Apple And Honey Flavored Roasted Turkey Recipes

APPLE & HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Combine sage and rosemary. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey breast; rub herbs under the skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks., Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Place apple, onion and celery in turkey cavity. Brush turkey with butter., Roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 3 to 3-1/2 hours. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.) Remove turkey from oven; brush with apple jelly. Tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before removing toothpicks and carving.

EASY, NO FUSS THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. I like to give myself 1 extra day, just to be safe.
• Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.
• Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You'll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)
• Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
• Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
• Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
• Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.
• Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn't need to be completely melted--just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.
• Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees.
• (I remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees. Then, I tent it with foil, and let it rest on the counter. It will continue cooking under the foil, to reach 165 degrees F.)
• ***Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.
• Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/how-to-carve-a-turkey/
• Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.

HONEY-APPLE TURKEY BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small saucepan, combine apple juice concentrate, honey and mustard. Cook over low heat 2-3 minutes or just until blended, stirring occasionally., Place turkey breast on a rack in a foil-lined shallow roasting pan; pour honey mixture over the top., Bake, uncovered, 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 170°, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.) Cover and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

APPLE-SAGE ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small saucepan, combine apple cider, jelly and butter. Cook and stir until butter is melted. Remove from heat and set aside., In a small bowl, combine minced sage and butter. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey breast; rub butter mixture under the skin. Brush turkey with apple cider. Sprinkle salt and pepper over turkey and inside cavity., Place apples, onion and sage leaves inside the cavity. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan., Bake, uncovered, 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, basting occasionally with cider mixture. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly. Cover and let stand 20 minutes before slicing. Freeze option: Place sliced turkey in freezer containers; top with any cooking juices. Cool and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a covered saucepan, gently stirring and adding a little broth or water if necessary.

HONEY-GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Bake for 2 hours., In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients; brush over turkey. Bake 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 hours longer or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°. Baste occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.), For stuffing, in a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook and stir until tender. Add stuffing cubes and seasonings; toss to combine. Stir in enough boiling water to reach desired moistness; transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake, covered, for 1 hour. Uncover and bake until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes longer., Remove turkey from oven; cover loosely with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. If desired, skim fat and thicken pan drippings for gravy. Serve with turkey and stuffing.

APPLE AND HERB INFUSED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• 1. Thaw turkey in fridge until you can remove the packet gravy mix, livers - etc, thermometer, and that plastic piece that ALWAYS gives me fits trying to take off.
• 2. For Injection: Place all ingredient in a microwave-safe bowl EXCEPT cider. Microwave for 2 minutes.
• 3. Let rosemary steep in the hot liquid about 10 minutes.
• 4. Add the cider, then place in the refrigerator. This is an important step - you don't want to inject a cold turkey with hot liquid.
• 5. Prep your veggies. Core apple and quarter. Remove peel from onion and cut in half. Cut carrot and celery into approx 3-inch pieces. Cut rosemary into 2 smaller sprigs. Smash garlic. At this time I go ahead and slice the other clove of garlic into thin slices. It will basically melt away with the butter under the skin.
• 6. Place veggies, fruit, rosemary sprigs, and smashed garlic in cavity.
• 7. Separate the skin from the breast as best you can. For me it makes the job easier to use a long rubber spatula handle to reach further.
• 8. Place the thin butter slices, and garlic slices evenly under both sides of the breast skin. The spatula handle comes in handy for this as well.
• 9. Use last tab of butter to spread all over exposed turkey. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Don't overdo it. You will have a lot of flavor going into the turkey with the injection.
• 10. With your injector, at even intervals, inject your turkey with the cider, herb, and spice mixture. Be sure to not only inject the breasts but the legs and thighs as well. You probably will not use the entire amount. I had a large turkey and had a little over 1/4 cup left.
• 11. I chose to use a cooking bag, but if you prefer to baste you can add the remaining liquid to your roasting pan. More juices will accumulate as you go, so you will have plenty of basting liquid to work with.
• 12. Spray non-stick cooking spray inside the roasting bag and dust with a little flour. Place the turkey in the roasting bag, rinse the roasting pot, and then place back into the roasting pan.
• 13. Cut six 1/2 inch slits on top of the bag.
• 14. Bake as recommended. For my turkey size, it is 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the bag. There are many sites where you can find the cooking times for your turkey.
• 15. After 3 hours, check the temperature. I check on the inside of the leg where the breast meets the thigh, in the upper thigh area. When the temp reaches 165, set aside and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
• 16. This will give you time to bake off your sides, and rolls, before slicing turkey.

APPLE AND HONEY FLAVORED ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Place the turkey as wrapped in the refrigerator for a day or two to defreeze.
• Unwrapped the turkey and place outside in a big pot; cover it with cold water, change the water every 30 minutes (it will take at least six hours to thaw);.
• Stick your hand in the cavity and remove any organs, or "things" you may find inside of the turkey cavity and trim excess fat.
• Under cold water, rub the turkey gently with your fingers to make sure it is clean.
• When the Turkey is clean, soak it with two squeezed lemon juice for 30 minutes and rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place the turkey, breast side up on roasting pan with rack.
• Into main cavity, sprinkle squeezed fresh lemon juice; add lemon peels and 1 bunch fresh thyme cavity. Fill the turkey body (main) cavity with apple slices.
• Tuck wings; tie legs together.
• Mix the paprika, garlic, black pepper and salt.
• Rub the skin and the cavity with the softened butter or oil, and season well with the mixed spices.
• Combine the apple juice, honey and the chicken or vegetable stock; stir until honey dissolves.
• Pour 3 cups of the mixed stock into the bottom of the roasting pan.
• Cover the turkey with an aluminum foil making it like a tent.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place turkey in oven and start roasting; remove aluminum foil after 2 ½ hours.
• Cover the turkey generously with the juices on the bottom of the pan; repeat glazing every 20 minutes. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 cup at a time.
• Roast until turkey is deep brown and thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F, it will take 2 ½ to 3 hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a large cutting board; remove the stuffing (the Apple slices, lemon peels and thyme) and let it stand for at least 20 minutes before carving. Serve it warm.

ROAST TURKEY WITH APPLE-BRANDY GRAVY

Steps:

• Combine the salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and the sugar in a small bowl. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and reserve for the gravy (discard the liver). Transfer the turkey to a rimmed baking sheet and pat dry. Season the skin and inside the cavity with the salt mixture. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
• Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and rinse off the salt mixture; pat dry. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Place the apple, half of the onions, 2 garlic halves, the lemon and about 10 thyme sprigs in the cavity of the turkey; tie the legs together with twine and place breast-side up in a roasting pan. Melt 2 sticks butter with 6 thyme sprigs in a small saucepan over medium heat. Divide the melted butter in half. Brush the turkey with half of the melted butter and tent with foil. Transfer to the oven and roast 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, combine the chicken broth, bay leaves, reserved neck and giblets, and the remaining chopped onion, 2 garlic halves and 4 thyme sprigs in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until reduced to about 4 cups, about 1 hour. Strain into a clean saucepan; set aside for the gravy.
• Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Divide the remaining melted butter in half (remelt if necessary). Uncover the turkey and brush with half of the melted butter. Return to the oven and continue roasting until browned and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Stir the honey into the remaining melted butter and brush all over the turkey; roast 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and brush with any remaining honey butter; let rest 30 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, make the gravy: Pour out the fat from the roasting pan and discard. Set the roasting pan on 2 burners over medium-high heat; add the apple brandy and hard cider. Cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
• Mix the flour and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl to make a paste; whisk into the roasting pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 25 minutes. Strain and keep warm over low heat. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

VERY MOIST AND FLAVORFUL ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces, quarter the pieces, and refrigerate butter until needed.
• Use your fingers to loosen the skin over the turkey breast and thighs. Cut a hole in the turkey skin between tail and body (to affix legs); cut a hole on each side of the turkey beneath each wing (to affix wings). Rub the entire skin with vegetable oil.
• Toss apple and onion wedges, garlic cloves, and celery in a large bowl until combined; sprinkle poultry seasoning over the apple mixture and toss again to coat. Stuff the body and neck cavities with the apple mixture. Insert each wing tip into the hole under the wing to secure wings; insert both legs into hole near tail to secure legs.
• Place turkey onto a rack and set in a roasting pan. Insert cold butter pieces under the loosened skin, distributing the butter as evenly as possible.
• Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 3 1/2 hours. Check for doneness after 3 hours.
• Remove roasting pan containing turkey from oven and cover with aluminum foil, lightly pressing the foil directly onto the bird. Let the turkey rest for 40 minutes before carving.

ROAST TURKEY WITH APPLE CIDER PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• For gravy base:
• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add turkey parts; sauté 10 minutes. Add onions, celery, and bay leaves; sauté until onions are soft, about 8 minutes. Add cloves, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg; stir 10 seconds. Add cider, broth, and apple; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain stock into medium saucepan. Discard solids. Stir honey and vinegar into gravy base. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.)
• For turkey:
• Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 500°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Sprinkle main cavity generously with salt and pepper. Place onion wedges, apple wedges, and crumbled bay leaves in cavity. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat of turkey to loosen skin. Rub 4 tablespoons butter over breast meat under skin. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Rub remaining 3 tablespoons butter over outside of turkey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Place turkey in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Roast turkey 1 hour; pour 1 cup chicken broth over turkey. Roast 1 hour, basting once with pan drippings. Pour 1 cup chicken broth over turkey. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting once with pan drippings and covering turkey loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer turkey to platter; cover loosely with foil. Let turkey rest 20 to 30 minutes (internal temperature of turkey will increase 5 to 10 degrees).
• Pour pan juices into large measuring cup. Spoon fat off top of pan juices and discard. Return pan juices to roasting pan; add gravy base. Place roasting pan over 2 burners and bring gravy to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until gravy is reduced to 31/4 cups, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits, about 15 minutes. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper. Strain gravy into bowl.
• Serve turkey with gravy.

MAPLE ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine apple cider and maple syrup in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until reduced to 1/2 cup, then remove pan from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon marjoram, and lemon zest. Stir in butter until melted, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until cold.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place rack in lower third of oven.
• Place turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan. Reserve 1/4 cup maple butter for gravy, and rub the remaining maple butter under the skin of the breast and over the outside of turkey. Arrange onion, celery, carrots turkey neck and giblets around the turkey. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon marjoram over vegetables. Pour 2 cups broth into pan.
• Roast turkey for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover entire turkey loosely with foil. Continue roasting for about 2 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Transfer turkey to platter, and let stand 30 minutes.
• Strain the pan juices into a large measuring cup, and then remove any excess fat. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Transfer liquid to a saucepan, and bring to boil. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup maple butter and 1/3 cup flour until smooth. Whisk flour and butter mixture into broth mixture. Stir in remaining thyme and the bay leaf. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in apple brandy, if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

HONEY SPICE ROAST TURKEY WITH APPLE PECAN STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Starting at back opening of turkey, gently separate skin from turkey breast, using fingers. In small bowl, stir together honey, 2 tablespoons melted butter, the chili powder, allspice and cumin; brush half of mixture over turkey breast under skin (reserve remaining honey mixture).
• In 4-quart Dutch oven, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium-high heat. Cook pecans in butter 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted. Lightly stir in apple, stuffing mix and apple juice until moistened.
• Stuff turkey just before baking. Fill wishbone area with stuffing first. Fasten neck skin to back with skewer. Fold wings across back with tips touching. Fill body cavity lightly with remaining stuffing. (Do not pack--stuffing will expand while cooking.) Tuck drumsticks under band of skin at tail, or tie together with heavy string, then tie to tail. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone. Do not add water.
• Cover with foil and bake 3 to 4 hours, uncovering and brushing with remaining honey mixture for last 30 minutes of baking, until thermometer reads 180°F and juice is no longer pink when center of thigh is cut. Drumsticks should move easily when lifted or twisted.
• Place turkey on warm platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Let stand at least 15 minutes for easiest carving. Cover and refrigerate any remaining turkey and stuffing separately.