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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
Laura, I get mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond! It’s only $4.49! They are located where all the kitchen gadgets are! Ultra Fine 100% Natural Cotton. 9 Sq. FT. Works perfect every time!
I’m having a hard time finding cheese cloth that says “double lined”. Where did you get yours or do you think double layering the cheese cloth with suffice? All the ones on amazon say ultra fine etc.
I’m having a hard time finding cheese cloth that says “double lined”. Where did you get yours or do you think double layering the cheese cloth with suffice? All the ones on amazon say ultra fine etc.
Hey Laura! I linked my cheesecloth below. When I say double lined, I just mean using 2 pieces of cloth. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
https://rstyle.me/n/dbq3ggb9wzf
Do you remove the cheesecloth to baste the turkey, or baste over top of the cloth?
Hey Kelly! I baste over the cheesecloth. No need to remove it! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
This looks great! You mention stuffing the bird with garlic, onion, and lemons but do you think anything would be lost or not turn out as well if you stuffed the bird with traditional stuffing/dressing?
HI! I am not a fan of stuffing my turkey, so I can’t really advise on how that would work with this recipe. I think you will need to cook the turkey a bit longer in order for the stuffing to be fully cooked. So sorry I could not advise you better. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Does this still get brown with the cheesecloth on it or is there a point where I should remove it to make it the pretty brown you have? Also would this work with a bone in breast? I use Ina Garten’s breast recipe usually but maybe I could change it up!
Hey Kate! the skin gets browned even with the cheesecloth. you should leave the cheesecloth on the entire roasting time. Yes, you can use the cheesecloth on a bone-in breast, but adjust cooking time for a smaller turkey. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I am in the process of making this. Everything seems fairly easy to understand. My only issue so far is the butter spreading on top of the turkey before I put the soak cheesecloth. I patted the turkey dry but the butter was not wanting to spread. It was just falling off or clumped together. The turkey is in the oven. Wish me luck. Thank you for the recipe, I hope its a family tradition recipe.
I should add that I am doing this as a practice turkey. My husband and I have yet to find the perfect recipe we both like. I liked the cranberry, citrus with cheesecloth method, he liked the moistness of the turkey but not the skin taste. Which is his fav part. Too fruity for him. Since then its been thanksgiving at my mothers and she just shoves a turkey in a bag and is done for a few hours. Finger crossed.
Hi Michelle! I hope this turned out amazing for you. Please let me know!
Will this be just as good if I purchase a frozen turkey?
HI! Yes, just make sure to thaw the turkey before you begin cooking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Omg, I made this for Friendsgiving yesterday. Absolutely delicious! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much Kaylee! I am so glad you loved this!
Hi Tieghan,
I follow you on IG and picked off so many of your recipes! I am definetly going to try making my bird this way this year!
Question for you…. have you ever tried Capon? My family are not a fan of turkey so I always order Capon from my local
farmers market and ask them to spatchcock it for. I don’t think I would ever go back to making whole birds after discovering this method of cooking. I order two for how many I am feeding and we always have to have plenty leftovers for my son’s Mattwiches the next day! It seems to take some of the pressure off of cooking the day of because it takes about an hour and half till the Capon is done which frees up the oven when making the other sides! Love your IG! Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you your bird turns out amazing this way, Joann! Thank you so much!
I made the turkey this way last year and my husband LOVED it. Definitely making it this way again!
I am so happy to hear that! I hope this turns out perfectly for you!
This year will be my 3rd in a row making your turkey recipe. It’s the absolute best turkey I’ve ever had and it’s been a huge hit with my family. I’ve never we been impressed with the turkeys I had growing up. They were typically dry and flavorless. This recipe always turns out moist with to tons of delicious, herbal flavor. Thank you!!!
Wow this is so sweet! I am so glad you love this recipe and keep making it year after year. Thank you so much Sarah!
I love this idea! Can you use this method if you stuff
your turkey? Thank you!
Hey Karen! Stuffing the turkey will require different cooking times, so I am not sure how to advise. I personally do not like to stuff my turkey. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I will be making my trial turkey next week pre-thanksgiving! My boyfriend is so excited to try it (his family doesn’t eat turkey for thanksgiving! Criminal). For you questions about the cocktails, YES! BOOZE! But non-alcoholic ones are always appreciated too 🙂
I hope this turns out perfectly for you Brittanie! And I hope your boyfriend loves his first turkey on Thanksgiving! Thank you so much!
Probably a silly question but do you remove the brown bits after deglazing the pan or do they stay in the gravy? Thanks heaps! Can’t wait to try. And is a roasting pan special and lift the turkey off the base of the pan, or does the turkey sit in the 4 cups of broth?
HI! You should leave the browned bits in the roasting pan. They add lots of flavor to the gravy! The roasting pan should have a rack that fits inside it. The turkey sits on the rack. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan