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This is a simple yet delicious turkey recipe 🦃 The turkey is injected with yummy goodness that makes each bite so flavorful. The bird is moist with a perfectly golden and crispy skin. The caramelized onion gravy is to die for. Get ready for your turkey to steal the show!
For this recipe I use an 11 lb turkey. You will need to adjust cooking time depending on what size turkey you have. Typically, it is roasted 13-15 min/ lb at 350°F. The temperature should be 180°F in the thigh or 170°F in breast and the juices will run clear when cutting the bird. Don’t forget your serving sizes also depend on the size of your turkey.
I served this with my French Potato Puree last Thanksgiving and it was a hit!
Why You’ll Love Turkey 101
Apart from being staple at mostly every holiday table… it is sooo good! Brining is KEY for getting the juiciest bird. I personally love The Original or Lemon Pepper Brine Pouches by The Spice Hunter, takes the guesswork out of brining and it includes the bag to brine in but also takes it a step higher than traditional salt brine because of the extra spices.

How To Prepare Turkey 101
Turkey Prep (12 hours before)
💧 Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil, add the turkey brine pouch and mix until the salt dissolves. Let cool.
🍗 Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey & place inside the brining bag. Place that in a larger container. Add the brine + another gallon of water to the turkey, make sure it is submerged and tie it. Let it sit in fridge for 12 hours. I know this part is a pain, but do not skip it. It really makes this recipe and you WILL NOT regret it!
If you have a different size turkey, here are your brining times A 16–20 lb turkey should brine for 12–24 hours, a 12–14 lb turkey for 12 hours, and smaller turkeys for 6–8 hours. Make sure you don’t wet brine your turkey for longer than 2 days.
Turkey (13-15 min/lb)
🧈 Preheat your oven to 350°. Mix the melted butter with 1 cup wine, this is what you will be using to inject the turkey.
🥕 Rinse turkey and pat dry. Stuff with quartered onion, orange & carrot and then inject it with the butter and wine.
🦃 Place turkey on a roasting pan in the preheated oven. You will need to adjust cook time depending on the size of your turkey, 13-15 min/lb. Roast turkey covered for 1 hour and then uncovered for the rest of the time. Temp should be 180°F in the thigh or 170°F in breast.
Gravy
🧅 Add the other quartered onion, leek, garlic, celery and carrot with the neck, heart and liver to a large pot. Add remaining ½ wine and 8 cups water. Simmer.
🥘 In a saucepan, add the sliced onions to a pan and sauté on medium high for 2 minutes and then lower heat to medium and caramelize. Add turkey drippings.
🥣 Strain stock into a bowl, saving the liver & neck. Remove the meat from the neck and save half the liver.
🥄 Blend 5 cups of stock with the caramelized onions, neck meat, ½ liver and drippings til smooth. Strain. Bring to a boil and then mix some of the stock to your cornstarch. Add the cornstarch slurry to the gravy and bring to a simmer until it thickens. Whisk in milk to finish off your gravy, and that is it!
Substitutions and Variations for Turkey 101
- There aren’t much substitutions for this one, but you can substitute the spice hunter brine with your favorite!
- You can use non-alcoholic wine. Giesen has a great selection, I highly recommend.
🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
Brining is the turkey is KEY to the juiciest bird! I know it’s a pain but DO NOT skip this part.
Recipes that Pair
Common Questions
It depends on the size of your turkey. A 16–20 lb turkey should brine for 12–24 hours, a 12–14 lb turkey for 12 hours, and smaller turkeys for 6–8 hours. Make sure you don’t wet brine your turkey for longer than 2 days.
If you wake up and you have completely forgotten to brine it overnight and it’s either skip turkey or go without brining, you can. but I highly recommended that you do not skip this step if you can. This helps a ton to infuse the turkey with flavor and moisture and is such a big part of the recipe.
A meat thermometer is essential for a big meal like this. The temperature should be 180°F in the thigh or 170°F in breast. The juices should also run clear when you cut into the bird.
Turkey 101

Equipment
- 1 Injector
- 1 Brining Bag
- 1 Large Pot
- 1 Skillet
- 1 Roasting Pan
- 1 Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
Turkey
- 1 turkey, I used an 11 lb one
- 1 pouch Original Turkey Brine, The Spice Hunter
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 cup white wine
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 carrots, chopped
Gravy
- 3 onions, 1 quartered and 2 sliced
- 1 leek, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrot, chopped
- ½ cup white wine
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
Turkey Prep
- Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil, add the turkey brine pouch and mix until the salt dissolves. Let cool.
- Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey & place inside the brining bag. Place that in a larger container. Add the brine + another gallon of water to the turkey, make sure it is submerged and tie it. Let it sit in fridge for 12 hours.
Turkey
- Preheat your oven to 350°. Mix butter with 1 cup wine.
- Rinse turkey and pat dry. Stuff with quartered onion, orange & carrot. Inject it with the butter and wine.
- Place turkey in preheated oven. You will need to adjust cook time depending on the size of your turkey, 13-15 min/lb. Roast turkey covered for 1 hour and uncovered for the rest of the time. Temp should be 180°F in the thigh or 170°F in breast.
Gravy
- Add the other quartered onion, leek, garlic, celery and carrot with the neck, heart and liver to a large pot. Add remaining wine & 8 cups water. Simmer.
- In a saucepan, add the sliced onions to a pan and sauté on medium high for 2 minutes, lower heat to medium and caramelize. Add turkey drippings.
- Strain stock into a bowl, saving the liver & neck. Remove the meat from the neck and save half the liver.
- Blend 5 cups of stock with the caramelized onions, neck meat, ½ liver and drippings til smooth. Strain. Bring to a boil and then mix some of the stock to your cornstarch. Add the cornstarch slurry to the gravy and bring to a simmer until it thickens. Whisk in milk and you have your gravy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.