the gravy, put the fat from the drippings to the frying pan, add turkey stock and cook for 2 minutes. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add 3 ½ cups of the liquid from the frying pan and cook until it gets thick. Spice the gravy with salt and pepper. Cut the turkey and serve with the gravy.

3. Apple-Shallot Roasted Turkey

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 20 min;
  • Cook time: 55 min;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 506;

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pound shallots, peeled and halved lenghwise, divided
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage and 3 springs
  • 3 cups water, plus more if needed
  • 1 (10-to-12)pound turkey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme and 3 springs
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tart green apple, quartered
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley and 3 springs

Directions:

Take away neck and giblets and fill the cavity with shallot, apples and herbs. Mix chopped parsley, thyme, oil, pepper, salt and sage and brush the composition all over the turkey. Heat up the oven to 475°F and fry the bird approximately 45 minutes till the skin is golden brown. Take out the turkey, cover the breast with the double layer of foil and keep frying for 1 ½ hours more at the temperature of 350°F. Lean the bird to allow juices to flow out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup of water, if the pan dries out. Put the turkey to a serving dish (keep shallots and pan juices). Serve with cider gravy.

4. Lemon-Garlic Roast Turkey with White-Wine Gravy

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 24 hr;
  • Cook time: 55 min;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 504;

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup freshly grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
  • 1 (12-pound) organic or natural turkey
  • 1 can (14 ounce) reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 10 clove garlic, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup Worcestershire sause
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh oregano leaves
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt

Directions:

For the marinade, blend 6 cloves garlic, 4 quarts cold water, salt and lemon juice. Move the giblets away, set the turkey in the marinade and leave in the fridge for 24 hours. To make the paste, blend 4 cloves of garlic, lemon zest, pepper, oregano, 2 tablespoons of water. Brush the paste all over the turkey, a little inside the cavity, onto the breast meat and leg meat and under the skin.

Heat up oven to 350 degrees F and fry the bird approximately 1 hour. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, and keep frying 1 hour longer. Rub the turkey with your pan drippings, cover with foil and keep frying for 30 minutes at the temperature of 165 degrees. Move the bird on a big cutting board; leave for 20 minutes, then cut.

Pour juices and fat in a big measuring cup and set it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Stir flour with 1/4 cup of water in a little pot. Heat the frying pan, add wine and keep preparing for 3 minutes. Take out the juices from the freezer, remove the fat and add fat-free juices to the frying pan. Cook for one minute, stirring all the time. Sieve the gravy and serve with the turkey.

5. Butter-Basted Roast Turkey with Mushroom Gravy

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 20 min;
  • Cook time: 55 min;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 554;

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12-pound) fresh turkey, rinsed, patted dry
  • 3 onions, peeled, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons of low-sodium chicken broth
  • 6 carrots, peeled, cut into two-inch pieces
  • 2 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon of fresh-ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup of red wine
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter
  • 1/2 pound of assorted wild mushrooms
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon of minced fresh sage
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

Directions:

To make the basting liquid mix together butter, 1 cup of chicken broth, thyme sprigs, ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, bay leaf and rosemary. Heat the mixture and keep it warm. Sprinkle the turkey with pepper and salt, put it on a roasting pan and place the onions and carrots around the turkey. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F and fry the bird for 30 minutes. Then take the basting liquid and glaze the turkey. Keep it roasting for three hours and glaze it with the liquid every 30 minutes. Take the turkey out of the oven, leave it for 30 minutes.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of fat from the dripping. Put the dripping and the solids in the pan and cook at the medium heat. Keep on stirring, add red wine and keep cooking for 2 minutes. Pour out the solids and keep aside. Heat the reserved fat with mushrooms, cook for about 8 minutes. Add chicken broth, drippings, sage, 1 tablespoon of thyme, salt and pepper. Cook the gravy for 10 minutes. Take another pan, mix 1 ½ of the chicken broth and cornstarch. Add this mix to the gravy. Pour some lemon juice and keep cooking for 2 minutes or more. The gravy should be served warm.

6. Smoked Paprika Rubbed Turkey with Shallot and Madeira Gravy

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 24 hr;
  • Cook time: 4 hr;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 425;

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cup Corn Bread and Sausage Stuffing
  • 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 (14-to-16 pound) turkey
  • 1 cup Madeira
  • 8 cup turkey stock
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 large shallots, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Spanish smoked paprika

Directions:

Sprinkle the turkey with salt and smoked paprika, cover the bird with aluminum foil and put in the fridge for 24 hours. Then wash the turkey, pat it dry, leave it for an hour at room temperature. Heat up the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the breast and legs with butter, spice the bird with pepper, salt and paprika, fill the cavity with stuffing. Pour 3 cups of bird stock to the pan, fry the bird for 45 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and keep frying for 3 ½ hours, adding stock and basting every 45 minutes. Put the bird on a dish, cover loosely with foil, and leave for half an hour.

Pour pan juices into a measuring cup, let the fat reach the top. Throw out the fat and transfer the reserved liquid to a frying pan, keep heating. Put shallots in a pan and fry for about 3 minutes, add flour and Madeira and keep cooking for about 7 minutes more, till the gravy reduced by a third. Serve the turkey with warm gravy.

7. Southwestern Rubbed Turkey

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 20 min;
  • Cook time: 4 hr;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 415;

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoon plus 2 cups water, divided
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
  • 1 (12-pound) turkey, giblets removed
  • 2 tablespoon smoke-dried paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat up the oven to 350 degrees F. Blend ground cumin, salt, cinnamon, pepper and paprika in a little pot, add 2 tablespoons of water to get a paste. Brush the composition all over the turkey. Set the bird breast-side down on a frying grid in a big frying pan. Add 2 cups of water to the pan. Fry approximately 1 1/2 hours. Take the bird out from the oven and upturn it. Keep frying, watering at times with pan juices, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours, till an instant-read thermometer placed into the thickest part of the hip reaches 180 degrees. Cover the turkey with foil while it’s still roasting if the bird is browning too deeply. If there are no more juices left, add about 1/2 cup of water, remove any browned bits, and take this liquid for watering. Leave it on a carving-board for half an hour before cutting.

8. Roast Turkey with Wild Mushroom Gravy

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 20 min;
  • Cook time: 4 hr;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 340;

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoon margarine or butter
  • 8 ounce sliced white mushrooms
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 (14-pound) turkey or frozen (thawed) turkey
  • 4 ounce sliced shiitake mushrooms;
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 medium stalk celery, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • 6 ounce sliced cremini mushrooms
  • 1 can (14-to-14,5 ounce) chicken broth (up to 2 can, if needed);
  • 1 lemon
  • pepper and salt
  • fresh herb and fruit for a garnish
  • 1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh sage leaves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 small onions, each cut into quarters
  • 1 cup (loosely packed) fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Directions:

Heat up the oven to 325 degrees F. Take away neck and giblets. Cut the neck into several big pieces, place the bird on a frying pan breast-side up and put the neck and giblets around the bird. Take one teaspoon of lemon peel, put in a small bowl, add sage, parsley, black pepper, salt and thyme. Stir it until blended.

Put carrot, celery and olive oil in a medium pot; whisk in 2 tablespoons of herb composition to cover vegetables. Put vegetable mix in pan around the bird. Sprinkle the stuffing with lemon juice, put 2 lemon halves and 4 onion quarters into the cavity and put the rest 4 onions around the turkey. Bend the legs together. Wrap the turkey with a loose piece of foil; fry 2 1/2 hours. Take away foil and fry approximately 1 1/4 hours more.

Heat the margarine, add mushrooms and fry for 6 minutes, covered. Uncover and keep frying for 10 minutes or more, stirring. The bird is ready when the thermometer put into the thickest part of the turkey shows 165 degrees F. Raise up the turkey from frying pan and set it on a big dish, tent the turkey with foil to keep it warm.

To make the gravy, leave the giblets in the pan and keep cooking till browned. Add wine and keep frying for 3 minutes. Strain the wine mixture and discard giblets and neck. Mix the flour and fat and cook for 4 minutes, add the wine mixture and keep cooking until the gravy thickened. Add mushrooms and let the gravy boil. Transfer gravy into gravy boat and serve with turkey. Decorate turkey with fruits and herbs.

9. Roasted Turkey with Onions and Pears

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 20 min;
  • Cook time: 3 hr 20 min;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 300;

Ingredients:

  • 2 large red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
  • 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 (14-pound) fresh or frozen (thawed) turkey
  • 1/2 cup water
  • pepper and salt
  • 3 ripe Bosc pears, each cored and quartered
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried wine

Directions:

Heat up the oven to 325 degrees F. Take away neck and giblets and get ready for cooking turkey broth. Sprinkle the turkey with salt, ground black pepper, thyme. Put onions in a pan around the turkey and cover with a foil. Fry the bird for 2 ½ hours. Brush the pears with margarine, thyme, pepper and put them around the turkey. Fry the bird, uncovered, approximately 45 minutes. The turkey’s ready when the temperature of the thermometer reaches 165 degrees F. Put the pears and onions on the big plate. Take the turkey from frying pan, tilt slightly to let the juices run into pan. Transfer turkey to the plate with pears and onions.

Add water to juices in pan. Set pan over 2 burners and prepare on medium-high, whisking till browned bits are loosened from bottom of pan, throw out fat. Serve the turkey with onions, pan juices and pears.

10. Herb-Roasted Turkey

  • Cuisine: American;
  • Category: Main dish;
  • Serves: 8-12;
  • Prep Time: 20 min;
  • Cook time: 2 hr 40 min;
  • Nutrition Per Serving: 382;

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 (1-to-12 pound) turkey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cup water, plus more if needed
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cups fresh herbs, plus 20 whole springs, such as thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano and/or marjoram, divided
  • 1 1/2 cup lemon, onion, apple, and/or orange, cut into 2-inch pieces

Directions:

Heat up the oven to 475°F. Take neck and giblets off from the bird’s cavity and get ready for cooking gravy. Put the turkey breast-side up in a frying pan. Brush the turkey with the mix of herbs, salt, oil and pepper. Add some herb sprigs to the cavity. Add 3 cups of water to the pan and bind the legs together with the string.

Fry the bird approximately 45 minutes, till the skin is golden brown. Take the turkey out from the oven. Roll the breast up with a double layer of foil. Lower the temperature to 350° and keep frying approximately 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours. Lean the bird to let the juices run out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup of water, if the pan dries out. The turkey is cooked when the thermometer reaches 165°F. Place the turkey in a serving dish and cover with foil. Leave the turkey approximately for 20 minutes. Take out the string and cut.

Turkey is a staple of the Thanksgiving table and there are many wonderful and delicious Thanksgiving turkey recipes you may want to try this year. Pick one of these recipes and start cooking right now.

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