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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 am cooking this tomorrow for the in laws. Just wondering, is the meat thermometer stuck in the thigh or the breast? I saw both methods and this doesn’t specify. I also wonder as traditional recipes call for 180 in the thigh, and lately I’m coming across sites that claim 155 – 165 in the thigh is plenty and anymore would dry the bird. How do you do it?
Hey Paula! I stick mine in the breast and I cook it to at least 165 degrees F. but please do what feels best to you! Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this! Thanks!
Hi Tieghan, I’m planning on using this recipe for Thanksgiving this year (it looks amazing!). I’m going to do everything according to the recipe, but I have a big family and my parents want to do 2 (14-16) pound turkeys. Would you recommend changing anything to accommodate 2 turkeys? Thanks so much!!
Hey Meghan! No need to change anything, just make sure the turkeys are cooked through before cutting. Are you cooking them in 2 ovens? if so the recipe should be fine as is. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love these! Thanks!
I just made this turkey this past weekend for my pre-Thanksgiving celebration with my roommates and friends. This is only my second time roasting a whole turkey on my own, and this is the most moist and flavorful turkey I’ve ever had (rave reviews from the friends and roomies as well)! The cheesecloth is GENIUS. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe and for such easy to follow instructions! I’ve already bookmarked this to make it again next year.
WOW!! So happy it went so well!! I couldn’t be happier to hear this!! Thank you so so much!!
I bought a Butterball Turkey. Can I still use your amazing recipe or will it be too much butter using the buttered cheesecloth?
HI Barbara!! I think using a butterball turkey will be fine. I have not done it, but I don’t dee what the issue would be. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this and happy Thanksgiving! ?
Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe! This is the second year I’ve made this (we do Thanksgiving early) and both times it turned out so beautiful and delicious. I’m wondering if you can add in the instructions to stuff some sage and thyme into the bird cavity (you mention it in the ingredient list and pictures but not below). Happy Holidays!!
I agree with you Liz T. I am making this dish and I don’t know how many (herbs) I should stuff in the turkey…? Can you advise? Thank you so much! I am very excited to try this recipe!!
Hi Jenny! I use use and handful of each each so, 2-3 thyme springs and sage leaves. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you the turkey and happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks so much for sharing these recipes! I made both the turkey and gravy and they were amazing! I actually used a brined turkey with your recipe and it was the best turkey I’ve ever had! Everyone raved about it and I’ll be making it every year. 🙂
Thank you Jessie!! I’m so happy you liked them!! WOW! So nice!! SO happy it was a hit!
So this will be my second time using this recipe for my Thanksgiving bird! It was a hit last year – and it was my FIRST time ever doing a turkey!!
Can’t wait to do it again! This is gonna be in the recipe cooks for many years to come 🙂
I am so glad you are loving this recipe and it made its way into your family traditions! Thank you Cindy!
Hi! I don’t know if you would know the answer to this question. It’s similar to the one just above me. Would the turkey end up being weird if I brined it AND covered it in the cheesecloth? I found a brine recipe that I would love to try, but I also love this turkey recipe!
Hey Lindsay! I have never brined a turkey, so I am unsure. That said, I am sure you can brine it and use a cheesecloth. I don’t see why that would not work out great. Let me know if you have questions. Happy Thanksgivng!
Hello,
I love this recipe! I am going to brine my bird instead of using a cheesecloth. Planning to use this same herb/butter rub. Do you think that I can use the same roasting method? I like a crisp skin. Thinking the brine will replace the moisture that would be preserved using the cheesecloth. What do you think?
Hey Jennifer! To be honest, I have never brined a turkey, so I really cannot say what the result will be. I would think the cooking time and temp would be similar, but again I do not know for certain. Hope you love the turkey and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hey Tieghan!
I love your blog. Just curious: with the butter soaked cheesecloth method, I know the skin browns but is it able to get crispy?
Thanks!!
HI Madeleine! Thank you so much, you are so sweet! 🙂
Yes! The skin gets perfectly brown and crisp! It is surprising, but ti totally works. Let me know if you have questions. Thank you! 🙂
Hi! This looks great – can you recommend a cheesecloth brand to use?
Thanks so much!
Kat
Thank you, Kathleen! I like to buy this cheesecloth: https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Acres-Unbleached-Cheese-Cloth/dp/B00JS70WEU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1479274024&sr=8-4&keywords=cheesecloth Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks again!
Hi Tieghan! I’ve been following your blog for well over a year now and I love it and it has never failed me.
Can I adapt this recipe for JUST a bone-in turkey breast? I would love to cook this up for my family this Thanksgiving. It’s my first time cooking! Eek. Thank you!
Hey Crystal!! Thank you so much! 🙂
I have not tried this with a turkey breast, but I think it would be delish! Just adjust the cooking time for cooking only a turkey breast. Let me know if you have questions. Happy to help. Hope the turkey is a hit! 🙂
Thanks so much. Would you recommend browning the turkey breast (about 7-8 pounds) at 450 and then lowering the temperature to 350 after 40 minutes or would you only roast the turkey at 350? Thanks again! I think you’re awesome!
sorry–just saw previous posts with the same question. NO brining! I am choosing this recipe for my first Thanksgiving!!! AHHHH..wish me luck…
Thank you! I hope you love the turkey and please let me know if you have any questions!
I hope it goes well for you Victoria! Thanks!
Quick question–did you brine the turkey prior? If so, wet or dry? plz explain! thnks
Nope, no brining is needed. Thanks! 🙂
So, I only cover the turkey with the cheese cloth while it cooks ? or with a lid as well ? and the cheese cloth wont stick to the skin ?
Total bird noob .. hah
Hey Danielle!! Yes, just use the cheesecloth while baking, no need to cover the turkey and nope, the cloth will not stick. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! 🙂
This was AHmazing ! thank you so much. This will be made every turkey dinner from now on !
YES! SO happy to hear that!