Want the secret to a beautifully bronzed roasted Thanksgiving turkey? It's all in a bottle.
In our many years of cranking out too many Thanksgiving birds, we've found that no roasting technique produces that perfectly browned bird quite as well as a dumping a bottle of soy sauce over the turkey just before popping it in the oven.
So this year we decided to embrace the technique, but elevate it with more sophisticated flavor. We paired the soy sauce with citrus zests. The results were delicious and beautiful. As was the gravy that resulted from the rich pan drippings.
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CITRUS-SOY SAUCE TURKEY WITH GRAVY
Start to finish: 3 to 4 hours
Makes a 12- to 14-pound turkey with gravy
10-ounce bottle reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 oranges
1 lemon
12- to 14-pound turkey
2 large yellow onions, quartered
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Heat the oven to 350 F.
In a blender, combine the soy sauce and the zests of both oranges and the lemon. Blend until smooth.
Place the turkey on a rack set in a large roasting pan. Scatter the onion pieces under the rack. Cut the oranges and lemon into chunks and put inside the turkey cavity. Pour the soy sauce mixture all over the turkey and into the cavity of the bird, coating all the surfaces.
Roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the breast reaches 160 F and the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170 F. If the turkey begins to darken too much, cover with foil.
Transfer the turkey to a serving platter, cover with foil and a couple layers of kitchen towels to keep warm.
Remove the rack from the roasting pan. Use a slotted spoon to remove and discard the onions. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat and bring the juices to a simmer. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits in the pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and flour. Pour into the pan, whisking constantly. Simmer for 5 minutes, while continuing to stir. For a smoother gravy, you can transfer the mixture to a blender, in batches as needed, and puree until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper.
Serve the turkey with the gravy.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 490 calories; 200 calories from fat (42 percent of total calories); 22 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 185 mg cholesterol; 3 g carbohydrate; 65 g protein; 0 g fiber; 550 mg sodium.