Turkey basted in herbs is one Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey recipe where you need to make sure you allow plenty for everyone as one serving is rarely enough!
turkey basted in herbs
PREPARATION TIME: 45 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 3 HOURS 30 MINUTES
SERVES: 12 TO 14
1 (14 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets reserved
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 onion, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh rosemary sprigs
½ cup fresh sage sprigs
½ cup fresh oregano sprigs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme and parsley
2 cloves crushed garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
6 cups canned chicken broth
Prepare your oven. Slide an oven rack into the lowest position and remove any others to give the maximum space in your oven.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Take out the turkey neck and giblets and reserve. Wash the turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Season inside the cavity with the salt and pepper. Slip in the wedges of orange and lemon, onion, and ¼ cup of each fresh herbs.
Truss the chicken as described in the section on Cooking Thanksgiving Turkey.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the finely chopped thyme, parsley and garlic, the oil, and the salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the turkey and under the skin over the breast.
Place the turkey onto a roasting rack in your roasting pan breast side up. Put the reserved turkey neck and giblets into the base of the pan. Fold a piece of foil over the breast of the turkey and slide into the oven to roast for half an hour.
At this point pour 3 cups of the chicken broth into the pan and stir up any scratchings from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining fresh herbs to the pan and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350°F. Take the foil off the breast of the turkey. Add another cup of chicken broth to the pan and return to the oven.
Baste the turkey in the juices from the pan every 30 minutes until the bird is cooked. A thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh of the turkey will register between 165°F and 170°F once it is cooked or insert a skewer into the thigh and check the juices run clear.
One roasted, remove the turkey from the roasting rack onto a platter and enclose in foil. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Use the pan juices left over from basting to make a delicious, easy gravy. The recipe is included here.
Here is the full list of Thanksgiving Recipes...
