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  5. 24 Showstopping Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

24 Showstopping Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

By Food & Wine Editors Updated October 19, 2021
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Simple Smoked Turkey Recipe
Credit: Marcus Nilsson

If turkey is going to be the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving table, you want to have an impressive recipe in your back pocket. Luckily, we have plenty of different variations you can try, including Dry-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey and Vinegar-Brined Roast Turkey. Want to try smoked turkey? We've got recipes for that, too. Read on for even more of our best Thanksgiving turkey recipes.

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Anthony Bourdain's Business Turkey

Anthony Bourdain's Business Turkey
Credit: © Bobby Fisher
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To make this simple recipe from Anthony Bourdain, all you need is unsalted butter, kosher salt, pepper, and of course, a turkey.

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Chipotle-Butter Turkey

Chipotle-Butter Turkey
Credit: © Nicole Franzen
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Food & Wine's Justin Chapple soaks smoky chipotle butter in cheesecloth and drapes it over turkey while roasting, yielding super juicy, delicious meat and skin.

  • More Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

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Porchetta-Spiced Turkey with Pan Gravy

Porchetta-Spiced Turkey with Pan Gravy
Credit: © Con Poulos
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Porchetta, the fennel-scented, crackly skinned Italian pork roast, is the inspiration for this spiced turkey.

  • Thanksgiving Menus

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Simplest Roast Turkey

Simplest Roast Turkey
Credit: John Kernick
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The trick to this minimalist roast turkey is allowing it to air-dry overnight in the refrigerator, resulting in super crispy skin.

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Salt-Crusted Turkey

Salt-Roasted Turkey
Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
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Banish any chance of a dry bird with this salt-crusted turkey breast. Salt-roasting is a technique that is often employed to keep lean fish moist while roasting; the mixture of salt and egg whites forms a nearly airtight crust when baked, locking in moisture and flavor. It works the same magic with turkey.

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Apple-Brined Turkey

HD-201311-r-apple-brined-turkey.jpg
Credit: Apple-Brined Turkey
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"Brining introduces flavor that penetrates to the bone," says chef Ken Oringer. "And, because brining adds moisture, the turkey can handle high heat."

  • More Thanksgiving Recipes

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Herb-Roasted Turkey with Wild Mushroom Gravy

Herb-Roasted Turkey with Wild Mushroom Gravy
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For maximum flavor, David Tanis rubs the bird with butter seasoned with sage, thyme and garlic. Dried porcini give the wild mushroom gravy a woodsy flavor boost.

  • Thanksgiving Entertaining Ideas

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Roasted Beer-Brined Turkey with Onion Gravy and Bacon

Roasted Beer-Brined Turkey with Onion Gravy and Bacon
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Adding Guinness, or any dark beer, to the brine gives the turkey a toasty flavor and helps give the skin a dark brown color.

  • Potluck Thanksgiving Recipes

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Ancho-Scallion Roast Turkey Breast

Ancho-Scallion Roast Turkey Breast
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Toasted ancho chiles, garlic and scallions flavor the butter that's rubbed all over the turkey breast and bastes it as it roasts.

  • Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

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Spice-Rubbed Turkey

Spice-Rubbed Turkey
Credit: © Gentl & Hyers
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This simple, salt-based sage, pepper and paprika rub produces a turkey with crisp, golden-brown skin and incredibly moist and tender breast meat.

  • Thanksgiving Recipes Guide

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Cider-Glazed Turkey with Lager Gravy

Cider-Glazed Turkey with Lager Gravy
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Lots of people brine their turkeys. Not Michael Symon, who thinks brining makes the bird a little rubbery. He salts his bird well and refrigerates it overnight to season it. Before roasting, he covers the breast and legs with cheesecloth that's been soaked in a cider-infused butter. For his beer-spiked gravy, Symon recommends the German-style Dortmunder Gold, made by Great Lakes Brewing Company, from his home state of Ohio.

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Soy-Sauce-and-Honey-Glazed Turkey

Soy-Sauce-and-Honey-Glazed Turkey
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"We never had turkey on Thanksgiving," says Joanne Chang, "only duck. I love turkey with sage and butter, but I crave the flavors I grew up with." Here, she marinates and bastes the bird with soy, sesame, honey and ginger, giving it superb flavor and a beautiful mahogany color.

  • Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

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Citrus-Marinated Turkey

Citrus-Marinated Turkey
Credit: © Petrina Tinslay
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Chef Jose Garces prepares this turkey in the same style as a traditional Yucatán dish called cochinita pibil, a slow-roasted pork marinated in citrus and annatto paste (made from achiote seeds, the condiment adds an orange hue to foods). Brining and marinating the bird make it especially succulent.

  • Terrific Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

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Mustard-and-Rosemary Roast Turkey

Mustard-and-Rosemary Roast Turkey
Credit: © John Kernick
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Because so many people are hesitant to make a whole turkey, cookbook author Melissa Clark suggests roasting the turkey in parts, separating the dark meat from the white meat to guarantee a perfectly cooked bird.

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Paprika-Glazed Turkey with Pumpkin Seed Bread Salad

Paprika-Glazed Turkey with Pumpkin Seed Bread Salad
Credit: © Frances Janisch
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Make sure the turkey is completely dry before rubbing its skin with the paprika butter.

  • F&W's Best Turkey Recipes

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Bourbon-Glazed Turkey with Pearl Onion Giblet Gravy

Bourbon-Glazed Turkey with Pearl Onion Giblet Gravy
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Chef Tanya Holland's secret for a turkey with juicy meat and nicely lacquered skin: Brine the bird overnight, and then baste it frequently with a bourbon-brown sugar glaze as it roasts.

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Vinegar-Brined Roast Turkey

Vinegar Brined Roast Turkey
Credit: Eva Kolenko
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There are thousands of brine recipes out there, and this one from Top Chef winner Kristen Kish uses cider vinegar, giving the turkey a little bit of tang.

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Turkey Leg Roulade

Turkey Leg Roulade
Credit: Victor Protasio
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Dark meat fans know that the leg is often the most flavorful part of the bird. This preparation isolates the leg and ensures a perfectly cooked bird with a crackling bronze skin. The process can be started several days in advance, needing only a quick blast in a hot oven to crisp the skin before serving.

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Salt & Pepper Spatchcocked Turkey

Salt and Pepper Spatchcocked Turkey Recipe
Credit: Barrett Washburne
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Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this turkey from F&W's Justin Chapple. Salt and pepper are all you need when the meat is juicy and tender. Because it's spatchcocked (the backbone is removed and the bird is flattened before cooking), the skin is supremely crisp and it roasts in nearly half the time as traditional versions.

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Dry-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey

Dry-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey Recipe
Credit: Greg DuPree
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A dry brine is not only an easier technique, but it also results in crispier skin and more flavorful meat than a classic wet brine. Those final six to 12 hours of drying will ensure crackling, crispy skin.

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Simple Smoked Turkey

Simple Smoked Turkey Recipe
Credit: Marcus Nilsson
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Smoking a turkey yields juicy and tender meat. The keys to success are seasoning the bird with a dead-simple saltwater brine, then controlling the temperature of the smoker for even cooking. The added bonus of smoking the Thanksgiving turkey? It frees up the oven for sides and pies.

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Roast Turkey with Chestnut-Apple Stuffing

Roast Turkey with Chestnut-Apple Stuffing
Credit: © Con Poulos
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For this classic recipe, the turkey is rubbed with an aromatic shallot-sage butter, then stuffed with a nutty chestnut-apple stuffing.

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Citrus-and-Butter Turkey

Citrus and Butter Turkey
Credit: Nicole Franzen
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Food & Wine's Justin Chapple soaks cheesecloth in citrus butter and drapes it over turkey while roasting, yielding super juicy, delicious meat and skin.

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Spatchcocked Smoked Turkey

Spatchcocked Smoke Turkey
Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer & John Somerall / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
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Rodney Scott's smoky dry rub and spicy mopping sauce makes for a sweet, tangy, and succulent bird. While Scott swears by the thermal qualities of a ceramic grill, this turkey also can be cooked in a kettle grill or smoker (or even the oven) at 225°F.

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    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

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    View All

    1 of 24 Anthony Bourdain's Business Turkey
    2 of 24 Chipotle-Butter Turkey
    3 of 24 Porchetta-Spiced Turkey with Pan Gravy
    4 of 24 Simplest Roast Turkey
    5 of 24 Salt-Crusted Turkey
    6 of 24 Apple-Brined Turkey
    7 of 24 Herb-Roasted Turkey with Wild Mushroom Gravy
    8 of 24 Roasted Beer-Brined Turkey with Onion Gravy and Bacon
    9 of 24 Ancho-Scallion Roast Turkey Breast
    10 of 24 Spice-Rubbed Turkey
    11 of 24 Cider-Glazed Turkey with Lager Gravy
    12 of 24 Soy-Sauce-and-Honey-Glazed Turkey
    13 of 24 Citrus-Marinated Turkey
    14 of 24 Mustard-and-Rosemary Roast Turkey
    15 of 24 Paprika-Glazed Turkey with Pumpkin Seed Bread Salad
    16 of 24 Bourbon-Glazed Turkey with Pearl Onion Giblet Gravy
    17 of 24 Vinegar-Brined Roast Turkey
    18 of 24 Turkey Leg Roulade
    19 of 24 Salt & Pepper Spatchcocked Turkey
    20 of 24 Dry-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey
    21 of 24 Simple Smoked Turkey
    22 of 24 Roast Turkey with Chestnut-Apple Stuffing
    23 of 24 Citrus-and-Butter Turkey
    24 of 24 Spatchcocked Smoked Turkey

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    24 Showstopping Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes
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