Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey with White Wine Pan Gravy.

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4.34 from 1691 votes

Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey with White Wine Pan Gravy.

It's finally time for Turkey Talk!! I LOVE this herb and butter roasted turkey with white wine pan gravy.

Prep Time20

Cook Time3

Freeze/Rest40

Total Time4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 671kcal

Author: Tieghan Gerard

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.

Nutrition