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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 tried the cheesecloth because I was so intrigued….but, the cheesecloth became brown and I was scared for it to cas fire. I kept basting it , but still dried up. I don’ t know how this will turn up int the end, so, I will have to wait and watch it. Any comments on what is wrong is invited…please.
Hi Kathryne,
It is totally fine and normal for the cheesecloth to become brown. It will not catch fire or dry on the turkey. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This turned out so well! I loved it. Thanks for sharing! I will be making it again for sure… maybe this thanksgiving when my mom is in town. Hope you and yours are doing well through the pandemic.
https://travelonthefly.com/best-2-piece-carry-on-luggage-sets/
Thank you so much Heidi! xTieghan
Made this for Thanksgiving and was told by everyone it was the best turkey they have ever eaten! We will definitely be using this recipe for the years to come!!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for giving this a try, Chardea! xTieghan
Your photo shows shallots but they aren’t mentioned in your recipe. Can you please clarify? Thanks!
HI! No shallots, just onions. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
BUt you can of course toss in some shallots if you would like!
I made this turkey for Thanksgiving and it was great! It was juicy and the flavor was wonderful. It fed four of us that range from extremely picky eaters to not picky at all and everyone was happy with it. I never would have thought to use cheesecloth, but it worked out great. Thanks for the recipe, this was also my first year making a turkey and Thanksgiving dinner, so I’m thrilled I found this and it turned out perfect!
That is so great to hear! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, Amanda! xTieghan
This reception is beyond amazing. I did it with a 17 lb turkey and it was spot on. Everyone said it was the best turkey they ever had. The breast was so tender and juicy you could Slice it with a fork. Amazing!
YES! I am so glad you loved this Daina! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Tiegan!
2 questions for you – I tried to read through the comments, but couldn’t seem to locate the answer, so I hope I’m not asking you to repeat yourself!
1- Do you reuse your cheesecloth? Or do you use a new piece every time? If you reuse it, how do you care for it?
2- How do you carve/cut your turkey like you have it in the picture?! My parents have an actual carving knife, but I don’t (and don’t think I really need one). I’d love to make it look that nice.
Thank you!
Hi Lori!!
1. No I do not reuse the cheesecloth. I always throw it away after each turkey.
2. Below is a link to exactly how I carve my turkey!
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
https://video.bonappetit.com/watch/how-to-carve-a-turkey-not-at-the-dining-table
I have it in the oven now… at 450 for the 45min and the cheesecloth has turned dark brown… is this normal????
Hi Korena! Yes, this is totally fine. Did it turn out for you?
Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
I have made this turkey exactly as directed the last two years (last year my turkey was huge so we won’t count that one). This year I did two 15-16 pound turkeys and neither of them were done in the time you gave in the instructions. We ended up having barely any turkey bc we couldn’t eat the dark meat And part of the white meat even after putting in the oven for an extra hour and half more than what you instructed. I’m at a loss and I’m not sure what I did wrong. Can you help me out?
Hey Ashley! Did you roast the turkey’s together in the same oven? If so, you need to adjust for that timing wise as cooking the turkeys side by side will require MORE time for them to cook all the way through. I recommend using 2 ovens when cooking 2 turkeys for best results. So sorry you had trouble regardless!!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Best, most highly rated by my guests Turkey I have ever made and i’m sure that this must have been my 60th Turkey!
WOW that is so amazing to hear! Thank you for trying this recipe Jan! xTieghan
Made your herb and butter roasted turkey with white wine pan gravy this Thanksgiving and it was Fantastic!!!
Thanks for sharing these awesome recipes!
Thank you Cynthia! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
I have always brined my turkeys but with a broken ankle this seemed like a great recipe. I would not have to do my three day cooks.com recipe requiring lots of lifting. I Followed the recipe step by step which resulted in a tasteless turkey. For the first time my family were not fighting for leftovers. It looked beautiful but bland. It was a fresh range free turkey. Next year hopefully no broken ankle and back to brining!
Hi Diana! I am really sorry to hear that! Are there any questions I could help you with? xTieghan
I’d give this 10stars if I could! Wow, this is hands down, the absolute BEST turkey I’ve ever had. I was so shocked at how moist the turkey breasts were! I’ve only every had dry turkey breast that I’ve never actually picked them first, but these were eaten in one sitting, just my husband, 3yo and I! And that gravy… Incredible!! We will forever be using this recipe. And may even make this turkey when it’s not Thanksgiving or Christmas because it’s just THAT GOOD! The compound butter and the butter soaked cheesecloth, I think that’s the secret to the insanely moist and flavorful turkey. So good, Tieghan!
YES! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Felishia! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I just did this turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Excellent, easy, beautiful bird, and very good to eat. Thanks for making me look like I know what I was doing!!
Haha I am really glad this turned out so well for you Sue! Thank you! xTieghan
Yum! Used this recipe, portioned, for a 5lb turkey breast and it turned out perfectly delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Angela! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan