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This was the very first whole turkey I ever made, and it was divine. I was never a huge fan of my family’s typical turkey-with-gravy-and-stuffing Thanksgiving dinner, so this spin using apples and apple cider sounded right up my alley! If you’re looking for a new spin on turkey too, I highly recommend this one!

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Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy

Prep Time30

Cook Time2

Total Time2 30

Servings people

Ingredients

1 whole turkey about 10 pounds
1 cup butter or other cooking fat, softened
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup ground sage
3 tablespoons sea salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper or ground ginger
2 whole onion chopped
2 whole apple chopped
1 head garlic chopped
1 1/2 cup apple cider divided
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder use more as needed

Equipment

Instructions

Combine the fat, honey, and seasonings into a paste. Pat half of it under the turkey’s skin and the other half on top of the skin. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the turkey breast-side-up on a roasting pan. Stuff the turkey with apples, onions, and garlic and place any leftover produce at the bottom of the pan along with 1 cup apple cider.
Roast the turkey for about 2 hours or until it reaches 165F in the breast, turning once halfway through and basting with its own juices as needed. If the skin starts to pass golden-brown before the turkey is done, place aluminum foil over the turkey. When done, remove from the oven and let sit for about 20 minutes before carving.
To make the gravy, strain the juices in the bottom of the pan into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the arrowroot and 1/2 cup apple cider and whisk until thickened, adding more arrowroot as needed.

Nutrition

4 Comments

I am on an autoimmune paelo diet. I see that there is apples in this recipe and this is in the autoimmune paleo section. I was informed that people with autoimmune disease such as my self shouldn’t have apples. I am new at all this, 3 days to be exact! So maybe I was misinformed? I love apples so I am hoping that I can eat them!
Thank you for your time! 🙂

Christina says:

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Apples are totally AIP-friendly! But it’s recommended to get less than 20g of fructose per day, so where fruits are concerned, the trick is to watch your fructose intake.

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