The famous stuffed and oven-roasted Thanksgiving turkey, tender and flavorful, a popular poultry for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Roast turkey is the most popular Christmas dish in many countries. t’s a large poultry that brings together family and friends in conviviality.
oven-roasted Christmas turkey stuffed with chestnuts
I made this roasted stuffed turkey for New Year’s Eve, but it’s an ideal recipe for Christmas Eve or Thanksgiving in the States. Turkey is easy to make, and you don’t have to spend hours behind the stove.
When you’re entertaining a lot of people, roast turkey is a great idea for a festive meal. I usually prepare either or a leg of lamb for large parties which everyone loves, or a roast capon. I also like to prepare the most delicious ever Moroccan-style roast chicken with oven-roasted almonds.
Oven-stuffed turkey is a simple, convivial dish that’s perfect for family Sundays, when you have more than 10 guests.
oven-roasted stuffed turkey
How to choose a turkey
Table of Contents
As for the choice of poultry, capon or chicken, you need to choose a good quality AOC, Label Rouge or organic turkey, certified to have been raised in the open air and fed on good cereals. The turkey meat will be tasty and the difference will be remarkable.
If you’re using a frozen turkey, be sure to defrost it in the refrigerator before use. To cook the turkey properly, it must be at room temperature before putting it in the oven. The flesh tenderness will be perfect .
How long will take to oven-roast a turkey ?
I recommend cooking at low or medium temperature. The turkey will cook slowly and evenly. The flesh is cooked through and remains tender. Baking at 150°C (300°F) is perfect. It will take approximately 30 minutes to cook 1/2 kg (17.6 oz) of turkey
For a 3.5 kg (about 7.7 lbs) turkey, plan for 3.5 hours of cooking time. But depending on your oven, you can check for doneness by poking a skewer into the hollow of the thigh, between the thigh and the breast. The juice that comes out must be clear.
No need to preheat the oven.
Roast turkey leg.
You can use a cooking thermometer. Insert the probe into the thigh at the joint, without touching the bone. The temperature should be 82°C (180°F) for a well-cooked turkey.
Baste the turkey with its juices every 20 minutes. Do not let the juice dry out in the dish, add a glass of water as soon as you see that the sauce has diminished.
What to serve with roast turkey?
I stuffed it with chestnuts, minced offal, sausage meat and minced meat, and served it with chestnuts. It’s one of the most popular accompaniments to roast turkey recipes.
We like it unstuffed and served with sautéed vegetables. You can also serve it with mashed potatoes or smashed potatoes. The oven-roasted butternut is an excellent accompaniment to turkey or A sauté of baby potatoes..
The recipe on video
How to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey
| NB: Find the complete recipe with detailed ingredient quantities in the recipe- card at the end of the article, which you can also print out. Below are the instructions, which you can also view in images. |
Trimming the turkey
1. Wash turkey, rubbing with salt and 1/2 lemon. Remove all excess fat Cut the neck, leaving a 3 cm (about 1.2 inches) portion attached.
2. Remove any remaining down and feathers. You can flame them over the stovetop fire, being careful not to burn the meat.
2. Rinse turkey and drain. Pat dry with paper towels. You can trim the turkey the day before and leave it in the fridge.
Prepare the stuffing
1. Brown chopped onion in olive oil. When translucent, add the egg and stir. Remove from heat as soon as egg is cooked.
2. Place the minced meat, finely chopped giblets and sausage meat in a bowl. Add the 1 clove of garlic and 100 g (3.5 oz) of chopped chestnuts.
3. Add the cooked onion, crumbled stock cube, spices and fresh thyme. Mix well. wrap tightly and refrigerate
Making the chestnut and minced meat stuffing
Prepare the butter to coat and stuff the turkey
1. In a bowl, mix the butter with the spices, 1 chopped garlic clove, lemon juice, sesame oil and chicken stock cube.
2. halve the spiced butter. Add the fresh thyme leaves to the portion we’ll use to coat the turkey under the skin and inside.
Stuffing the turkey
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator one hour before preparing.
1. Coat the inside of the turkey and under the skin with butter and thyme. Massage well to thoroughly permeate the flesh.
2. Coat the outside of the turkey with the butter without the thyme. Massage the flesh well with the butter.
3. Stuff the turkey, pushing the stuffing towards the bottom. You can use a binder needle to sew the cavity. I use wooden skewers to hold the two sides together. It doesn’t close the cavity, but it holds it in place.
How to trim and stuff a turkey
4. Tie the two legs together. Pass a rubber band under the rump, then over the tied legs, and wrap it around the turkey’s wings. 
5. Place the trimmed turkey in a deep baking dish (about 3 cm / 1.2 inches high). Set it aside.
6. Bake for 3 hours and 30 minutes without preheating the oven. Cook the turkey on one side (wings) for 30 minutes, then place it on the other side and cook for a further 30 min. Baste twice with its juice during cooking.
Add water as soon as you see that the cooking juices have run down. Don’t let it burn. Add 1 glass of water each time (150 ml/ 5 oz).
7. Turn the turkey onto its back and continue cooking, basting occasionally with its juices.
Baste turkey with cooking juices
8. check for doneness by poking a skewer between the thigh and the breast. The juice that comes out must be clear.
9. Once the turkey is cooked, remove and cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Leave for 20 minutes before serving.
Prepare the chestnuts:
In a frying pan, caramelize the remaining chestnuts with a tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of honey. Stir the chestnuts gently so as not to crush them. 
How to serve oven-roasted turkey?
1. Cut strings from turkey, place on serving platter and surround with chestnuts. Collect the juices from the dish and place in a sauceboat. 
2. Brush juices all over the turkey.
3. Carve turkey and serve with stuffing and chestnuts. This recipe is sure to please your guests.
As I said earlier, you don’t have to wait until the festive season to share this roast turkey with your loved ones for a Sunday meal.
Roast turkey with chestnuts
Thanksgiving Roast Stuffed Turkey Recipe
Ingredients :
- 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) turkey, or larger depending on the number of guests
- 1 jar (500 g / 17.6 oz )of roasted, peeled chestnuts
- 100 g (3.5 oz )butter
- 2 garlic cloves
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder optional
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil optional
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme optional
Optional Stuffing:
- Don’t be intimidated by the length of this list; most are optional spices.
- 150 g (5.3 oz) turkey liver
- 1 onion
- 150 g (5.3 oz) ground meat
- 150 g (5.3 oz) sausage meat, or extra ground meat
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- A pinch of cinnamon
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- A pinch of quatre épices optional
- 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon pink peppercorns optional
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme optional
Instructions :
Trimming the turkey
- Wash turkey, rubbing with salt and 1/2 lemon. Remove all excess fat Cut the neck, leaving a 3 cm (about 1.2 inches) portion attached.
- Remove any remaining down and feathers. You can flame them over the stovetop fire, being careful not to burn the meat.
- Rinse turkey and drain. Pat dry with paper towels. You can trim the turkey the day before and leave it in the fridge.
Prepare the stuffing
- Brown chopped onion in olive oil. When translucent, add the egg and stir. Remove from heat as soon as egg is cooked.
- Place the minced meat, finely chopped giblets and sausage meat in a bowl. Add the 1 clove of garlic and 100 g (3.5 oz) of chopped chestnuts.
- Add the cooked onion, crumbled stock cube, spices and fresh thyme. Mix well. wrap tightly and refrigerate
Prepare the butter to coat and stuff the turkey
- In a bowl, mix the butter with the spices, 1 chopped garlic clove, lemon juice, sesame oil and chicken stock cube.
- halve the spiced butter. Add the fresh thyme leaves to the portion we'll use to coat the turkey under the skin and inside.
Stuffing the turkey
- Remove the turkey from the refrigerator one hour before preparing.
- Coat the inside of the turkey and under the skin with butter and thyme. Massage well to thoroughly permeate the flesh.
- Coat the outside of the turkey with the butter without the thyme. Massage the flesh well with the butter.
- Stuff the turkey, pushing the stuffing towards the bottom. You can use a binder needle to sew the cavity. I use wooden skewers to hold the two sides together. It doesn't close the cavity, but it holds it in place.
- Tie the two legs together. Pass a rubber band under the rump, then over the tied legs, and wrap it around the turkey's wings.
- Place the trimmed turkey in a deep baking dish (about 3 cm / 1.2 inches high). Set it aside.
- Bake for 3 hours and 30 minutes without preheating the oven.
- Cook the turkey on one side (wings) for 30 minutes, then place it on the other side and cook for a further 30 min. Baste twice with its juice during cooking.
- Add water as soon as you see that the cooking juices have run down. Don't let it burn. Add 1 glass of water each time (150 ml/ 5 oz).
- Turn the turkey onto its back and continue cooking, basting occasionally with its juices.
- Baste turkey with cooking juices
- check for doneness by poking a skewer between the thigh and the breast. The juice that comes out must be clear.
- Once the turkey is cooked, remove and cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Leave for 20 minutes before serving.
Prepare the chestnuts:
- In a frying pan, caramelize the remaining chestnuts with a tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of honey. Stir the chestnuts gently so as not to crush them.
How to serve oven-roasted turkey?
- Cut strings from turkey, place on serving platter and surround with chestnuts. Collect the juices from the dish and place in a sauceboat.
- Brush juices all over the turkey.
- Carve turkey and serve with stuffing and chestnuts. This recipe is sure to please your guests.
- As I said earlier, you don't have to wait until the festive season to share this roast turkey with your loved ones for a Sunday meal.
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