Spatchcocked Roasted Turkey

A spatchcocked roasted turkey is not only juicy and flavorful, but it also cooks in less time.

I was intrigued when I saw this NYT recipe for a dry brined, spatchcocked roasted turkey slathered in an herb mayonnaise, by J. Kenji López-Alt, so I made an early Thanksgiving dinner to give it a try. The turkey was a bit difficult to spatchcock but the rest of the recipe was simple and fun. The roasting turkey made the house smell amazing and it turned out tender, flavorful, and juicy. I paired the turkey and delicious homemade gravy with mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry chutney,  broccoli, garlic knots, and pumpkin pie.

Spatchcocked Roasted Turkey

Turkey for Dry Brine:

• 8-10 lb whole turkey, backbone removed, neck, giblets, and backbone reserved for the gravy.
• 6 tbsp kosher coarse salt (I used Morton’s)

For Roasting:

• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot (or 2 small)

Herb Mayonnaise:

• 1 1/2 cups good mayonnaise
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, stems reserved
• 1/2 cup sage leaves, stems reserved
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme or oregano leaves, stems reserved
• 2 green onions, chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

For the Gravy:

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• Reserved backbone, neck, and giblets from the turkey, roughly chopped
• 11/2 quarts chicken stock or turkey stock
• Reserved stems from herb mayonnaise
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

How to Make a Spatchcocked Roasted Turkey

Spatchcock the turkey by following the step-by-step instructions here.

Dry brine the turkey by patting the spatchcocked bird down with paper towels on both sides until it’s nice and dry.

Carefully loosen the skin from the breast of the turkey going through the neck, until you can slide your hand between the skin and the breast meat. Season each turkey breast with 1 teaspoon of the kosher coarse salt, spreading it over the entire breast. Sprinkle the remaining salt evenly over every surface of the turkey. Place the turkey skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerator for 12-24 hours.

Make the herb mayonnaise while the turkey is dry-brining by placing the mayonnaise, parsley, sage, thyme, green onions, lemon zest, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper in a tall container. Blend with an immersion blender until relatively smooth and pale green. Seal with a lid and refrigerate until needed.

Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to roasting to let it rest while the oven preheats.

Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle then preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Scatter the roasting veggies–chopped celery, onion, and carrots on a rimmed baking sheet then place a wire rack directly on top of the veggies. Place the dry-brined turkey on top of the wire rack, skin side down.

Prepare the turkey by slathering 1/2 cup of the herb mayonnaise mixture with your hands over the exposed side of the turkey, making sure to lightly coat every surface.

Flip the turkey over, skin side up, spread the legs out to the sides and tuck the wing tips under the breast. With your hands, spread a couple of tablespoons of the herb mayo between the skin and meat of the breast. Slather the rest of the turkey generously with the herb mayonnaise, getting it into every nook and cranny.

Roast the turkey by placing it into the oven to roast until the breast meat registers 150 degrees on a meat thermometer at the deepest point of the breast next to the breastbone, and the thigh bone registers at least 165 degrees at the center joint between the drumstick and thigh or thigh and hip), 80 to 90 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking. Side Note: If any skin starts to darken too much, tent the turkey loosely with foil. 

Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Make the gravy while the turkey roasts by heating the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the celery, onion, carrot, garlic, chopped turkey parts, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the stock, herb stems, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until reduced by about half, or until the turkey is done roasting.

Strain the stock mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, once the turkey has finished roasting and is resting. Tilt and strain and collected liquids from the baking sheet the turkey roasted on to the same bowl, discarding the veggies from the baking sheet. Skim off and discard most of the excess fat from the liquid.

Finish the gravy by heating the flour and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk until the mixture is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Ladle the stock mixture into the saucepan, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Once the stock is added, bring the gravy to a simmer until the desired consistency. Stir in the soy sauce and season to taste with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Carve and serve the turkey with the gravy. Enjoy.

Spatchcocked Roasted Turkey

A spatchcocked roasted turkey is not only juicy and flavorful, but it also cooks in less time.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Dry-Brining Time:: 1 day day

Total Time: 1 day day 2 hours hours

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10

Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by J. Kenji López-Alt

Equipment

• Rimmed Baking Sheet
• Immersion Blender or Blender
• Wire Cooling Rack
• Meat Thermometer
• Large saucepan
• Medium Saucepan

Ingredients

Turkey for Dry Brine:

• 8-10 lb whole turkey backbone removed, neck, giblets, and backbone reserved for the gravy.
• 6 tbsp kosher coarse salt I used Morton's

For Roasting:

• 2 celery ribs chopped
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 large carrot or 2 small

Herb Mayonnaise:

• 1 ½ cups good mayonnaise
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley stems reserved
• ½ cup sage leaves stems reserved
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme or oregano leaves stems reserved
• 2 green onions chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

For the Gravy:

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 celery ribs chopped
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic smashed
• Reserved backbone neck, and giblets from the turkey, roughly chopped
• 11/2 quarts chicken stock or turkey stock
• Reserved stems from herb mayonnaise
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

• Spatchcock the turkey by following the step-by-step instructions in link up above.
• Dry brine the turkey by patting the spatchcocked bird down with paper towels on both sides until it's nice and dry.
• Carefully loosen the skin from the breast of the turkey going through the neck, until you can slide your hand between the skin and the breast meat. Season each turkey breast with 1 teaspoon of the kosher coarse salt, spreading it over the entire breast. Sprinkle the remaining salt evenly over every surface of the turkey. Place the turkey skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
• Make the herb mayonnaise while the turkey is dry-brining by placing the mayonnaise, parsley, sage, thyme, green onions, lemon zest, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper in a tall container. Blend with an immersion blender until relatively smooth and pale green. Seal with a lid and refrigerate until needed.
• Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to roasting to let it rest while the oven preheats.
• Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle then preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Scatter the roasting veggies--chopped celery, onion, and carrots on a rimmed baking sheet then place a wire rack directly on top of the veggies. Place the dry-brined turkey on top of the wire rack, skin side down.
• Prepare the turkey by slathering 1/2 cup of the herb mayonnaise mixture with your hands over the exposed side of the turkey, making sure to lightly coat every surface.
• Flip the turkey over, skin side up, spread the legs out to the sides and tuck the wing tips under the breast. With your hands, spread a couple of tablespoons of the herb mayo between the skin and meat of the breast. Slather the rest of the turkey generously with the herb mayonnaise, getting it into every nook and cranny.
• Roast the turkey by placing it into the oven to roast until the breast meat registers 150 degrees on a meat thermometer at the deepest point of the breast next to the breastbone, and the thigh bone registers at least 165 degrees at the center joint between the drumstick and thigh or thigh and hip), 80 to 90 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking. Side Note: If any skin starts to darken too much, tent the turkey loosely with foil.
• Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
• Make the gravy while the turkey roasts by heating the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the celery, onion, carrot, garlic, chopped turkey parts, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.
• Add the stock, herb stems, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until reduced by about half, or until the turkey is done roasting.
• Strain the stock mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, once the turkey has finished roasting and is resting. Tilt and strain and collected liquids from the baking sheet the turkey roasted on to the same bowl, discarding the veggies from the baking sheet. Skim off and discard most of the excess fat from the liquid.
• Finish the gravy by heating the flour and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk until the mixture is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Ladle the stock mixture into the saucepan, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Once the stock is added, bring the gravy to a simmer until the desired consistency. Stir in the soy sauce and season to taste with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
• Carve and serve the turkey with the gravy. Enjoy.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @4loveofcooking on instagram and hashtag it #4loveofcooking