33 Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

PHOTO BY ALEX LAU, FOOD STYLING BY SUSIE THEODOROU, PROP STYLING BY KALEN KAMINSKI

8–10 servings

Our mission: To miraculously roast a turkey that is well seasoned, juicy, and — can we type this loudly enough? — PROPERLY COOKED! Every part of the bird deserves equal love and appreciation, without a dry bite in the house. Our solution: The absolute inarguably best way to cook a turkey is to break it down into parts, dry-brine it, and roast it on a wire rack in a baking sheet. The parts expose every piece for even cooking. If the idea of doing surgery on a raw turkey gives you a stress rash, ask the butcher to do it (even at the supermarket, we called and asked!). Here’s your script: “Hello, talented and smart and underappreciated butcher [pause for uncomfortable laughter], I’d like to purchase a 12-to-14-pound turkey, cut into five pieces: the legs, wings, keep the breast whole, backbone removed. Yes, I’m doing that ridiculous Bon Appétit recipe. Yes, it better not suck.” Works every time. See all of the Absolutely, Positively Perfect Thanksgiving recipes here.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 12–14-lb. turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 2 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns
• 2 Tbsp. whole pink or black peppercorns
• ½ cup Diamond Crystal or ¼ cup plus 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika

Glaze and Assembly

• Small handful of hardy herbs (such as sage, rosemary, bay leaves, and/or thyme)
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 2x1" strips orange zest
• ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 6 Tbsp. neutral oil (such as vegetable, peanut, or canola)

Special Equipment

• A spice mill

RECIPE PREPARATION

Turkey

• Place turkey, breast side up, on a cutting board and pat dry. Grip a wing and pull it outward so you can see where it attaches to the body. Using a sharp boning or chef’s knife, cut though the joint to separate the wing from the breast (if you hit bone, you’re in the wrong spot; pull the wing out farther to help you get into the place where the joint meets the socket). Remove wing; repeat on the other side.
• Cut through skin connecting 1 leg to carcass. Pull leg back until the ball joint pops out of its socket; cut through the joint to separate leg. Repeat on the other side.
• Now for the breast: Position the turkey breast side down with the opening facing you. Using kitchen shears, cut along one side of backbone until you get all the way through the neck end, then turn the turkey 180° and cut through the other side to remove the backbone (save it for making stock).
• Very finely grind black and pink peppercorns in a spice mill or mortar and pestle; transfer to a medium bowl. Add salt, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, and paprika and use your fingers to mix together.
• Place turkey pieces, skin side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle salt mixture liberally all over turkey, patting to adhere. You may not need all of it, but it’s good to have extra since some will end up on the baking sheet. Chill bird, uncovered, at least 24 hours and up to 2 days.

Glaze and Assembly

• Remove turkey from wire rack and rinse baking sheet and rack if needed (turkey will most likely release some liquid). Line baking sheet with 3 layers of foil to make cleanup easy and set rack back inside. Arrange turkey pieces on rack, skin side up, and let sit at room temperature 2–3 hours to help decrease the cooking time.
• Meanwhile, cook herbs, garlic, orange zest, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and glaze thickens slightly (it should just barely coat a spoon), 10–12 minutes. Remove glaze from heat.
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425°. Rub turkey with oil and pour 1 cup water into baking sheet. Roast turkey, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until skin is mostly golden brown, 20–25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300° and continue to roast turkey, brushing with glaze every 20 minutes and adding more water by ½-cupfuls as needed to maintain some liquid in baking sheet, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150°, and 170° when inserted into the thickest part of the thighs, 50–70 minutes longer (total cooking time will be 1–1½ hours). Skin should be deep golden brown and shiny. Transfer turkey to a cutting board; tent loosely with foil. Let rest 30–60 minutes before carving.

Recipe by Andy Baraghani And Brad Leone

Bon Appetit

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REVIEWS

Write a review…

I made this last year for my family Thanksgiving (my first ever Thanksgiving turkey!) and have been promoted to making this every year. Amazing flavor, delicious meat, and looks pretty too!

ANONYMOUSNJ10/22/20

I made this for my parents and grandparents who have only experienced dry and unseasoned cardboard turkey. They loved it!! I would totally make again. It wasn’t that difficult minus chopping the bird and the time spent cleaning the drippings from leaving it uncovered, but it was totally worth it. I’d say it’s a very good tasting turkey but maybe too “out there” for a traditional Thanksgiving plate.

ANONYMOUSLOUISIANA09/27/20

This is the best turkey I’ve ever eaten! That being said, cutting the turkey was A LOT of work and took a really long time. I highly recommend asking your butcher as the recipe suggests!

QUESTIONINGKATECOLUMBUS, OHIO04/20/20

This turkey turned out pretty good. It was well seasoned I did not love every flavor coming off of it but it worked well and the glaze was very good. I did not use low sodium soy sauce instead I used braggs liquid aminos (which I normally like) and regretted it as it made the glaze slightly too salty and slight to soy forward. Be sure to stick to the recipe and use **low sodium** soy sauce.

GRILL_GUY46SCOTTSDALE, AZ 04/13/20

To quote an earlier review — THIS IS THE BEST TURKEY I’VE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. I made this last Christmas, for a family of critical foodies who are used to cooking the turkey themselves. I’ll admit, the prior year I definitely came up short. I watched the entire perfect turkey video (2 hours?) while I “worked” and was convinced to try this. My entire family LOVES it!!! Even my father, the master chef, said it’s the best he ever had. This will definitely be made several times a year.

ANONYMOUSSCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA03/17/20

I made this back in November for a Friendsgiving and it was a huge success! I’ve eaten a lot of turkey dinners in my life and this was the absolute best one. I have since dry brined chicken breasts with the same mix of spices and they were top notch. 10/10 would make again.

ANONYMOUSPORTLAND, OREGON01/13/20

THIS IS THE BEST TURKEY I’VE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. I will never make another turkey recipe again. All other turkey recipes are UNWORTHY.

ANONYMOUSATLANTA01/05/20

Awesome. There was a huge controversy in the kitchen that I was “destroying” the turkey for Christmas dinner, but I went ahead and did it anyway. It turned out fantastic, I was extremely surprised by the flavor of the dark meat, I’ve never been into dark meat, but this recipe completely turned it upside down

ORIGINAL_GLAZEDBRITISH COLUMBIA01/05/20

The meat tasted great, and in combination with the gravy from this series, it was a total win. Beware though, leaving the seasoned bird in your fridge, even covered, will make the whole fridge and even part of the room smell like the spices. The smell takes 2 days to dissipate.

LINDSEYMAWHEATON, IL01/02/20

Fabulous recipe. We’ve made is twice this season.

ANONYMOUSN. CALIF.12/31/19

Best turkey EVER!!!!!! I literally could not stop eating it, I wished it would never end. Sooooo good . Could not recommend more

ROSE_BAGENALCORNWALL UK12/29/19

Guys and gals. If you’re wondering if you should make this turkey — make it! This recipe makes the perfectly spiced turkey of your dream. So juicy, so tender, so flavourful. Say no to dry white meat and embrace the most tender turkey breasts you’ll ever introduce to your mouth. Make now, thank Andy and Brad later. We bought a 22 pounder and have enough meat to feed 20 people and more… It was my first time butchering a turkey and it was a TASK! However, i can not be more glad that I did it, because it makes the roasting so much easier to control. Imagine baking a 22 lb whole turkey?! It took us in total 2:30 hours to get to the right temp and everything was perfect. Thank you team!