| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 55 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 3 hr |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 55 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 3 hr |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- One 17-pound whole fresh turkey, rinsed well and patted dry
- 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 large stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large onions, quartered
- 12 cups homemade chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 head roasted garlic, cloves removed and peeled
- Splash of white wine, optional
- Mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. optional
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the turkey: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
- Combine the butter, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme and in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with half the carrots, celery and onions. Rub the entire turkey with the herb butter and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
- Put 4 cups of the chicken stock in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
- Place the remaining vegetables on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Put the turkey on top of the vegetables, put in the oven and roast until lightly golden brown, about 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the warm chicken stock every 15 minutes, 2 to 2 hours 15 minutes hours longer. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh should register 160 degrees F.)
- Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to baking sheet, tent loosely with foil and let rest 30 minutes before slicing. Remove the legs for braising. Strain the drippings into a bowl and discard the solids. Add enough stock to make 4 cups liquid.
- Bring the liquid to a simmer, transfer to a roasting pan, add the legs, cover with foil and braise until tender in a 350 F degree oven about 1 hour.
- For the gravy: Melt the butter in a medium pan over high heat. Add the roasted garlic and cook for a minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until lightly golden brown. Slowly whisk the drippings into the flour mixture, bring to a boil and whisk until the mixture begins to thicken and the flour taste has been cooked out, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of the white wine if desired and cook for 1 minute longer. Fold in fresh herbs if desired and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Reviews
I have been using this recipe for the last 3 years and it Rocks! The guests always rave!
The turkey was perfect! Moist, tender, and flavorful! The only downside is that we didn’t have any leftovers.
We used this recipe for the turkey and gravy for Thanksgiving night. We received rave reviews from our guests. We did not alter this recipe. Turkey came out moist and flavorful. Gravy was to die for. Will use this recipe again in the future.
Ok so this is the best turkey recipe ever. I was only able to get the temperature to 165°f because my oven broke… But I left it in the oven and discontinued basting and it turned out to be the juiciest turkey I have ever had.
Made my turkey this way the last two years and have absolutely no reason to make it any other way. The flavors are AMAZING! Downsizing and just doing a couple of breasts this year. I’ll let you know how it goes! Thank you Bobby! This recipe is wonderful!
The most amazing turkey…..another winner by Iron Chef Bobby Flay
Thank you Bobby. This was a great and moist turkey. Very flavorful
I bow to Bobby’s greatness on this recipe. Everyone even wanted to take pictures of the turkey this Thanksgiving. So moist and flavorful!
Registered just to post a review about this wonderful recipe. This was the best turkey we’ve done in 15 years of doing our own Thanksgiving. The white meat was moist and flavorful, and braising the dark meat separately created a level of flavor we’ve never had before. We’ve tried brining several times before but it all just never came together. This will be our go-to Thanksgiving turkey recipe from now on!
I’m a vegetarian, first turkey I have ever cooked, and it was one of the best turkeys my family has ever had! Everyone said it was the most moist turkey they have ever had! I have no idea how it turned out, all I know it was really pretty when it came out of the oven! : I definitely recommend this recipe, it is easy and delicious!