The finish gives the bird a beautiful gloss. Use 1/4 teaspoon dried sage if fresh sage is not readily available. One day in advance, you can prepare the onion mixture, herb butter, and glaze. Separately wrap and chill. Before using, let the herb butter come to room temperature. The mashed sweet potatoes, rutabaga and parsnip casserole, green beans with walnuts, date and onion relish, pear chutney, and of course, pumpkin pie and butterscotch pie are all wonderful additions to the meal.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 4 hrs 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 5 hrs 30 mins |
| Servings: | 30 |
| Yield: | 30 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup apricot nectar
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 onions, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces thinly sliced shallots
- 22 pounds whole turkey
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine apricot nectar, preserves, ginger, and honey in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until thickened and reduced to 1-1/4 cups, about 15 minutes.
- Blend 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions and shallots; saute until very soft and light brown, about 20 minutes.
- Position rack in lowest third of oven. Preheat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Season turkey cavity with salt and pepper. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Slide hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen skin. Spread half of herb butter over breast under skin. Rub remaining herb butter over outside of turkey.
- If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into main cavity; it will expand as it cooks. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape of turkey.
- Roast turkey for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C), and continue roasting 1 hour 30 minutes, basting occasionally with pan drippings. Tent turkey with aluminum foil; roast 45 minutes longer.
- Add onion mixture, 1 cup broth, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage to the roasting pan. Roast 15 more minutes before brushing 1/2 cup apricot glaze over turkey. Continue to roast turkey uncovered, brushing occasionally with glaze. Add more broth to the pan if necessary. Bake 40 minutes longer for unstuffed turkey, and 1 hour 10 minutes longer for stuffed turkey, or until meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F (75 degrees C). Place turkey on a platter, and tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes. Reserve mixture in pan for gravy.
- Pour contents of roasting pan into a strainer set over a large bowl. Skim fat from pan juices using a large spoon. Transfer the onion mixture to a blender. Add 1 cup pan juices, and puree until smooth, adding more pan juices and chicken broth if necessary to thin sauce to desired consistency. Transfer sauce to a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook until color deepens, skimming off any foam, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- I like to use this Wild Mushroom Stuffing recipe made with egg bread and filled with chopped hazelnuts, dried porcini, and white mushrooms (you can use chanterelles if you can get them).
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 591 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 211 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 68 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 301 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 29 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I am curious who posted this recipe and it’s history. I have made this every year since 2002. The family won’t let me get by without making it. Always excellent reviews from everyone. My kids have grown up on it, and now my grandkids. A big thank you to whoever posted it over 20 years ago. All I can say is try it, you won’t be disappointed!
FABULOUS! For the past few years I had been using the Maple Glazed Turkey recipe from this site (which is wonderful), but this year I wanted to try something new. I followed the directions exactly, except I adjusted for my smaller turkey. The results were incredible! Hands down the best gravy (if you take the time to follow that portion of the recipe) I have ever tasted. My family agreed.
I have been making this recipe for the last 15 years, since everybody loves it. I did make a few changes, albeit minor ones. For the butter, I tend to melt it and then add the dry Sage and Thyme. Then, brush the bird all over with melted seasoned butter. The recipe calls for fresh Sage and Thyme, but dry works fine. By adding the Thyme to the butter, it will eventually drip down into the onion mixture anyways. I also don’t sautee the onions, I just throw them into the bottom of the pan with at least 3 cups chicken stock. Tent the bird from the get go, cook for 30 minutes at 400, then lower to suggested temp. After 1 hour, spoon chicken stock from the bottom of pan on the bird. Do this every half hour until bird is almost ready. Then brush bird with apricot glaze and cook for 30 minutes uncovered. By tenting so early on, your turkey will be tender.
This is a keeper. I’ve done other recipes but keep coming back to this. The gravy is outstanding. I have read that some folks think it’s extra effort but I say “nay nay” …. If you like to cook, this is simple. I LOVE to cook and it’s effortless. You get what you put into it, right? Thanks for sharing the recipe (no matter where it originated, as stated by a previous reviewer). It’s awesome…..period.
Turned out awesome. We even added some habonaro to the apricot glaze.
Delicious. I did cook it breast down so the breat would be juicy. My family was really impressed and loved the taste. It seemed to be a lot of work. It’s was worth it and definitely will make again. Thanks for the recipe!
Overall I’m really glad I made this. The glaze wasn’t overly sweet and although the rub kept the meat moist it didn’t really get flavor into the meat. The gravy had definate onion/shallot flavor and was very good over mashed potatoes.
I have been making this for 13 years and my family loves it! I’ve never thought to use any other recipe. Thanks!!
I make this every year for Thanskgiving and it makes a beautiful looking and amazing tasting bird. I always have tons of leftover glaze and freeze it for next time. I go light so it’s not over powering the turkey and gravy flavor. We absolutely LOVE the gravy. My kids won’t eat it but they won’t eat any type of gravy. If you purchase a 22 pound bird the times listed are spot on. Can’t wait to make it again this year!
I love this recipe so much, I have made it every Thanksgiving for probably the last 6 years. It’s always a hit.
This recipe changed my life. Seriously! I made it about 8 years ago for the first time and have never made another since. The gravy especially is asked for and talked about yearly. I actually hate gravy….except this one which I could drink straight. I make the recipe just as it says.
This Turkey has great flavor! I have made it every year for Thanksgiving for the past 5 years.
I’ve been making this my Thanksgiving turkey this way for a number of years now and it always turns out perfect and is met with rave reviews from my guests. It is a little labor intensive, but well worth it.
I made this turkey for Thanksgiving 2 years ago, and now I am volunteered every Thanksgiving and Christmas to make this. Highly recommended for a someone that loves to cook!
I used a smaller turkey and followed the cooking instructions on the bag rather than those indicated in the recipe. The only changes in the whole recipe were dried sage, and chicken bouillon cube + water for the stock. Fiance and son loved it, I found the glaze a little sweet and it overpowered the herbs in the herb butter rub. This was my second turkey, and it was a success this time. Nice recipe if you want a change from traditional.
Didn’t give it 5 stars because it was changed slightly. Used a small turkey (11 lbs), but kept the herb butter and glaze as written. didn’t make the gravy. We made this in a roaster, so the glaze didn’t get brown, but it had great flavor! The herb butter gave the turkey great flavor and we roasted it breast-down so the meast was nice and moist. Brushed glaze on, then served reserved glaze at the table so we could spread it on our meat as desired. will definitely make again!
This is the second year I made this turkey.. My family just loves it, even a very picky son-in-law who usually does not like turkey went back for seconds of it.
I first made this in 1991 and we have been using this recipe about once a year since then. Everyone always likes it.
I had a craving for turkey so I bought a whole bone-in breast. I didn’t want it to taste like my normal Thanksgiving turkey, so I tried this recipe. It was wonderful. I have to admit that I left out the sage because I wanted the sweetness of the apricots and onions without any interference. This was a great, different taste for turkey (of which I’m usually not a big fan, I make it normally once a year). I’ll definitely use this recipe again. Thanks Christine!
Have done this for a couple of years now, the whole family asks for it by name “Ma Lipo’s turkey please.” Usually only bast once with the apricot glaze to cut down on the sweetness. Even my son, who hates onions, loves this gravy. Turkey always turns out so moist and yummy.
didn’t make the gravy, but the turkey was delicious, very moist & flavorful.