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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
This looks amazing! I love your recipes! 🙂 I was wondering if anyone tried the cheesecloth method with a goose before? Would that work?
Hey Beata,
So sorry, I have never cooked a goose before so I am unsure of the results. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Thank you Tieghan! Turkey perfection as promised. So shocked and happy✨?????
Thank you so much MJ! I am really glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
I just made my first every turkey following this recipe and it was incredible! I did brine the turkey the day before, and followed the rest of this recipe exactly. Very juicy, tender turkey, perfectly crispy skin. Thank you so much for the easy to follow recipe!
Thank you Mary Lou! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
The best, most moist turkey breast ever! Thank you for the tip about soaking in cheesecloth. Amazing!!!
Thank you so much Anne! xTieghan
I found this recipe in 2018 and yesterday was our third Thanksgiving eating it. The gravy is so rich and delicious! My whole family approves of this and it’s now my go to turkey recipe. Thanks!
Thank you so much Sarah! xTieghan
I have made this recipe two years in a row! This year was the best due – moist, flavorful and so delicious. The turkey was ready very quickly which meant it had to rest a little longer. So, so good!
Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you so much Kathleen! xTieghan
Tried this turkey recipe for Thanksgiving and it was THE BEST turkey I have ever cooked. I bought a 23lb brined turkey. Roasted it at 450 for 45 minutes and then 350 for 3h 45 minutes. It came out perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe! It is a game changer!
Thank you for trying this one, Pamela! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This Turkey recipe is AMAZING! I used it when cooking a very old bird during the start of COVID19 and it turned out incredible! Did it yesterday and it was perfect – I cooked a 22lb Turkey and after the 45mins at 450F I only needed an additional 2hrs 15mins at 350F (for those who cook a bigger bird) We had a lot of HBH sides and the Brussels sprouts with cider vinaigrette was my favorite! The Winter Pomegranate salad with candied walnuts is another of our go to recipes from this site. Thanks Tiegan – we appreciate your creativity!
Hi Lee! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
I’ve been trying different turkey recipes each year, and none have been memorable. This one, however- YUM! Tasty and easy, thank you! Plus, the make-ahead white wine gravy was a great idea and helped keep everything simple on Thanksgiving day so I could enjoy hanging out by the fire with my family.
Thank you so much Katrin! I am really glad you enjoyed this one! xTieghan
EXCELLENT! Made this turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday – was fantastic! Flavors were deep and full, meat was totally tender. Loved the lemon infused flavor. Technique so friendly to do same day with no days out brining. Also made HBH stuffed dates, hasselback butternut squash, and bourbon pecan pumpkin pie [omgosh delicious!]. ALL of these recipes are “keepers” for our family! Many thanks Teighan!! Lee M
Ah I am so happy you made so many of my recipes and loved them! Thank you so much Lee! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Turkey came out so crispy with the cheesecloth- I was really amazed!! But I think the true winner was the gravy- it was packed with flavor!! Another winner from your site!
Thank you so much Sarah! I am so happy you loved this recipe! xTieghan
This was the first year I made a turkey using the cheesecloth soaked in herbs and butter. It did not disappoint! I followed the recipe to the letter and the turkey came out moist, golden brown and crispy. it was simply delicious!
Love to hear that! Thank you Annette! xTieghan
Fantastic recipe! I made the turkey and the gravy verbatim and it turned out wonderfully.
The cheesecloth was a huge hit and kept the turkey from drying out and burning. I will
probably be using this method from here on out. The gravy was full of flavor and the best
I’ve ever had. Shared the process on my Instagram and my friends and family loved this idea!
Thanks for sharing the recipe my whole family loved it!
I am so happy to hear that, Gillian! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This turned out really well! It was a fun way to keep the turkey moist. And I loved using all the fresh herbs and stuffing the cavity with the fresh ingredients.
Thank you Dawn! xTieghan
WOW – Just made thanksgiving dinner for my first time. This recipe, with the white wine gravy – were a HIT!! So delicious. New go to for sure!!!
Thank you so much Morgan! xTieghan