The Best Turkey Recipe Ever!!
Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective turkey is a warming and strengthening food that gently supports the body’s Qi and Yang. It nourishes the Spleen and Stomach helping to build energy and improve digestion especially when the body feels tired or depleted.
Turkey is also known to tonify Qi and Blood making it a valuable choice during recovery or in the colder months when warmth and nourishment are needed most. Its grounding, neutral-to-warm nature helps stabilise mood and support circulation without creating excess heat making it a balanced source of protein for many constitutions.
Enjoyed in moderation turkey offers steady energy and a sense of inner warmth — helping the body feel nourished and restored.
Equipment:
25 Litre brining bucket with lid
Roasting Rack
Roasting Pan
Aluminium Foil
Temperature Probe
Butcher's Twine
Lifting Forks
Gravy Separator
Wire Whisk
Turkey Brine:
1 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar light or dark
2 tbsp pepper corns
2 tbsp whole cloves or allspice berries whatever you can find
2 tbsp candied ginger chopped into small pieces
8 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Litre water
7 Litres iced water
Turkey & Aromatics:
5-6 Kg Fresh, free-range Turkey
3 tbsp salt
2 tbsp truffle oil or canola oil
1 orange or red apple cut in quarters
1 onion cut in quarters
3 cinnamon whole sticks
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Turkey Gravy:
Bits of goodness leftover in the roasting pan
1 cup red wine
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep Time: 2days 30minutes
Cook Time: 2hours
Resting Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2days + 2 hours + 45 minutes
Serves: 12 people
Step 1- Turkey Brine Preparation
(2 days before serving)
Two days before your meal, combine the brining ingredients (except the 7 litres of iced water) in a saucepan, stir continuously while bringing to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Once the sugar, salt and bouillon cubes are fully dissolved, remove from the heat, cover with a lid and chill. I usually place it outdoors and then refrigerate.
Step 2- Brining the Turkey
(1 day before serving)
Add the refrigerated brining solution to a clean 25 Litre bucket.
Add 7 Litres of iced water to the brining solution and set aside.
Remove the turkey from the packaging, including the giblets which are usually found inside the turkey's cavity.
Place the turkey in a clean sink and rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. You may wish to remove any leftover feather bits with tweezers or your fingers.
Place the turkey breast side down in the bucket of brining solution that included ice cubes and cover with a lid.
Store in a cool place overnight.
Step 3 - Turkey Preparation
(3 hours before serving)
Heat the oven to 250°C.
Carefully, remove the turkey from the brine and place in a clean sink.
Rinse the turkey with cold water inside and out.
Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Gently, twist the wing tips under the turkey. You want to hear a bit of a 'snap'. If they stick up, they will burn.
Rub a little salt inside the turkey cavity.
Microwave the fruit and onion in a bowl of warm water for 1 minute. Remove them from the water. Insert the fruit, onion and remaining aromatic ingredients inside the turkey.
If the legs of the turkey aren't already tied, then do this. You will want to use butcher's twine.
Rub oil (truffle or canola) all over the outside of the turkey
Step 4 - Baking the Turkey
Place the turkey in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 250°C.
After 30 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 180°C and remove the turkey from the oven.
Insert the temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast meat and set the probe to go off when it reaches 65°C in the thickest part of the breast.
Cover the turkey with the foil 'Turkey Triangle' and carefully place it back in the oven.
The turkey should cook for another 1.5 hours.
Once the turkey has reached the desired internal temperature of 65°C, according to the temperature probe, remove it from the oven.
Lift it with off the rack with the lifting forks and place it on a cutting board. Cover with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Do not wash the baking pan, as you will need the remaining bits of goodness to make gravy.
Step 5 - Turkey Gravy Preparation
Place the roasting pan with all its bits of goodness over double burners set to medium heat.
Add the wine and chicken broth to the pan and whisk the goodness together with the liquids.
Increase the heat, bring the sauce to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and pour the sauce into the gravy separator. You should see a greasy layer of fat on top.
Carefully pour the liquid (not the grease) into another container.
Pour the grease (not the liquid) back into the roasting pan.
Add the flour to the grease and whisk together.
Then turn the double burners to medium heat and slowly add the liquid to the flour and grease mixture, ensuring that you are whisking vigorously the entire time.
Season with salt and pepper.
Once the gravy has thickened, pour it into a gravy boat and serve.
Serving Suggestions:
Usually, going to all the trouble of baking a turkey means that you have something special to celebrate. So, once in awhile I indulge in a glass of wine. So, on this occasion, I love to pair my turkey with a beautiful glass of Oregon Pinot Noir…I’m a bit biased…Native Oregonian alert!!
Rather than filling up on heavy carbs, enjoy roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes, pumkin, brussels sprouts, kale and other seasonal vegetables to bring a healthy balance to your feast!
TCM Food Benefits
🦃 Turkey: Tonifies Qi and Blood, strengthens the Spleen and Stomach, supports energy and vitality
🍄 Truffle oil: Nourishes Kidney Yin and essence, adds depth and grounding to the dish
🧅 Onion: Moves Qi, supports digestion and clears mild stagnation
🌿 Rosemary: Invigorates circulation, uplifts the spirit and relieves tension
🍊 Orange: Harmonises the Middle Jiao, soothes digestion and moistens dryness
🍎 Apple: Gently nourishes Yin, generates body fluids and calms the Heart
🌰 Cinnamon: Warms the interior, boosts Yang and enhances blood flow
What the Research Says…
Turkey is a beneficial source of meat when chosen and prepared mindfully. It offers high-quality protein to support muscle maintenance and repair, and is abundant in vitamins and minerals such as B-vitamins, selenium, zinc and phosphorus — nutrients that support energy, immunity and cellular health. When the skin is removed and the meat is prepared in a light, unprocessed way, turkey becomes a leaner option with less saturated fat than many red meats. Observational data indicate that unprocessed poultry like turkey is associated with a neutral or favourable cardiovascular profile compared with red and processed meats. As with all foods, the key lies in how it is integrated into a nourishing diet rather than isolated as a “super-food”.
“Evaluation of the Nutritional Quality of Turkey Meat from Broad-Breasted White Turkeys”
Białek et al., Animals (2024); 14(5):750.
👉 Read on PubMed Central
“Associations of Unprocessed Red and Poultry Meat Consumption with Cardiovascular Outcomes and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
Zeraatkar et al., Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2022); 62(22):6125–6144.
👉 Read on PubMed