Herb Seasoned Turkey Recipes

THANKSGIVING PIONEER-STYLE HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
• Combine the butter, sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with half of the carrots, celery, and onion. Rub the entire turkey with herb butter and season 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 in the oven until lightly golden brown, 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the warm chicken stock every 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 160 degrees F, about 2 to 2 1/4 hours longer. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to baking sheet and tent loosely with foil, and let rest 20 minutes before slicing.
• For the sage gravy:
• Strain the cooking liquid from the roasting pan into a medium saucepan (should be about 4 cups, if not, add more stock to make 4 cups). Add the neck, bring to a boil, add the sage leaves, remove from the heat, and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove the sage leaves.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced. Whisk in the stock and cook until thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and chopped sage.

HERB-RUBBED TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove giblets from turkey; set aside. Loosen skin around turkey breast, leg and thigh. Combine seasonings; rub under skin, in body and neck cavities and over skin if desired. Place vegetables in the cavities. Skewer openings; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Roast, uncovered, at 325° for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 180° (cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly). Baste with pan drippings if desired., Remove papery skin from garlic bulbs (do not peel or separate cloves). Brush with 1 teaspoon oil. Wrap in heavy-duty foil. Roast at 325° for 1 hour or until garlic is soft. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut top off heads, leaving root end intact. Squeeze garlic into a bowl. Mash to a smooth paste; set aside., To make broth, cut reserved gizzard and heart into several pieces. (Save liver for another use or discard.) In a Dutch oven, saute neck, gizzard and heart in remaining oil over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Add the vegetables; cook until browned. Gradually add 6 cups of water, stirring to loosen browned bits. Tie peppercorns, cloves and herbs in a cheesecloth bag; add to pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours or until broth is reduced by half. Discard giblets and spice bag. Cool broth; strain, discard vegetables., When turkey is done, cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Pour drippings and any loosen browned bits into a measuring cup; skim fat. Add enough broth to measure 3 cups. In a saucepan, combine the cornstarch and remaining water until smooth. Add broth, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons roasted garlic. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove and discard turkey skin and vegetables in cavities before carving. Serve with gravy.

HERBED ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in lowest position. Remove packet of giblets and neck from cavity. Discard liver. Rinse remaining giblets and neck; refrigerate until ready to make broth.
• Turn turkey on its back and bend wing tips forward and underneath neck cavity of bird so they stay in place (you may have to break the bones).
• In a small bowl, combine parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, 4 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using your fingers, carefully loosen skin of breast and around thighs and rub herb mixture under skin of both.
• Season cavity with salt and pepper and loosely fill with lemons and rosemary sprigs. Using cotton kitchen twine, tie legs together so bird retains its shape and moisture during cooking.
• Pour cider in bottom of pan. Set roasting rack on top. Lift turkey onto rack, breast side up; rub with remaining tablespoon oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Tent turkey loosely with foil. Roast 1 hour. Uncover and continue to roast, basting frequently with pan juices, until an instant read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 170 degrees, 2 1/2 to 3 hours more. (Temperature will rise about 10 degrees as turkey rests.) Tent with foil if browning too quickly; add water if pan becomes dry. Cover loosely with foil, and let stand 30 minutes before carving. Serve with roasted vegetables.

HERB-SEASONED TURKEY

Steps:

• Mince rosemary leaves, parsley, and thyme to make 1 tablespoon each; reserving remaining sprigs for use in step 3.
• Combine olive oil, butter, minced herbs, salt and pepper; set aside.
• Remove and discard leg truss from turkey. Pull off and discard lumps of fat. Remove giblets and neck; discard. Rinse bird inside and out; pat dry.
• Tuck remaining fresh herb sprigs (see note above) and bay leaves inside body cavity.
• Place turkey, breast up, on a v-shaped rack in a 12- by 17-inch roasting pan. Retruss turkey legs, if desired.
• Brush entire bird with oil-herb mixture. Pour 1 cup of water in bottom of roasting pan (or enough to cover bottom). This water serves two purposes--steam rising from it will keep turkey moist, and it will keep drippings from sticking to bottom of pan (so you can make great gravy).
• Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil.
• Insert a meat thermometer through thickest part of turkey breast to the bone. (I tear a small hole and poke it through foil).
• Roast turkey in 325°F oven for 2 to 3 hours (depending on the size of your turkey. Cook until thickest part of turkey reaches 160°F taking foil off for the last 45 minutes.
• (If wing and leg tips start to get too dark before turkey is done, cover them with small pieces of foil.
• Transfer turkey to a platter.
• Let rest 15 to 30 minutes, then carve.
• Great tip for getting the fat off the top of drippings for gravy: Pour drippings into a heavy-duty zip-top bag (freezer bag works great). Set in a bowl or pan that will hold it upright and let it stand for 15 minutes so oil separates. Holding bag above your pan, snip a slit in very bottom corner of bag and let the juices run until you get to the oil. Pinch of end of bag and discard.

ROASTED BUTTER HERB TURKEY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine softened butter, poultry seasoning, garlic herb sauce mix, and crushed garlic. Use a fork to mix together until well combined. Cover and put in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes, until firm but not hard.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Arrange celery, carrots, and half of the diced onions in the bottom of a roasting pan. Add chicken broth and set aside.
• Rinse the thawed turkey and pat dry. Use your finger to carefully loosen the skin around the entire bird. Take the butter mixture and cut into large pieces. Place the butter pieces under the skin of the entire turkey. Rub the remaining butter pieces on the outside of the skin and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the inside of turkey cavity with remaining onions, fresh herb poultry blend, and lemon slices. (Truss if necessary.) Insert the pop-up thermometer at an angle about 3-inches down from the neck cavity and 2-inches from the breast bone, in the thickest part of the breast.
• Place turkey on the bed of vegetables in roasting pan. Place in the oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F. Roast for 1 hour, then baste with pan juices every 20 minutes until thermometer pops up or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 180 degrees F, about 3 hours.

EASY HERB-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Clean turkey (discard giblets and organs), and place in a roasting pan with a lid.
• In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic powder, dried basil, ground sage, salt, and black pepper. Using a basting brush, apply the mixture to the outside of the uncooked turkey. Pour water into the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover.
• Bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh measures 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove bird from oven, and allow to stand for about 30 minutes before carving.

SAVORY HERB RUB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Place oven rack in lowest position. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place roasting rack in shallow roasting pan. Mix sage, paprika, seasoned salt, garlic powder, pepper and nutmeg in small bowl.
• Place turkey, breast-side up, in prepared pan. Sprinkle about 1/2 of the seasoning mixture inside turkey. Stuff with onion and bay leaves. Brush turkey breast with oil. Spread remaining seasoning mixture over entire surface and under skin of turkey. Add 1/2 cup water to pan. Cover turkey loosely with heavy duty foil.
• Roast 1 hour. Remove foil. Roast 2 to 2 1/2 hours longer or until internal temperature reaches 165°F (175°F in thigh), basting occasionally with pan juices. Remove turkey from oven. Let stand 20 minutes. Transfer to platter or carving board to slice. Reserve pan juices to make gravy or to serve with turkey.

ROAST TURKEY WITH HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the lowest position. Make herb butter: In a small bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons butter with chopped herbs; season generously with salt and pepper.
• Prepare and stuff the turkey. Loosen skin: Working from the neck end, slide fingers under skin until you reach the end of the breast, being careful not to tear the skin; rub herb butter under the skin. Fill neck cavity: Place turkey breast side down. Fill neck cavity with stuffing; avoid packing. Close up by folding skin over and fastening with skewers or trussing needles. Tuck wings: Turn turkey over; bend wing tips underneath bird so they stay in place (you may have to break the bones). Loosely fill large cavity with stuffing. Tie legs: Using cotton kitchen twine, tie legs together securely (they will overlap) so bird retains its shape and moisture during cooking.
• Cut neck into pieces; mix with carrots, onions, celery, and 2 cups water in a large roasting pan. Set roasting rack over vegetables in pan.
• Lift turkey onto rack; rub with remaining tablespoon butter. Season generously with salt and pepper. Tent turkey loosely with foil. Roast 1 hour, then baste every 30 minutes with pan liquids, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 125 degrees, about 3 hours.
• Remove foil; raise oven heat to 400 degrees. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until thigh reaches 180 degrees, 45 to 60 minutes more. Tent with foil if bird browns too quickly; add more water if pan becomes dry. Transfer turkey to a serving platter; cover loosely with foil, and let it rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

TIFFANY'S HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Shake flour in Reynolds® Oven Bag; place in large roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Spray inside of bag with nonstick cooking spray, if desired to reduce sticking with large turkeys.
• Add vegetables to oven bag. Remove neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey, pat dry and brush with oil. Combine seasonings in a small bowl; sprinkle and rub evenly over turkey.
• Place turkey in oven bag on top of vegetables.
• Close oven bag with nylon tie; cut six 1/2-inch slits in top. Insert meat thermometer through slit in bag into thickest part of inner thigh not touching the bone. Tuck ends of bag in pan.
• Bake according to times below* or until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees F.
• Let stand in oven bag 15 minutes. Cut open top of bag. Use two carving forks, inserting one in each end, to lift turkey from bag.

GARLIC AND HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Pat turkey dry. Combine the seasonings and garlic; rub over the outside and inside of turkey. Place lemon and orange wedges in cavity. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan., Bake at 325° for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan drippings. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly. Remove turkey to a serving platter; Cover and let stand for 20 minutes before carving., Pour pan drippings and loosened brown bits into a measuring cup. Skim fat, reserving 2 tablespoons. Add enough water to measure 2 cups. In a small saucepan, combine flour and fat until smooth. Gradually stir in drippings. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with turkey.

HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• 1. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.
• 2. Combine the butter, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• 4. Put 4 cups of the chicken stock in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
• 5. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with half of the carrots, celery, and onions. Rub the entire turkey with the herb butter and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• 6. Scatter the remaining vegetables on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Fit a rack over the vegetables and put the turkey on top of the rack. Pour the remaining 2 cups stock into the bottom of the roasting pan and carefully put the pan in the oven. Roast until the turkey is light golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• 7. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting, basting with the warm chicken stock every 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 160°F, about 2 1/2 hours longer.
• 8. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to a large cutting board, and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
• 9. Strain the stock in the bottom of the roasting pan through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or paper towels into a medium saucepan. Discard the solids. Boil the stock until reduced to a sauce consistency. Arrange the turkey on a large platter and drizzle with the reduced stock.