Aromatic Spiced Turkey
Bring a new twist to your Thanksgiving table by making this delicious no-brine Spiced Persian Turkey. It's juicy, tasty and filled with aromatic spices that will take your Thanksgiving dinner to a whole new world!
Servings: 15 servings
Calories: 465kcal
Ingredients
- 1 turkey About 11 pounds
Compound Butter:
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
To stuff the turkey:
- 3 large carrots cut into chunks
- 6 celery stalks cut into chunks
- 2 tomatoes cut into chunks
- 3 lemons cut into quarters
- 3 onions cut into quarters
- 10 cloves garlic peeled
Olive oil Persian Spice Mixture:
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup bloomed saffron See notes
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Persian Caramelized Walnuts:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- ½ cup barberries see notes
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare your roasting pan.
- Pat dry inside and outside of the turkey completely.
Compound butter:
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl, using your hands, create space between the meat and the skin on the turkey and rub the compound butter everywhere under the skin and on the meat, especially the breast.
Stuff the turkey:
- Mix the carrots, celery, tomatoes, lemons, onion and garlic in a large bowl. Stuff the turkey and sew it completely or seal it using toothpicks. Spread the rest on the vegetables at the bottom of the roasting pan.
Olive oil spice mix:
- In a small bowl mix the olive oil with turmeric, paprika, bloomed saffron and salt. Brush it all over the turkey completely.
- Place the turkey in the roasting pan and roast in the oven for one hour. Then cover it with aluminum foil and roast for another 2 ½ hours. Brush it with olive oil mixture and baste the turkey every 30 minutes.
- Insert a thermometer into the thigh, it should reach 170°F and then the turkey is done.
- Cover with aluminum foil for 30 minutes and then carve.
Persian Caramelized Walnuts:
- Heat olive oil in a pan, saute onion until translucent. Add in walnuts and stir for a minute. Add in the barberris, turmeric, salt and pomegranate molasses and cook for two minutes. Turn the heat off and add pomegranate arils.
- Serve the turkey with Persian Caramelized Walnuts.
Notes
- Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the bird. The turkey is ready when a thermometer inserted into the thigh (close to the bone but not touching it) reaches 170 degrees F.
- To make bloomed saffron, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon ground saffron on 3 ice cubes and let the ice melt at room temperature. Use this saffron water in the recipe.
- If barberries are not available, use chopped unsweetened dried cranberries.
- Give yourself ample time to prepare the turkey. It takes about 4 hours for a 12-pound turkey to cook and rest and about 40-60 minutes to prepare it. So make sure you start on time. It's best to start preparing the turkey first thing in the morning.
- Dry the inside and outside of the turkey very well before you start. This will give you crispy skin and tasty juice.
- Don't stuff this spiced turkey with stuffing. Vegetables work best for this particular recipe. You can make the stuffing/dressing separately and serve it with the turkey.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 277mg | Potassium: 571mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 428IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg