Perfect Citrus Turkey And Gravy
Serves: 5
Meagan Lindgren
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
48
Spice
47
Sweetness
67
Sourness
40
mins
Prep time (avg)
5.1
Difficulty
Ingredients:
1 cup
Chives (chopped)2 tbsps
Coarse Salt1 small
Orange (halved)1 small
Grapefruit (halved)1 cup
White Wine2 cups
Chicken Stock1 tbsp
Dijon Mustard2 tbsps
CornstarchDirections:
1
Take the turkey out of the refrigerator and leave it to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes prior to preparing and cooking
2
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F
3
In a mixing bowl, add the 1/2 cup softened butter, lemon zest and chopped chives
4
Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon half into the butter
5
Stir to combine
6
Season with salt and pepper
7
Prepare the turkey: Remove the inner packet of giblets from the cavity and set aside
8
Run your fingers underneath the skin of the breast to make a little pocket between the skin and the flesh
9
Using your fingers, scoop up some of the lemon-chive butter and push the butter under the skin, filling up the pockets
10
Do the same thing on the legs
11
Once each pocket has been filled, take the rest of the butter and rub it all over the outside of the bird
12
Sprinkle about a tablespoon and a half of coarse salt on top
13
Insert the halved lemons, orange and grapefruit into the cavity of the turkey
14
Insert as much of the citrus as you can
15
Give each piece a little squeeze as you insert them to get the juices distributed
16
(You may have to leave some out depending on the size of the cavity
17
Use any extra citrus for garnish later
18
) Remove the giblets from the packet, rinse and pat dry
19
Place the giblets on the bottom of a large roasting pan
20
Place the turkey on top of the giblets
21
Tuck the wings under the turkey
22
Place the turkey in a preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes
23
Then, turn down the heat to 350 degrees F and roast for about another 2 hours, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 175 to 180 degrees F
24
(The general rule is to cook a turkey about 15 minutes per pound
25
) Remove the bird from the pan onto a carving board or platter and cover with foil to keep warm
26
Allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving
27
Place the roasting pan over low heat on the stovetop
28
Add white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan
29
Pour in the chicken stock
30
Whisk the cornstarch into it
31
Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the Dijon mustard
32
Whisk well to combine
33
Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until thick and smooth, about 8 minutes
34
Bring your turkey to room temperature to ensure that the bird will cook evenly
35
Stuffing a turkey with fruit keep the bird moist and acts as a secondary cooking agent
36
As the juice of the fruit steams inside the cavity, it helps cook the bird from the inside
37
The juices also help to flavor the pan juices used for making the gravy
38
Stuffing butter between the skin and the flesh, keep the meat moist and flavorful
39
The butter and salt on the outside help create a tasty, crispy skin
40
I like to use the giblets as a platform for the bird
41
It stops the bottom of the bird from burning and adds flavor to the pan juices
42
A good rule for roasting times is to plan on roasting a turkey for about 15 minutes per pound
43
A meat thermometer is the best tool for figuring out if your turkey is fully cooked