Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

Learn how to roast, carve, and serve the perfect Thanksgiving turkey this holiday season. First get tips on buying, storing, thawing, and prepping your bird for Thanksgiving dinner, then check out our foolproof recipes for turkey brines, rubs, and glazes. Looking for something unusual? We even have step-by-step instructions for how to deep-fry your turkey to golden perfection.

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How to Stuff and Prepare a Thanksgiving Turkey

The secret is there is no secret. This simple method yields a flavorful, moist Thanksgiving turkey every time: spread butter under the skin, stuff loosely, season generously, and truss the legs. Here's a step-by-step guide.
By Laura Rege

Our Step-by-Step Guide to Cooking Turkey for Thanksgiving

For a perfectly moist and tender turkey, follow our advice. The result? A bird is the star at your Thanksgiving table.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Properly Brining a Turkey

Giving your Thanksgiving bird a bath in salt water isn't complicated, but there a few things to know before you start the brining process. Here, we outline exactly how to brine a turkey for delicious results. Follow our instructions to prepare a perfectly brined turkey and download our complete turkey guide for more Thanksgiving tips.
By Lynn Andriani

Pan Gravy

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Serve with our Turkey with Brown Sugar Glaze.

Maple-Glazed Turkey with Gravy

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This turkey's crunchy, sweet crust is the result of boiling down maple syrup until it's almost crystallized and then brushing it on the bird during the last hour of cooking.

Classic Brined and Roasted Turkey

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Brined to retain moisture, then basted with butter and wine while roasting, this turkey, the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal, is golden and juicy. The bird is brined for 24 hours, so leave plenty of time for this recipe. If you don't brine yours, skip steps one and two.

Turkey-Salad Sandwich

Here's a bright, fresh lunch that's ideal if, perhaps, you've overindulged (and delicious even if you haven't). A bit of lemony mayonnaise binds together roast turkey, apples, celery, and raisins. You can also serve the mixture over greens instead of bread.

Perfect Roast Turkey 101

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This recipe yields a plump and regal roast turkey, with crisp, golden-brown skin and an aroma to match.

Roast Turkey with Herb Butter

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Getting a great-tasting turkey on the Thanksgiving table is easier than you might think. Here, the bird is rubbed with a flavorful mixture of butter and fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme before going into the oven. Use the roasted vegetables and turkey neck to make Rich Gravy.

Turkey Cobb-Salad Sandwich

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Cranberry sauce adds a welcome touch of sweetness to the wonderful combination of ingredients found in a traditional Cobb salad. This iteration includes turkey for added protein.

Egg Sandwiches for a Crowd

Hungry mouths to feed the morning after Thanksgiving? Put that leftover turkey to good use and make a quick, no-fuss frittata in a baking dish, then slice and place on toast slathered with Dijonnaise.

Turkey, Cheddar, and Green-Apple Sandwich

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 This nourishing turkey sandwich recipe is a genius use of Thanksgiving leftovers. Sliced roasted turkey is stacked between slices of cheddar, tart apple, and whole-grain bread.
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Inspiration and Ideas

Learn How to Roast the Perfect Turkey with These Tips
If you want to roast the perfect turkey this Thanksgiving, follow our step-by-step guide.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey for Thanksgiving
For juicy, evenly-cooked turkey with a crisp, golden brown skin, spatchcocking is the answer. In a little more than an hour, you can have a perfectly roasted 12-pound turkey. Here's a step-by-step guide, plus roasting tips, and advice on how to carve a spatchcocked bird.
What's Your Turkey Personality?
Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast
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Turkey Monte Cristo
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Turkey Brine
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Turkey Reuben
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In this reinvented twist on a classic reuben sandwich, turkey pairs up with melted cheese and rye bread, with a mustard-laced take on coleslaw supplanting sauerkraut.

All Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

Roasted Rolled Turkey Breast with Herbs

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Add plenty of earthy, citrus flavor to whole turkey breast with fresh flat-leaf parsley, sage, and orange zest. A delicious gravy is made with chicken stock and orange juice for dressing.

Stuffed Turkey Breast

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Learn how to make this delicious and impressive turkey main, which is filled with our Sausage and Sour-Cherry Stuffing. It's the perfect recipe to make for Thanksgiving in lieu of the traditional roast turkey.

Citrus and Herb Turkey

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Roasted with orange, lemon, garlic, and fresh sage and thyme in its cavity, this simple citrus and herb turkey makes a spectacular Thanksgiving centerpiece. An easy pan gravy is the finishing touch.

Giblet Stock

Giblets, which are the heart, gizzard, and liver of turkeys and other fowl, along with the neck, can be used to make a rich stock for homemade gravy. The liver should be cooked separately before being added to the stock, or it will make it too bitter. To save time, you can make this stock while your turkey is roasting.

Upside-Down Turkey

For super-flavorful gravy, scatter cut oranges, onion, and garlic, along with a few rosemary and sage sprigs, in the bottom of the pan before you begin roasting the turkey. This recipe for upside-down turkey is a fun way to prepare your Thanksgiving meal. 

Turkey Croquettes

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These croquettes are formed from turkey and mashed potatoes and served with cranberry sauce on the side. It's the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer.

Herbed Roasted Turkey

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This traditional holiday bird brings much more to the table than just great taste. Our version, which is packed with protein, is rubbed with a blend of parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic.

Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup

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This comforting turkey noodle soup, made with homemade turkey stock, is perfect for warming up on a chilly night.

Creamy Leftover-Turkey-and-Rice Soup

Put a light, fresh spin on Thanksgiving leftovers with a speedy riff on avgolemono, the classic Greek chicken soup. Egg yolks add creaminess to turkey stock, while lemon juice brightens the flavor, and cooked rice and shredded meat fill out every spoonful.
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Perfect Turkey Gravy

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Learn how to make the perfect gravy for Thanksgiving using caramelized, brown bits from the bottom of the roasting pan, homemade Giblet stock, Madeira wine, and salt and pepper for seasoning.

Boned, Rolled, and Tied Turkey

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This turkey-preparation method offers satisfying, boneless slices that contain both white and dark meat and savory stuffing, all encased in crisp, maple-glazed skin. The recipe is courtesy of Chef Todd English.

Rich Gravy

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To make a flavorful, deep-brown gravy, first roast vegetables and turkey neck under the turkey, then caramelize them on the stovetop.

Stuffed Turkey Breast

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This wonderful recipe for stuffed turkey breast is from "Martha Stewart's Cooking School" and makes a delicious dinner.

Herbed Turkey Breast

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Dressed up, this diminutive cut of turkey breast is no less iconic than a whole roast turkey. For the best flavor and texture, brine your turkey breast for six hours. Fresh flat-leaf parsley, sage, oregano, and rosemary bring lots of earthy, aromatic flavor.

Roast Turkey with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

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A sweet-and-spicy mixture of mustard and brown sugar flavors the bird and gives the skin an impressive golden-brown color.

Thanksgiving-Leftovers Shepherd's Pie

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Thanksgiving leftovers can be enjoyed all at once when combined in this delicious and creative take on a classic shepherd's pie.

Roasted Heritage Turkey

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A layer of butter under the skin results in a crisp exterior and moist breast meat. Allow two hours to bring the turkey to room temperature before roasting. Serve the bird alongside our Calvados Gravy.

Spice-Rubbed Roast Turkey

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Syrian Aleppo pepper is mildly spicy, smoky, and complex. This recipe calls for a generous amount because most of it ends up in our gravy recipe, giving it a mysterious richness.

Roasted Turkey

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Roast turkey is one of the most simple, satisfying meals and this recipe is no exception. Rub the turkey with butter, then sprinkle on poultry seasoning and leave uncovered for the first hour of cooking allows the skin to crisp. Baste frequently to give the bird an even color while helping to seal in juices. Serve with our Perfect Gravy.

Perfectly Moist and Tender Turkey

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You only need three ingredients—plus salt and pepper—to create this perfect roast turkey. The secret is placing the bird over a buttered loaf of ciabatta bread, which helps the meat to cook evenly in the roasting pan.

Tuscan-Style Turkey Alla Porchetta

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This Tuscan-Style Turkey Alla Porchetta is the perfect Thanksgiving dish. If you can, order your turkey from a local farm, and ask for it to be boned with the skin on. The wing and leg bones should be removed, and the turkey tenders should be included. Make sure you have the wing tips, neck, and giblets for the gravy. Rolling the turkey ensures that each slice will include both light and dark meat.

Roasted Turkey in Parchment with Gravy

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Here's an unexpected, but totally genius way to cook your turkey for Thanksgiving. Our parchment bag technique yields moist meat and crisp, golden skin every time. Martha made this recipe on Cooking School episode 406.

Day-After Turkey Soup

This soup with lots of shredded kale makes great use of leftover turkey. If you've already frozen the carcass, there's no need to thaw it out before using it in this recipe.

Spice-Rubbed Turkey Breast with Sweet Potatoes

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Here's a simple twist on classic Thanksgiving turkey. Boneless turkey breasts are rubbed with crushed rosemary, sweet paprika, and lime juice for a flavorful meal.
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