Can you believe we’re almost two weeks away from Thanksgiving?
I am in utter disbelief. Despite running this blog and prepping the content I share with you weeks in advance, which means I made an entire Thanksgiving dinner spread back in early October, I still can’t believe it’s almost Turkey Day.
Speaking of turkey, I have a FABULOUS roast turkey recipe to tell you about today. This Citrus Riesling Turkey might be my new fave rendition of the Thanksgiving star of the show.
Not only does this turkey come out juicy and tender, it has an intoxicating aroma of butter, herbs, lemon, orange, and white wine. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
I wanted to focus on the white wine being a major flavor component here, and the riesling works wonderfully. I recommend using a dry riesling for this recipe – something light and crisp with a slight sweetness. It is SO delicious with the other flavors here.
Let’s get into how to make this beauty of a bird!
Ingredients You Need for This Citrus Riesling Turkey:
For the Brine:
- Kosher salt
- Granulated sugar
For the Turkey:
- 1 (11-lb) whole turkey, completely defrosted, giblets removed (size can vary – see recipe notes below)
- Softened butter
- Orange
- Lemon
- Garlic cloves
- Dijon mustard
- Chopped fresh herbs (I do a mix of sage and thyme)
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Dry or semi-dry Riesling wine
- Chicken or turkey stock
For the Gravy:
- The pan drippings from roasting the turkey, solids strained and discarded
- Dry or semi-dry Riesling wine
- Chicken or turkey stock (I recommend low sodium for this)
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
How to Make This Citrus Riesling Turkey:
- First, ensure that your turkey is completely defrosted. Keep in mind that this can take several days in the refrigerator. Plan accordingly!
- Second, we’re going to dry brine the turkey for a full 24 hours in the refrigerator. This, to me, is an essential step for juicy, tender turkey. I never skip the brine.
- To brine your turkey, combine kosher salt and sugar (2:1 ratio) and sprinkle it evenly inside the turkey cavity and all over the outside of the bird. Place the turkey on a wire rack set over a large rimmed baking sheet and transfer it to the fridge UNCOVERED for at least 24 hours. You can brine your turkey for up to a full 2-3 days in the fridge (just plan accordingly – this takes up a lot of fridge space).
- After the turkey has been brining for at least 24 hours, remove it from the fridge to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour before roasting – this ensures that it cooks evenly in the oven. Preheat your oven to 500°F during this time. Transfer your turkey to a roasting pan.
- Prepare your citrus butter rub: combine softened butter, fresh garlic, fresh thyme and sage, fresh orange and lemon zest, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. Spread this mixture all over the skin of the turkey and underneath the skin on top of the breasts. Quarter the zested orange and lemon and place inside the cavity of the turkey.
- Roast the turkey. Add the Riesling wine, along with some chicken or turkey stock, to the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the turkey in the 500°F oven and immediately decrease the oven temperature to 325°F. Starting it in a very hot oven will help crisp and caramelize the skin. Roast the turkey for 2-3 hours, or until a meat thermometer registers 160°F when inserted into the thickest areas of the breast and 155°F in the thickest part of the thigh. The temperature will increase to 165°F while the turkey is resting. I recommend basting the turkey with the pan juices every 20-30 minutes during the roasting time.
- Rest the turkey and make the gravy during this time. Tent the turkey with foil and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. To make the gravy, strain the turkey pan drippings, discard the solids, and add the strained drippings to a saucepan. Add more Riesling wine, a flour-stock slurry, and butter and cook until smooth, thickened, and glossy. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. This gravy is delicious because of it’s rich but bright flavor!
Other Notes About This Citrus Riesling Turkey:
- Actual cooking time will vary, depending on the size of your turkey and your oven. The general rule of thumb is 13 minutes per pound at a moderate temperature (325°F). I find that 1 lb of turkey per person is a good amount (eg, so for 12 people, you want to roast a 12-lb turkey).
- I firmly believe that a meat thermometer is your best friend when it comes to cooking large roasts of any kind. This smart thermometer is one of my absolute favorite kitchen tools!
- This recipe will work with any size turkey. If using a smaller turkey, cut the brine salt-sugar proportions in about half. If using a larger turkey, increase the proportions by about half for each 5 lbs (for example, for a 16-lb turkey, use 3 tablespoons kosher salt and 1½ tablespoons sugar).
- Feel free to play around with the white wine here. I love Riesling – a dry one – because it is light and slightly sweet with a rich flavor that deepens as it cooks. Chardonnay would also work beautifully here.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Turkey with White Wine & Truffle Gravy
- Spicy Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken & Veggies
- Garlic Brown Sugar Roast Chicken
- Honeyed Harissa Roast Chicken
- Fajita Roast Chicken
This Citrus Riesling Turkey is a stunner! Not only does it taste like buttery citrus and wine (YUM), but it just might be the juiciest, most succulent version of a turkey I’ve ever made.
I hope you try it!
Print
Citrus Riesling Turkey
- Total Time: 1 day plus 3 hours
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
Description
This Citrus Riesling Turkey is a stunner and will definitely steal the show on your Thanksgiving table! Rich and buttery, moist and tender, and oozing with the flavors of fresh citrus, Riesling wine, and savory herbs — this turkey is everything you want a turkey to be!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Brine:
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 (11-lb) whole turkey, completely defrosted, giblets removed
For the Turkey:
- 3 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (I do a mix of sage and thyme)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup Riesling wine
- 1 cup chicken or turkey stock
For the Gravy:
- 1/2 cup of the pan drippings, solids strained and discarded
- 1/4 cup Riesling wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock (I recommend low sodium for this)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Brine:
- First, make sure your turkey is completely thawed – this can take a few days, so plan accordingly. The idea is to brine the turkey for at least 24 hours. I usually begin thawing my turkey 3 days before Thanksgiving, and I brine it the entire 24 hours beforehand (so, typically starting on Wednesday morning). To brine a turkey, it is also important to keep in mind the fridge space required.
- At least 24 hours before you plan to roast your turkey, pat it completely dry with paper towels and place it on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. I like to line the baking sheet with a thick layer of paper towels as well, as a lot of moisture will drip off the turkey as it brines.
- Combine the salt and sugar in a small bowl and rub it all over the turkey, making sure to sprinkle some inside the cavity and in between the skin and the breast meat.
- Place the turkey in the fridge completely uncovered. I recommend brining for at least 24 hours, but you can leave it in the fridge for up to 2 days, if your schedule and fridge space permits.
For the Turkey:
- One hour before you are ready to roast the turkey, remove it from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature. Generally speaking, I do this roughly 3-3.5 hours before I plan to serve dinner. This allows adequate time for it to sit at room temperature, roast until done, and then rest after cooking.
- There is no need to rinse the brine off the turkey. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F.
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, zest of the orange and lemon, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste.
- Loosen the skin from the breast meat gently and spread a few tablespoons of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly all over the skin. Sprinkle the outside with more salt and pepper.
- Quarter the zested orange and lemon and place them into the cavity of the turkey. Pour the wine and the stock into the bottom of the roasting pan..
- Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 325°F. The high temperature will help to crisp and brown the skin, but you don’t want to roast the meat at that high of a temperature for the whole time.
- Roast the turkey for 2-2.5 hours, basting the turkey with the pan juices every 20-30 minutes, until the skin is crisped and brown and the internal temperature registers 160°F when inserted into the thickest areas of the breast and 155°F in the thickest part of the thigh. The temperature will increase to 165°F while the turkey is resting.
- When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before carving. Make your gravy during this time.
For the Gravy:
- Strain the pan drippings and discard the solids. Add ½ cup of the strained pan drippings, along with the wine, to a medium saucepan and set over medium heat.
- In a mason jar, combine the stock and flour. Cover the jar and shake vigorously until the flour is completely dissolved in the stock.
- Once the drippings come up to a simmer in the pan, slowly stream in the stock mixture, whisking constantly so no lumps form.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until the gravy is thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Keep the gravy warm until you are ready to serve. If it gets too thick, you can thin it by adding a splash of stock or water and whisking it vigorously to incorporate.
Notes
- Actual cooking time will vary, depending on the size of your turkey and your oven. The general rule of thumb is 13 minutes per pound at a moderate temperature (325°F). A meat thermometer is your best friend for these types of recipes – this smart thermometer is AMAZING.
- This recipe will work with any size turkey. If using a smaller turkey, cut the brine salt-sugar proportions in about half. If using a larger turkey, increase the proportions by about half for each 5 lbs (for example, for a 16-lb turkey, use 3 tablespoons kosher salt and 1½ tablespoons sugar).
- Feel free to play around with the white wine here. I love Riesling – a dry one – because it is light and slightly sweet with a rich flavor that deepens as it cooks. Chardonnay would also work beautifully here.
- Prep Time: 24 hours brining time
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: turkey
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Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
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