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It’s finally time for Turkey Talk!! I LOVE this herb and butter roasted turkey with white wine pan gravy.
Like November is here! I have only been waiting for this day since like, the beginning of August! I am such a freak, I mean who starts thinking about the holidays in the heat of the summer? Basically what I’m trying to say is that this post has been a long time coming.
While everybody was enjoying all the things that go along with October, I was roasting turkeys, mashing potatoes and eating Thanksgiving dinner. Or well, at least towards the end of October I was. I try to be on top of things, but then somehow I always fail.
UGH.
But hey! I got the turkey made and um, I am pretty dang happy with it. I mean, come on. Doesn’t it look perfect?!?!
It is!!
Ok, so here’s the deal. When it comes to the holidays, I am all about traditional. I love traditions and to be honest, I don’t like breaking them. That said, I do love to switch little things up just a little with things like side dishes and desserts. But the turkey?
The turkey has to be classic. Herbs and butter. Nothing fancy, nothing overdone. Just classic, simple and delicious flavors.
For as long as I can remember, my mom has always cooked the Thanksgiving bird. Even last year, she cooked the turkey. She is a good turkey roaster and we had a good thing going. I’d do the sides + desserts + apps and she handled the turkey…although last year, I do recall that she and my dad were out hiking for most the time the turkey was cooking leaving me to tend to it.
Actually, as I recall, she and dad were still hiking when people began arriving for dinner. Typical.
Anyway, I love my mom’s classic turkey, so I took inspiration from her, read a whole bunch online and then made some turkeys (yup plural, and I still have three more to make between now and Christmas). And you guys, I swear by this turkey you see here today.
It’s perfection and I could not be more excited about it.
As you can read from the title, Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey with White Wine Pan Gravy, my turkey is simple and traditional. Pretty sure it doesn’t get much more classic than this.
Just the way I like it.
The secret to my turkey is a butter soaked cheesecloth. I read about this method of cooking the bird in this month’s Food and Wine. The second I read about it, I knew I had to try it. It’s flipping genius!
You soak a layer of cheesecloth in melted butter (mine is full of fresh thyme, sage, parsley and lemon zest!) and then drape the butter soaked cheesecloth over the bird. Then you roast the turkey with the cheesecloth ON the bird. The cloth protects the skin from burning all while basting the turkey with butter the entire time it roasts.
Genius I tell you, and the skin comes out perfect, the meat is incredibly moist and the flavor is spot on! You do not even need to tent the bird with foil, the butter soaked cheesecloth works magic guys and it could not be easier.
Soo the gravy though?!? My mom has alway has always had trouble with gravy. Like it was either clumpy, too thin or flavorless. I get it, gravy can be hard, but this pan gravy will make your life simple. Nothing too tricky and it gets made in the very same pan you roast the turkey in. Hello less dishes – YES!
Plus, the flavor is out of this world. It’s all about those pan drippings. 🙂
So are you excited yet?? Are you going to start planning Thanksgiving? It’s T-minus twenty days away and I have then next couple weeks packed with my personal Thanksgiving menu. Think sweet taters, pies, cookies, mashers, casseroles, salad, bread and the works. I may even throw a few drinks your way this holiday season too.
Wait, question: are we into drinks? Like cocktails? With booze? Let me know.
It’s gonna be a really good November. But since Turkey is the star of the show, I figured I would start there.
Next up are the apps, sides, desserts and a couple easy dinners too (you know cause we all gotta eat between now and the big day – duh!).
YUM. Did you break out the stretchy pants yet, cause I think it may be time. I am full-force (like intensely so) in all holiday GO mode, so excited!
SIDE NOTE: My dad asked, since we had turkey in October, if that meant we could skip it at Thanksgiving. I practically looked at him like he was insane. I mean, what??!? Who skips the turkey on Thanksgiving? Guys, he is out of his mind I tell ya. Like losing it BIG TIME.
Or he’s just a giant Scrooge, thinking a combo of both actually.
Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey with White Wine Pan Gravy.
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 671 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 (14-16) pound turkey, giblets and neck removed
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage, plus more for stuffing the bird
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, plus more for stuffing the bird
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 piece large of double lined cheesecloth
- 2 lemons, halved
- 1 garlic head, tips sliced off
- 1 onion, halved
- 7-8 cups low sodium chicken or turkey broth
White Wine Pan Gravy
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- drippings from the turkey
- 2-3 cups low sodium chicken or turkey broth, as needed
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- 1. Remove the turkey from the fridge one hour before roasting. Remove the giblets + neck and allow to come to room temperature.2. Make the butter. In a medium bowl, combine the 1 stick butter, the sage, thyme, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. 3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan.4. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with the, lemons, garlic and onion. Gently lift the skin of the turkey by using your fingers and going in between the skin and body of the bird. Rub the herb butter under the skin of the bird, spreading some of the butter on top of the skin as well. Take the remaining 1 stick butter and melt it over the low heat on the stove or in the microwave. Dampen your cheesecloth with warm water and squeeze dry. Submerge the cheesecloth in the melted butter, making sure all the cheese cloth has soaked up the butter. Lay the cheesecloth over the bird, covering most of the bird. Drizzle any remaining butter over the turkey.5. Pour 4 cups of chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting plan. Place the roasting pan in the oven and roast for 45 minutes at 450 degrees F. After 45 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and continue cooking for another 2 hours (until the turkey registers 160 F. on a meat thermometer), adding 1-2 cup of broth half way through roasting. I like to baste the turkey with the drippings 2 times throughout cooking and when doing so rotate the roasting pan.6. Remove the turkey from the oven and remove the cheesecloth, transfer the turkey to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil and let rest 20-30 minutes before slicing.7. Make the gravy. Strain the liquid from the roasting pan, skimming off most of the fat. I like to pour the broth into a 4 cup measuring cup and then place in the freezer for 10 minutes. This helps the fat rise to the top of the surface. Once you have skimmed the fat, add enough broth to equal about 4-5 cups total of drippings/broth.8. Place the roasting pan over two burners and add a splash of wine (about 1/2 cup) to deglaze the pan. You want to scrape up all those brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is throughly deglazed, add the butter and once melted, add the flour whisking to combine. Cook stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden, around 5 minutes.9. Increase heat to medium high and add the remaining 1/2 cup of white wine, whisking as you go to let the wine reduce down. Slowly add reserved broth, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the sage and cook, continuing to stir, until the gravy has thickened to your desired thickness, around 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm with the turkey.
Notes
To save a little time, you can prepare the compound butter up to a week in advance. Just store, covered in the fridge until ready to use.
Here is the cheesecloth I use.
That picture? It makes you happy and excited, right?? I know, me too!!
This post was originally published on November 2, 2015
I been using this recipe for years now, and it’s the best!!!! Thank you!!!!
Thank you! So glad you love this! xTieghan
Andrea, I had the same question a few years ago! Here is the response… December 23, 2016 at 9:56 PM
Hi Leslie, I would roast at 425 for 45 minutes and then 325 for the remaining time. Let me know if you have other questions.
Any temp/timing adjustments you’d recommend for a convection oven? Looking forward to trying this recipe this weekend!
Hi Andrea! I am sorry, I am really not familiar with convection ovens so I do not feel comfortable advising you on this. So very sorry! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Hi! Just wondering how I would adjust the recipe for a 8-10 ish pound bird?
Also any recommendations on a turkey roasting pan?
Going to attempt to cook a turkey for the first time in my life! I know I’ll be safe going with one of your recipes, since they’re the only ones I ever use. Nothing ever turns out bad! Always delish 🙂
Although I’m still nervous, any tips for a turkey cooking newbie?
For some reason I wasn’t able to reply to your comment above.
It would be about a 5 lb chicken, so probably a little more than half of the turkey you used.
It’s very hard to give you a cooking time without testing the recipe using a chicken. I would think you would cook around an hour and half. Hope this helps!
This looks so good!! I want to make this for our New Year’s Eve dinner. How would the temperature/cooking time/ingredient portions differ if I were to use a chicken instead of a turkey?
HI! It is very hard to say when I dont know the size of the chicken. Will is be the same size or smaller?
Tieghan, GIRL!!! This is some of the best turkey I’ve EVER had! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I have to be honest though, I have a love/hate relationship with this turkey. It’s TOO good. I made this once for family dinner to help celebrate my husband’s birthday and now his family expects it for every major holiday!! FML. -_-
Still this a great problem to have! Thanks again!
Hi Ashley! I am so glad this turned out so amazing for you and your husbands family! That is so great! Thank you!
I made my first turkey this past Thanksgiving using your recipe and it turned out wonderfully! Thank you!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Dionisia! Thank you!
I made this turkey and gravy recipe and it was the best turkey I have ever made!! Thank you!
Wow that is so amazing! Thank you Anne!
Incredible recipe! I used your recipe for my bird this year and it was so flavorful and moist! Lots of compliments to you! I made a white wine gravy with the drippings but used Ina Garten’s make ahead gravy recipe (also white wine based) – it was a great time saver without sacrificing big flavor! That combined with the flavors in the compound butter used on the turkey made for a stellar gravy. Thank you!
I am so glad it turned out so amazing for you Sarah! Thank you so much!
Followed entire recipe to a “T” and it wad hands down the best turkey and gravy I have ever served… family loved it. You have a local follower here, thank you!
Wow I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much LeeAnn!
I tried this method just as instructed and my turkey caught fire- not kidding!!! Within about 20 minutes of placing in the oven the butter sailed chesese cloth was in flames.
Hi Christine! I am so sorry to hear that, but I am not exactly sure what would have gone wrong. Could you give me more detail so I can help? Thank you
Just love to fry and roast food. This is a great recipe for roasting the Thanksgiving Day Turkey using organic spices and herbs…
Thank you! I am so glad you liked this recipe!
Let me start by saying that I had never cooked a turkey before and I’m a pretty novice cook but this was SO easy and was insanely delicious. I have never had a better turkey in my life.
Hi Arianne! I am so glad this turned out so amazing for you! I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving!
Thank you! Came out perfectly!
Thank you Bianca!