If cooking a Thanksgiving turkey feels overwhelming, don’t worry-I’ve got you covered with a recipe that’s simple, stress-free, and downright delicious. I’m showing you how to make the perfect turkey using a surprising ingredient: mayonnaise! No brining, no basting, no babysitting. Just juicy, flavorful turkey that’ll make you the hero of Thanksgiving dinner.
You’ll also get my best time-saving tips to make your holiday prep as smooth as butter. I’ll also show you how to make a delicious gravy and use the turkey bones to create the best homemade stock, perfect for winter soups and stews later. So grab your ingredients, follow along, and let’s create a Thanksgiving dinner you’ll be proud of.
🍁 TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
00:51 Time-Saving Tips
03:05 Essential Tools
06:51 Ingredients
10:05 Produce Prep
11:47 Turkey Recipe Walkthrough
14:21 Turkey Gravy Recipe Walkthrough
15:37 Turkey Stock Recipe Walkthrough
🍽️ TOOLS USED:
Cutting Board
Knife
Thermometer
Roasting Pan
Microplaner/Zester
Garlic Mincer
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Mixing Bowls
Whisk
Kitchen Twine
Aluminum Foil
Saucepan for gravy
Trash Bowl or Bag
Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/caitcoska
Target Storefront: www.target.com/creators/caitcoska
These are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
🦃 RECIPES:
Turkey
12-15lb turkey, thawed and innards removed
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and diced into pieces
2 lemon, reserve zest & dice into wedges
2 apples, diced into chunks
1 onion, diced into chunks
1 celery stalk
3 Carrots
1.5-2 cups mayonnaise (depending on size of turkey)
2 tsp honey
12 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tsp herbs de Provence, poultry seasoning or favorite seasoning
2-3 tsp of each Coarse Salt & Pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Zest lemon and cut into wedges. Dice apples, onion, celery and carrots into chunks. Squeeze a lemon wedge over apple pieces and toss to coat, set aside.
In a mixing cup or bowl, combine mayonnaise, honey, garlic, lemon zest, seasoning, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Remove innards from turkey and set aside for giblet stock. Pat turkey down with paper towels and place in roasting pan. Take butter and work it in between meat and skin. Place some inside cavities as well.
Next, slather the mayonnaise over the turkey and sprinkle more seasoning liberally on all sides. Be sure to get under the wings and legs. Place all lemon wedges inside turkey. Place onion, apple, celery and carrot in cavities of turkey. Any remaining that doesn’t fit can go around the turkey. Place foil over wings to avoid burning and use kitchen twine to tie legs together.
Roast in the 350 degree oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes and then turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Check if skin is becoming too dark and cover with foil as needed.
Continue roasting until thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees internal temperature (for us, this was about an hour). Transfer to serving dish or cutting board, with foil still on, for about 25 minutes before carving. Reserve juices and vegetables on bottom of pan to add to gravy and stock.
Gravy:
Giblet stock:
Giblets from a whole turkey or chicken
4 cups cold water
1 cup of diced veggies
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp black peppercorn
Gravy:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups giblet broth
1/2 cup Pan drippings
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tsp poultry seasoning (I used Kinder’s roast chicken and Trader Joe’s Everything but the Leftovers)
In a medium saucepan on high, bring ingredients of giblet broth to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer on stove while turkey is roasting.
About a half hour before serving the turkey, strain the broth and set aside. Save the giblet and vegetable remnants on the side to use in turkey stock.
In a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour to make a roux. Add in broth and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken. Add in pan drippings, salt, pepper and seasonings. Reduce heat to low on stove, stirring occasionally to keep warm until ready to serve.
Turkey Stock:
Discarded portions of turkey
Vegetable Scraps
Remaining pan drippings
1.5 yellow onions, diced into large chunks
1 celery stalk, diced into chunks
3-4 cups baby carrots
4-5 baby peppers or 1 bell pepper, seeds removed, diced into chunks
2-3 bay leaves
2-3 tbsp black peppercorn
6-8 cups water (enough to cover contents in appliance you use)
Crockpot instructions: Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover with water and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4.
Instant Pot Instructions: Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cover with water and pressure cook for 60 minutes. Allow a natural release.
Strain stock into containers and store in fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to 6 months. If freezing, leave an inch from the top of the container for expansion.