One of my favorite holiday movies is Christmas Vacation. Specifically, the scene where the whole family is gathered around the dinner table waiting excitedly to cut open a beautifully roasted turkey. Except, when Chevy Chase's character goes to carve the bird, it basically explodes because it's overcooked. I laugh so hard every time I watch that part of the movie, but only because it's never happened to me.

I think the big fear when cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving is overcooking it and having a dry-ass bird or undercooking it and giving your guests food poisoning. Neither are ideal. But cooking a delicious bird isn't nearly as scary or hard as it seems. Who said you have to cook an entire turkey anyway? You can get the same great flavor with turkey pieces, and they cook so much quicker.

With this recipe, your total cook time is about 1 hour and 45 mins give or take. Adding white wine and chicken stock (not broth!) help the meat to maintain its moisture while the herbs and seasonings provide all the aromatics you want in a traditional turkey. Using this method, you can also make an insanely delicious gravy using the pan drippings.

This is truly a dish that I think might just change the way you make your turkeys from now on. I know you'll have a few questions, so below you'll find some answers that I think will help you out.

Do I have to use wings and drums?

Nope! You'll notice that I cooked all drums and wings but that's because that's what I could find at the grocery store. You can cook any assortment of parts you want and this recipe will work. If you're feeling confident, you'd save money by buying a whole turkey and breaking it down or asking the butcher at the grocery store to do it for you. Call ahead if you're planning on doing this just to make sure that's a service your butcher offers.

What size sheet pan do I need?

Glad you asked. So here is the deal, most standard ovens can only comfortably fit half-sheet baking pans and those measure 18″ x 13″. If that's what you have at home, you'll need two to pull this recipe off. I used this slightly larger 20" x 14" and it comfortably fit all of the turkey pieces.

Can I use whatever white wine I have at home?

Ehhh, likely yes but I used an unoaked chardonnay. You could also use a sauvignon blanc or pinot gris. Nothing too sweet or flowery though. Basically, if you're drinking it and can spare 1 cup for the turkey, have at it.

Do I have to use chicken stock? Can I use broth?

I'm going to have to say no here. You have to use stock. Stock just has more flavor because its made with bones as opposed to broth. You can find a good stock in almost all groceries stores but I have an obsession with Kitchen Basics Original Chicken Stock. A few years ago, I did a blind tasting of grocery store stocks and this McCormick-owned brand blew the competition out of the water. It's all I use and recommend it to you as well in this dish but if you can't find it and go with something else, you'll still be fine.

Damn, that much salt sis?

Yes. You'll notice that the seasoning blend calls for 3 tablespoons of salt (among other things) and yes you're going to use the entire seasoning blend on this turkey. We don't believe in bland food over up in here.

S.O.S my turkey is getting too brown!

Grab some foil stat! If for some reason your turkey is cooking too fast and getting too brown, you can always cover it with foil.

My turkey is looking a little dry in the oven

If you feel like it's getting too dry and there isn't enough liquid in the sheet pan, add about a half a cup of chicken stock and that should do the trick.

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Whether you're a seasoned Thanksgiving pro or this is your first time hosting dinner, this recipe will not let you down.

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

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Sheet Pan Roasted Turkey

Yield: 6-8 ¼x ½x 1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x 10x

Author: Ryan Shepard

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 2 HourInactive time: 25 MinTotal time: 2 H & 45 M

Ingredients US Metric

Turkey

• 10 pounds of turkey pieces (drumsticks, wings, breasts, your choice)
• 1 cup of unoaked chardonnay
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 5-6 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 2-3 garlic blubs cut in half lengthwise
• A few sprigs of thyme
• A few sprigs of sage
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose non-salt seasoning
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Turkey Gravy

• 2 ½ cups pan drippings & juices reserved
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Instructions

Turkey

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine kosher salt, black pepper, poultry seasoning, and non-salt seasoning in a small bowl.
3. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
4. Grab a medium-sized skillet and melt butter, this should take around 3-4 minutes. Add sage and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove butter from the heat and pour it over the turkey.
5. Season turkey pieces liberally with the seasonings blend and arrange the pieces on a large foil-lined 20 x14" baking sheet.
6. Pour white wine over the turkey pieces, and add garlic, fresh thyme, and rosemary.
7. Place the baking sheet on oven rack 2 or 3 and place it into the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.
8. Remove the turkey from the oven and drop the temperature down to 300 degrees. Baste the turkey with the pan sauce and add in chicken stock before placing it back into the oven.
9. Once the turkey is back inside of the oven cook for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until an internal thermometer reads 155 degrees.
10. Cover with foil and let the turkey rest for about 25 minutes.

To Make Turkey Gravy

1. After the turkey has rested for 25 minutes, pour pan juices into a measuring cup. Make sure to separate out as much fat as possible.
2. Grab the same skillet you used to melt butter in earlier and place it over medium heat. Add butter, cooking until it has melted.
3. Add flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Slowly add in warm pan juices and continue to whisk until all of the liquid is incorporated.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings.
5. Serve turkey on a platter alongside the gravy.

Notes

I like to line my baking sheet with foil and then top it with parchment paper. In my opinion, it helps me keep more of the turkey juice. It also acts as a barrier for the foil which I don’t want to accidentally knick and have shards of metal end up in my food.

If you don’t have one large baking sheet, divide the turkey between two smaller baking sheets. 

Make sure to baste the turkey with pan juices every 15-20 minutes. 

Resting your turkey is vital to keeping it juicy. If able, let the turkey rest for at least 25 minutes. 

Lastly, if you don't have 2 1/2 cups of pan juices left over, just top it off with chicken stock until you get 2 1/2 cups.

Did you make this recipe?

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Created using The Recipes Generator

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