There are many ways to roast a turkey, uncovered, upside down, under foil, etc. I’ve found that the best way to achieve a moist and tender turkey is to roast it unstuffed in an oven cooking bag. Stuffing acts like a sponge when baked inside a bird, sucking the juices out of the meat and adding extra fat, cholesterol, and calories to the stuffing.
Baking the stuffing separate is healthier. It keeps the turkey moist and allows more of the juices to collect as drippings. You can then degrease the extra drippings after the turkey comes out of the oven to make amazing turkey gravy and to moisten the stuffing, giving it that baked in the bird taste!
Purchase a fresh (not frozen) natural or organic turkey. This will be a turkey that has been raised on natural or organic feed without hormones or steroids and will not have been injected with fats and unhealthy chemical tenderizers.
Perfect Roast Turkey
Serve this recipe to family on Thanksgiving to rave reviews.
Ingredients
1 fresh, natural or organic turkey (12 to 24 lb.)1 turkey size oven cooking bag
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. thyme
1 to 3 tsp. salt
1 to 2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 large onion
2 parsnips
2 carrots
2 stocks celery
3 to 6 cloves fresh garlic, cut into slivers
3 to 4 sprigs of sage and thyme, fresh or dried
Directions
I. Cut vegetables into large chunks. Add herb sprigs and garlic to vegetables and set aside. Mix seasonings together in a small bowl and set aside.2. Remove turkey giblets and neck. Wash turkey inside and out with cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Rub turkey inside and out with seasoning mixture and stuff with ¾ of the cut vegetable mixture.
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Following package instructions, prepare baking bag. Place turkey in bag and set on rack inside a large roasting pan. Place remaining vegetables inside of bag surrounding turkey. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of leg, between thigh and breast. Close bag with tie and cut six ½-inch slits in top of bag. Place roasting pan on middle rack of oven.
4. Following baking bag instructions, roast turkey for recommended time or until the meat thermometer reads 175 to 180 F. Remove the turkey from oven. Make two to three small slits in bottom of bag to allow drippings to drain into pan.
5. After drippings have drained, remove the rack and turkey from pan and set aside on a baking sheet to rest 25 to 40 minutes before carving. (This is an ideal time to prepare gravy. See Degreasing Roasting Pan Drippings and the recipe for Turkey Gravy posted on this blog.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information: 4-oz. serving white meat 170 calories; 3.7g fat; 34g protein; 0g carbohydrates; 0g fiber; 78 mg cholesterol; 73mg sodium.Nutrition Information: 4-oz. serving dark meat 212 calories; 8g fat; 32g protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0g fiber; 96mg cholesterol; 90mg sodium.
Cook Healthy Now 