Marinated in tenderizing yogurt and vibrant Middle Eastern spices, this roast turkey comes out juicy, tender and flavorful, with rich, spicy gravy.
In This Recipe
If I tell you how many turkeys I roasted in the span of 2 weeks - promise not to laugh?
I think I'll wait 'til the end to tell you - better if you hear the whole story first. But I will tell you that the result of my two-week turkey preoccupation resulted in this excellent roast turkey with uniquely delicious gravy.
Roasting a turkey is challenging! How do you cook a giant bird for hours without drying it out and making it tough?
Every Thanksgiving there's a buzz about some new innovative approach. I've tried so many techniques over the years: brining; spatchcocking; disassembling: basting with butter over a cloth-draped bird; smoking; high-heat for a shorter time; low heat for a longer time....
I've enjoyed many of these turkeys over the years - but not enough to stop me from searching for a better way.
The Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey Challenge
So I was thrilled when, back in November of 2014, OXO invited me to participate in their Turkey Day Giveaway. My challenge was to create the ultimate Thanksgiving turkey - a challenge I took very seriously. Maybe I could actually figure out the best way to roast a turkey - I was determined to try!
Oxo provided me with a set of their Ultimate Turkey Tools, the same set they were offering in the giveaway. I appreciated having great equipment and, though this giveaway ended long ago, some of these tools are available to order on Amazon if you're interested: OXO Fat Separator for Gravy, OXO Baster & Cleaning Brush, OXO Stainless Steel Butter Dish.
Since I've had great success with this incredibly juicy and flavorful yogurt-marinated chicken, I was excited to try the same approach with my roast turkey - and It worked beautifully! Though I ended up having to make 6 roasted turkeys to perfect this recipe.
Roast Turkey #1
The very first time I tested this spicy yogurt marinated roast turkey recipe, the turkey came out tender and absolutely delicious - everything I had hoped for... except it was a bit burned in spots and the yogurt sauce in the pan had separated and looked curdled. (I took this photo with my iPhone because I was testing my recipe for the first time)
Cooking With Yogurt
I wasn't going to give up yet - I did some research on cooking with yogurt. It turns out yogurt becomes unstable when heated to high temperatures - that's because of its protein content. Also, the higher the fat-to-protein ratio, the more stable the yogurt. So using low-fat or fat-free yogurt for cooking is unlikely to give you a creamy sauce.
One of the most interesting resources I found was an online forum with Indian cooks discussing how to prevent yogurt-based curries from curdling. The one tip that was widely agreed upon in the forum was to whisk yogurt in one direction only, so as not to break up the protein bonds. I couldn't corroborate the scientific validity of this advice, but I figured it couldn't hurt to follow it, so I did. Ultimately, it worked, but not without a couple more roadblocks.
The issue that took me the longest to pinpoint - 4 roast turkeys later - was that not all whole milk yogurts are created equal. Some have a built-in stabilizer called pectin, which I later discovered, is the key to a creamy yogurt gravy.
I came to this realization by assessing the 6 turkeys I had roasted. Roast Turkey Number One had the best coating and creamiest gravy and I had used Stonyfield Farm Smooth and Creamy yogurt for that turkey. For the other three turkeys, I used Fage Total Greek yogurt.
After a lot of frustration with not being able to replicate the desired qualities of turkey number 1, it finally occurred to me to compare the ingredients in the two different yogurts. Stonyfield Farm adds pectin to their thick and creamy yogurt. Fage doesn't. Pectin is a stabilizer! It keeps the yogurt together - smooth and creamy - even when cooked at a high temperature - PHEW!
Fresh Young Turkey vs Free Range Turkey
I made one more discovery after all of my recipe testing. Of the 6 turkeys that I roasted, four were fresh young turkeys and two were free range. The fresh young turkeys were noticeably more tender and had a lot more meat than the free range birds.
After a LOT of work in the test kitchen and a good amount of brain strain, I finally came up with this Ultimate Thanksgiving Roast Turkey Recipe and I'm thrilled to share it with you!
Why I love this recipe
- Simple - It's easy to mix up the yogurt marinade and spread it over the turkey
- Unique - a delightful twist on classic roast turkey
- Great Flavors - The combination of lemon, garlic, Aleppo pepper, and yogurt creates a truly delicious bird
- Amazing Gravy - The flavorful pan drippings are pureed along with all the garlic cloves that roasted with the turkey. The result is a very special turkey gravy
A Walk-Through of This Recipe, with Photos
The key to this recipe is a thick, flavorful yogurt marinade that coats the entire bird. Marinating and and then cooking the bird in yogurt tenderizes it, keeps it moist and juicy throughout the cooking process, and infuses it with rich savory flavor. And the pan drippings make a delicious gravy.
Mix up the marinade ingredients:
- Aleppo pepper - or substitute paprika and crushed red pepper flakes
- Whole Milk Yogurt - look for yogurt that contains pectin, such as this Stonyfield Farm yogurt.
- Tomato paste - from a can or a tube
- Olive oil - extra virgin
- Lemons - thinly sliced
- Garlic - flattened under a knife blade, and peeled (see recipe notes)
Season & Truss the Turkey - Spread salt and pepper in the cavity and stuff the cavity with lemons and garlic. Tie the turkey's legs together with twine - this helps the turkey cook evenly. When the legs are tight against the breasts, both are less likely to dry out. Also, trussing closes up the cavity and prevents hot air from circulating in there and drying out the breasts.
Marinate - Coat the turkey with the yogurt mixture and leave it to marinate at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Roast - Transfer the turkey, breast side up, to a rack inside a large roasting pan and scoop any marinade that has dripped down, onto the top of the bird. Roast it in the oven at 450ºF for 30 minutes.
Baste - Remove the turkey from the oven and pour melted butter over it. Lower oven temp to 350ºF and continue to roast the turkey for 2 - 2½ hours longer, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160F, basting every half hour with pan juices.
Make the Gravy
Remove garlic and lemon slices from the roasting pan and set them aside. Pour the liquids from the pan into a gravy separator. Pour the gravy into a saucepan and set the fat aside.
Heat the turkey roasting pan over medium heat on the stove, using two burners. Pour in chicken stock/broth and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to release all of the flavorful brown bits, then add broth to the saucepan with the pan drippings. Add back the roasted garlic and, for a richer gravy, you can add a couple tablespoons of the fat.
Puree the gravy with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor. Heat and serve hot.
Serve
Transfer the turkey to a carving board and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.
Slice the turkey, arrange it on a platter and serve it with the spicy yogurt gravy.
You must be wondering what I did with all those turkeys I roasted!?! I gave a lot away to friends and neighbors. I made turkey soup, turkey enchiladas, turkey paninis and chicken turkey salad.
If you're still planning your thanksgiving menu, check out my 16 Best Thanksgiving Recipes from Panning The Globe post for lots of delicious sides and more. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
Here's the Spicy Yogurt Marinated Roast Turkey Recipe. If you make this, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
PrintRecipe
Spicy Yogurt Marinated Roast Turkey
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 mins
- Yield: 12-14 Servings 1x
Description
Marinated in tenderizing yogurt and infused with vibrant Middle Eastern spices, this roast turkey is juicy, flavorful and tender, with pan drippings that yield a rich, spiced-up gravy
Ingredients
- 12-14 pound fresh young turkey
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 2 unpeeled lemons, sliced into thin rounds, divided
- 12-14 garlic cloves, flattened/smashed and peeled, divided (note 2)
- 3 tablespoons Aleppo Pepper (or substitute 4 teaspoons crushed red pepper plus 4 teaspoons sweet paprika)
- 2 cups full fat plain yogurt, preferably with pectin. (note 1)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
- 3-6 cups turkey broth or low-salt chicken broth
Instructions
Season & Truss
- Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and reserve for another use. Rinse and dry the turkey inside and out and season the cavity with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, rubbing it evenly around. Stuff 2 of the lemon slices and 3 of the smashed garlic cloves into the cavity.
- Using a 12-18 inch piece of twine, truss the turkey: tie the legs together (see photo in post). Place the turkey, breast side up, on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Marinate
- In a large bowl, add the Aleppo pepper (or the red pepper flakes and paprika). Add 2 tablespoon of warm water (3 tablespoons, if using pepper and paprika) and stir to moisten the spices. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Add the yogurt, tomato paste, olive oil and salt to the bowl and mix gently with a fork, stirring only in one direction, until the ingredients are just combined. Add the rest of the lemons and garlic, and gently stir, in the same direction. (note 3)
- Pour the yogurt marinade over the turkey. Lift the bird by the neck and, using your hands, smear some marinade under the turkey. Pat marinade over the wings and legs and any areas that are bare. Let the turkey sit with the marinade at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Roast
- Arrange an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the turkey, breast side up, onto a rack inside a large roasting pan. If the turkey was refrigerated, leave it at room temperature for an hour before cooking.
- Remove any garlic cloves from the top of the turkey, to prevent them from burning, and place into the pan. Place some of the lemon slices on top of the bird, decoratively, if you like. Pour 1 ½ cups of stock into the bottom of the pan. Transfer the turkey to the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a heat-proof surface. Gently pour the melted butter over the top of the turkey. Return the turkey to the oven. Lower oven temp to 350ºF and roast the turkey for 2 - 2 ½ hours longer, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160F, basting every half hour with pan juices. Add an additional cup of chicken stock to the pan when it looks dry and if any part of the turkey is getting too brown, gently tent with foil.
Make the Gravy
- Transfer the turkey to a platter or carving board and tent with foil while you make the gravy.
- Remove the roasted garlic and lemon slices from the roasting pan and set them aside. Pour the liquids from the pan into a gravy separator. (do not clean the roasting pan) Wait a few minutes until you see that the fat has risen to the top, then pour off the liquid into a medium sized saucepan, and reserve the fat.
- Set the roasting pan on the stove over two burners set to medium heat. Add a cup of stock to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, to release all of the flavorful brown bits. Turn off the heat and pour the liquid into the saucepan. Add the roasted garlic. I like to add in a couple of tablespoons of the fat for flavor or you can leave it out entirely for a non-fat gravy or add as much as you like for a richer gravy.
- Puree the gravy with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor. Return it to the pot (if you removed it) and thin it with some broth until you get your desired consistency. Season with salt, to taste, and heat until hot.
Serve
- Transfer the turkey to a carving board and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.
- Slice the turkey, arrange it on a platter and serve it with the spicy yogurt gravy.
Notes
- Yogurt - Look for plain full fat yogurt that contains pectin. I use Stonyfield Farm Whole Milk Plain. Back in 2014, when I first published this recipe, Stonyfield Farm called this yogurt "...Smooth and Creamy." The ingredients are still the same. Only the name has changed. If you can't find yogurt with pectin, use plain full fat yogurt. The turkey will still be delicious and even if the gravy curdles, when you puree it at the end, it will come together.
- Garlic - To flatten and peel garlic, place a clove on a cutting board and position the flat side of a broad chef's knife on top of it. Gently pound the top of the knife with the heel of your hand, to partially crush the clove. When you lift the knife, the loosened skin should easily peel away.
- Stirring yogurt in one direction - I learned this trick from an online forum of Indian home cooks, discussing how to prevent yogurt from curdling when making curries. More details in the post.
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator however our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: roast
- Cuisine: Turkish-Inspired
This recipe post was first published on November 14, 2014. I have revised it and updated it adding: clearer and more helpful instructions to the recipe card; better quality photos; helpful information to the written post; a step-by-step walk-through of the recipe with photos; nutritional information; and I added "roasted" to the recipe title, to clarify what this recipe is about. The previous title was "Spicy Yogurt Marinated Turkey."
A
Can I cook it in a oven safe turkey bag???
Lisa
I'm sorry I didn't see your comment before Thanksgiving. I hope you found a solution.
Thomas Yearwood
Hi Lisa
Just relocated to London. Still planning a great Thanksgiving. I love the yogurt marinade for the turkey and can’t wait to try it. I’ve learned to spatchcock chickens since moving to the UK and have already decided to to use the same technique with the turkey this year (smaller ovens and all, y’know). Cooking time is way down and thus far the chickens have come out quite juicy even with a plain dry brine. I put the bird over a wire rack above a drip-collecting roasting pan. Gravy is made in the roasting pan after removing the vegetables I’ve placed in it for the roasting process.
Can’t wait to try your yogurt marinade with the spatchcocked turkey. I’ll let you know what happens.
Tom
Happy Thanksgiving. So much for which to be grateful!
Skip
I’m thinking about following this method but using Indian spices in the yogurt marinade. Can I also inject the turkey with a butter/spice marinade?
Lisa
Both of your ideas sound delicious Skip. Happy Thanksgiving!
Helen
Yesterday I had an appointment with my endocrinologist, she told me that she is preparing a yogurt brine for her turkey. I searched the web for a recipe and was glad to find your blog and reading about all the detailed experiences you went through with six birds (chapeau!) I will prepare a yogurt young turkey but I may add ginger, 7 spices,, coriander to the 24 hrs marinade. Two family members can not eat garlic- unfortunately- so I will add garlic powder.. I will let you know of the final result . Thank you so very much for the enlightening experience
Lisa
I Helen - who would guess that a trip to the doctor would lead to yogurt marinated turkey 🙂 I'm so glad you found Panning The Globe. I'd love to hear back about how the yogurt turkey turns out. Happy Thanksgiving!
Helen
Happy thanksgiving to all!!
I prepared the spicy yogurt marinated bird, adding ginger, seven spices, skipping the oil( i simply forget it) . I washed the turkey, dry it, massage it with lemon wedges and added the spread the spicy yougurt all over, let it stand over night; on Thursday afternoon I prepared the Reynolds bag, insert the turkey inside the bag added some cut onion and garlic and close the bag. I heated the oven to 350 degree (as indicated for the bag) two and a half hrs later turn the oven off . Take the bird cooking pan out , let it stand half an hr than opened the bag and cut a piece of the turkey breast for tasting. OMG it was juicy and tender and delicious. My sister who usually does not eat chicken or turkey, find it appealing! My niece who said ‘thank you I am done ‘ after a second bite of any dish, got a second serving of the bird meat and when diner was over her mom waited patiently while I was packing a container of turkey meat to take home with her. We were five adults and two teens at the dinner table. Everyone requested a slice of the turkey breast. My niece said the turkey was very good; my nephew ate nothing but a large serving of turkey no stuffing no cranberry no mashed potatoe... thank you so much for the delicious recipe. Our thanksgiving dinner was a success!
Annette
Have you ever tried just marinating a turkey in milk or butter milk. If so what were the results and can you post the recipe
Jackie
Hi
If I marinate it for 24 hours will the turkey be real hot spicy.
Lisa
Hi Jackie, Aleppo pepper is not super hot like cayenne. I think it will be fine. The skin will be good and spicy - a nice kick but not super hot.
Susan
Lisa! We did your marinated turkey recipe for Thanksgiving. The breast meat was SO tender and the gravy was a breeze. Because of the yogurt and spices the gravy was already thick and flavorful. I actually used some of the fat I skimmed off (instead of butter) to make more gravy, since we never have enough. Wonderful! Thanks so much for all your work. We love it!!!
Lisa Goldfinger
I'm so happy to hear that you loved the Turkish Turkey Susan! Thanks so much for letting me know. And I agree - you can never have enough gravy!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea
Yes I was wondering what you did with all that turkey---OMG. But what a fab
post on having the ultimate turkey. And what was the end result was not what I would have thought would be the best way to do. I love surprises so that works for me.
You are nuts, but I find that charming. Ha!
amber cartwright
that looks amazing! I would really consider trying this.!
Lauralee Lien
This sounds so yummy! I am going to try it on a chicken first with the yogurt to see how that does before trying the big bird. It's been hit and miss with Turkey for me over the years and have yet to find the perfect go-to recipe. Hope this turns out to be a winner for me! Thanks!
Lisa Goldfinger
Great idea to do a test run on a chicken! Let me know what you think 🙂
Rachel (Rachel's Kitchen NZ)
Oh, I love the sound of this Turkish Turkey (had to write that:) recipe and interesting about the yogurt. I love using sheep yogurt for cooking because it doesn't split as readily and now I know why. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in NZ but we do have turkey at Christmas so am thinking of doing this recipe then - thanks Lisa.
Eileen F
Lisa, thanks for all the hard work and multiple turkeys you cooked to develop this perfect turkey recipe. I've cooked chicken like this before and it was delicious. I'll give it a try after this "holiday" is over. My son-in-law is cooking the holiday turkey.
Lisa Goldfinger
Thanks Eileen!
Amy Kim
We're going to my parent's house for Thanksgiving this year so I am relieved of turkey duty, BUT I do want to try this recipe! Maybe I'll make a Christmas turkey!
I appreciate all the testing and will make note of the yogurt! This looks and sounds fantastic!
Marian
Lisa,
Our friends cook the turkeys every year but this year,I am going to buy a small turkey just so I can make this recipe (and so I'll have left overs). Uffra and Aleppo pepper have become staples in this house thanks to your blog. AND JB is making the Colombian chicken stew this week. The bonus of your hard work and recipes is that JB interested in cooking. Thank you.
Lisa Goldfinger
Marian, I'm so glad you've been enjoying the Urfa and Aleppo pepper - I absolutely adore them! So great that JB is interested in cooking - If PTG has been an inspiration, that makes me really happy. 🙂