Recipes Holidays + Events Thanksgiving 24 Showstopping Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes By Food & Wine Editors Updated on November 24, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: 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. Related: Amazon’s Secret Outlet Dropped 4,000+ Kitchen Sales Before Black Friday, but These Are the 15 Best 01 of 24 Anthony Bourdain's Business Turkey © Bobby Fisher To make this simple recipe from Anthony Bourdain, all you need is unsalted butter, kosher salt, pepper, and of course, a turkey. Go to Recipe 02 of 24 Chipotle-Butter Turkey © Nicole Franzen 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 Go to Recipe 03 of 24 Porchetta-Spiced Turkey with Pan Gravy © Con Poulos Porchetta, the fennel-scented, crackly skinned Italian pork roast, is the inspiration for this spiced turkey. Thanksgiving Menus Go to Recipe 04 of 24 Simplest Roast Turkey John Kernick The trick to this minimalist roast turkey is allowing it to air-dry overnight in the refrigerator, resulting in super crispy skin. Go to Recipe 05 of 24 Salt-Crusted Turkey Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver 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. Go to Recipe 06 of 24 Apple-Brined Turkey Apple-Brined Turkey "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 Go to Recipe 07 of 24 Herb-Roasted Turkey with Wild Mushroom Gravy 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 Go to Recipe 08 of 24 Roasted Beer-Brined Turkey with Onion Gravy and Bacon 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 Go to Recipe 09 of 24 Ancho-Scallion Roast Turkey Breast 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 Go to Recipe 10 of 24 Spice-Rubbed Turkey © Gentl & Hyers 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 Go to Recipe 11 of 24 Cider-Glazed Turkey with Lager Gravy 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. Thanksgiving Entertaining Go to Recipe 12 of 24 Soy-Sauce-and-Honey-Glazed Turkey "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 Go to Recipe 13 of 24 Citrus-Marinated Turkey © Petrina Tinslay 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 Go to Recipe 14 of 24 Mustard-and-Rosemary Roast Turkey © John Kernick 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. Go to Recipe 15 of 24 Paprika-Glazed Turkey with Pumpkin Seed Bread Salad © Frances Janisch Make sure the turkey is completely dry before rubbing its skin with the paprika butter. F&W's Best Turkey Recipes Go to Recipe 16 of 24 Bourbon-Glazed Turkey with Pearl Onion Giblet Gravy 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. Go to Recipe 17 of 24 Vinegar-Brined Roast Turkey Eva Kolenko 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. Go to Recipe 18 of 24 Turkey Leg Roulade Victor Protasio 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. Go to Recipe 19 of 24 Salt & Pepper Spatchcocked Turkey Barrett Washburne 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. Go to Recipe 20 of 24 Dry-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey Greg DuPree 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. Go to Recipe 21 of 24 Simple Smoked Turkey Marcus Nilsson 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. Go to Recipe 22 of 24 Roast Turkey with Chestnut-Apple Stuffing © Con Poulos For this classic recipe, the turkey is rubbed with an aromatic shallot-sage butter, then stuffed with a nutty chestnut-apple stuffing. Go to Recipe 23 of 24 Citrus-and-Butter Turkey Nicole Franzen Food & Wine's Justin Chapple soaks cheesecloth in citrus butter and drapes it over turkey while roasting, yielding super juicy, delicious meat and skin. Go to Recipe 24 of 24 Spatchcocked Smoked Turkey Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer & John Somerall / Prop Styling by Christine Keely 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. Go to Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit