Top Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes for Holiday Cooking - Part I

 Turkey Recipes for Holiday Cooking

 

The holidays always mean family and FOOD! The turkey recipe is key to a good meal. Here are 10 of the top turkey recipes for your holiday meal. These recipes range from traditional to unique and there is even a beginner turkey recipe!

Recipe 1

Traditional Oven Turkey

Kraft Foods© Recipe
1 frozen turkey (12 lb.), thawed
3 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh or 2 tsp. dried herbs, such as thyme, sage or rosemary
3 cups water
Thaw turkey completely before grilling. To thaw, place turkey on tray in refrigerator. Refrigerate until thawed, allowing 24 hours of thawing time for every 4 pounds of turkey.

PREHEAT grill to medium-high heat. Remove neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse outside of turkey as well as inside the cavity; pat dry with paper towels. Tuck the wings under the back. Place turkey, breast side up, on roasting rack in large disposable aluminum foil pan.
RUB outside of turkey with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with herbs. Place pan on grate of grill. Add water to pan, then close the lid of the grill.

GRILL turkey 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until meat thermometer registers 180°F when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh and 170°F when inserted in the thickest part of the breast, adding additional water to the pan as needed to prevent the drippings from burning and to have enough liquid remaining in the pan after turkey is cooked for use in making gravy. Remove turkey from grill; let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, use pan drippings to make gravy, if desired.
For extra flavor, stuff the turkey cavity with a peeled onion, celery stalks, lemon slices and/or fresh herb bundles before grilling.

Recipe 2

Turducken
Foster Farms© Recipe
This is a turkey stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken layered with dressing.

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds Foster Farms Whole Young Chicken
salt and pepper to taste
Creole seasoning to taste
1 (4 pound) duck, boned
16 pounds Foster Farms Fresh Whole Turkey, boned

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lay the boned chicken skin-side down on a platter and season liberally with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Lay the boned duck skin-side down on top of the chicken and season liberally with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Lay the boned turkey skin-side down on a flat surface. Cover with a layer of cold Sausage and Oyster Dressing and push the dressing into the leg and wing cavities so they will look as if they still have bones in them.

3. Lay the duck on top of the turkey skin-side down and cover it with a layer of cold dressing. Lay the chicken on top of the duck skin-side down and cover it with a layer of cold dressing.

4. With the help of an assistant, bring the edges of the turkey skin up and fasten them together with toothpicks. Use the kitchen string to lace around the toothpicks to help hold the stuffed turkey together. Carefully place the turducken, breast up in a large roasting pan.

5. Roast covered for 4 hours or until the turducken is golden brown. Continue to roast uncovered for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted through the thigh registers 180 degrees F. and a thermometer inserted through the stuffing registers 165 degrees F. Check the turducken every few hours to baste and remove excess liquid. There will be enough pan juices for a gallon of gravy. Carve and serve.

Recipe 3

Holiday Champagne Turkey
Foster Farms© Recipe
Summary
A bottle of champagne is the secret to this moist turkey stuffed with apples and baked in an oven bag.

INGREDIENTS

1 (12 pound) Foster Farms Fresh Whole Turkey, neck and giblets removed
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2 apples, cored and halved
1 tablespoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Gently loosen turkey breast skin, and insert pieces of butter between the skin and breast. Place apples inside the turkey's cavity. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place turkey in a roasting bag, and pour champagne over the inside and outside of the bird. Close bag, and place turkey in a roasting pan.

3. Bake turkey 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) when measured in the meatiest part of the thigh. Remove turkey from bag, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Recipe 4

Perfect Turkey
Summary
This is a perfect recipe for a moist, flavorful holiday bird! Plan the time to brine the bird overnight - it's worth the extra effort!

INGREDIENTS

1 (18 pound) Foster Farms Fresh Whole Turkey, neck and giblets removed
2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry white wine

DIRECTIONS

1. Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.

3. Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.

4. Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

Recipe 5

Latino Lime Glazed Turkey with Chipotle Gravy 

Recipe by: Chef/GM Chris Ottens of Novell, a Bon Appetit Management Co.
Citrus Glaze
3/4 Cup unsalted butter
1/2 Cup honey
4 Tablespoons orange zest
4 Tablespoons lime zest
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
4 Teaspoons canned chipotle chilies, chopped
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Teaspoon salt

Over medium heat, melt butter in heavy saucepan. Remove pan from heat and stir in honey, orange and lime zests, thyme, chilies, cumin and salt.
Measure 1/2 cup glaze and reserve for gravy. Cover and chill remaining liquid in freezer for about 30 minutes or until liquid begins to turn firm but is still spreadable.

Vegetables

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4-1/2 Cups chopped sweet onions
1 Packet giblets (turkey neck, gizzard and heart)
2 Cups coarsely chopped peeled carrots
2 Cups coarsely chopped celery (with leaves)
1-1/2 Cups chopped plum tomatoes

Over medium-high heat, melt butter in large nonstick pan. Add onions and reserved turkey parts.
Sauté until onions are deep brown. Add carrots, celery and tomatoes to skillet and toss to blend.
Glazed Turkey
22 to 24-pound WHOLE TURKEY, fresh or frozen (thawed)
9 Cups TURKEY STOCK

Set a small rack in a large shallow roasting pan and place cooked vegetables with turkey parts around rack.
Blot turkey dry with paper towels. At the neck end, gently loosen skin from the turkey breast without totally detaching the skin. Rub 1/2-cup citrus glaze under skin. Replace the skin.
Fold neck skin and fasten to the back with skewers. Fold the wings under the back of the turkey. Return legs to tucked position.

Place turkey, breast side up, on the rack. Brush an additional 1/3-cup citrus glaze over top and sides of turkey. Reserve any remaining glaze. Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper.
Loosely tent the turkey and roast turkey in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes.

Add 1-cup poultry broth to pan and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Secure foil snugly around turkey and continue to roast for 1-1/4 hours. The foil will prevent the honey-coated turkey from excessive browning.

Add 1-cup poultry broth to pan every 30 minutes until turkey reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees F in the thigh. Remove the foil during the last 15-20 minutes to brown the turkey.
Remove turkey from the oven and allow it to stand for 20 minutes before carving.

Chipotle Gravy
1/2 Cup flour
1 Cup TURKEY STOCK

Strain pan drippings, pressing vegetables to extract liquid. Discard solids in strainer.
Spoon fat from top of juices and discard fat. Add enough broth to pan juices to equal 6 cups.
Stir reserved 1/2-cup citrus glaze in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until melted.

Gradually add flour and whisk 1 minute, allowing flour to slightly brown. Gradually whisk in pan juices. Bring to gentle boil, whisking until smooth.
Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper.

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