How to Braise a Whole Turkey for a Juicy, Flavorful Meal

Braising is a great way to cook a whole turkey and achieve a moist, flavorful result with crispy skin When done right, braising turkey produces incredibly tender and succulent meat infused with aromatics Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to braise a whole turkey properly for the perfect holiday centerpiece.

What is Braising and Why Braise Turkey?

Braising involves cooking food, usually meat or poultry, in a small amount of liquid over low heat. The long, slow cooking tenderizes the meat while also infusing it with flavor.

Turkeys have a tendency to dry out when roasted in the oven, Braising is an ideal technique because the moisture helps the turkey stay tender and juicy The steam created within the closed pot penetrates deep into the meat

Additionally, braising allows the turkey to baste in its own juices and absorb flavors from the braising liquid known as the “braise.” Aromatic vegetables, herbs, broth and wine build incredibly complex and delicious flavor

Tips for Braising Turkey

Choose a whole turkey or just parts like drumsticks, thighs or boneless breasts. Dark meat tends to braise better than white.
Use a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid like a Dutch oven to lock in moisture.
Add vegetables like onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms to the braise for flavor. Garlic, herbs and spices also infuse flavor.
Use a combination of turkey or chicken stock and wine or vermouth to create the braising liquid.
Keep the liquid level partially up the sides of the turkey so the exposed areas get moist heat.
Maintain a gentle simmer and baste the turkey occasionally.
Cook covered for 1-3 hours depending on turkey size until fork tender.
Let the braised turkey rest before carving to allow juices to redistribute.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep the Turkey

Pat the turkey dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Season under the skin as well.
In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat and brown the turkey all over until golden, about 8-10 minutes per side. Do this in batches if needed.
Remove turkey and set aside. Drain excess fat from the pot.

Cook the Aromatics

Add diced aromatics like onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and garlic to the pot. You can also add herbs like thyme or rosemary.
Cook for 5-10 minutes until vegetables start to caramelize and brown.
Pour in 2 cups of turkey or chicken stock and 1 cup of wine like white wine, vermouth or sherry.

Braise the Turkey

Nestle the turkey into the pot along with any accumulated juices.
Add more stock until the liquid comes about halfway up the sides of the turkey.
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about 1 hour for a 10 lb turkey.
Flip turkey and baste with juices every 20-30 minutes.
Cook until completely tender and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
Transfer turkey to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

Make the Gravy

Pour braising liquid into a fat separator to remove excess fat.
For every 1 cup of defatted liquid, whisk in 1 tbsp flour.
Pour liquid back into the pot and simmer to thicken into a gravy.
Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper.

Carve and Serve

Let turkey rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the breast and legs.
Serve braised turkey with the hot gravy and enjoy this wonderfully moist and flavorful holiday centerpiece!

Variations

Use chicken, duck, goose, pork shoulder or other meats instead of turkey.
Try different braising liquids like wine, vermouth, hard cider, fruit juice or beer.
Add bacon, chorizo, ham or pancetta for a smoky, salty flavor.
Use parsnips, fennel, pearl onions, turnips or other root vegetables.
Add dried mushrooms, tomato paste, citrus zest or hot chiles.
Stir in olives, capers, prunes or dried fruits for savory-sweetness.
Sprinkle with fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro or chives before serving.

Making Leftover Turkey Extra Delicious

Braised turkey makes incredibly moist leftovers. Here are some tasty ways to transform leftovers into new delicious meals:

Turkey noodle soup – Shred turkey into egg noodles and broth.
Turkey pot pie – Make a creamy sauce and top pie crust with turkey, vegetables and gravy.
Turkey tetrazzini – Toss spaghetti with turkey, mushrooms, spinach and a creamy parmesan sauce.
Turkey salad sandwiches – Shred turkey and mix with mayo, celery, cranberries, nuts and greens.
Turkey hash – Cook turkey with potatoes, peppers, onions and spices.
Turkey enchiladas – Fill tortillas with shredded turkey, beans, cheese and enchilada sauce.
Turkey casserole – Combine turkey, rice or stuffing, veggies and cheese.

With proper technique, braising whole turkey rewards you with the most tender, juicy and flavorful holiday centerpiece. Follow these tips for turkey that’s bursting with moisture, perfectly seasoned with aromatics and sure to wow your guests.

how to braise a whole turkey

Private NotesLeave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

I made this recipe twice in the last week – and my party guests gobbled up every morsel of it, said they never had turkey as delicious and as moist. I simplified the process a bit: cooked the vegetables as directed, then divided them between two roasting pans. Nestled dark meat in one pan, put in the oven for 90 min, then added the second pan with white meat nestled in veggies for additional 40 min. In 130 min both dark meat pan and white meat pan were perfectly done. Perfection!

Made this with two very large thighs which cooked considerably faster than predicted. (90 mins to 160). Used mushrooms, celery, yellow peppers, and some celery root (no carrots on hand) and it was excellent. Remaining braising liquid was an excellent start to a gravy. Rather than mess up additional pans I roasted/braised in the same large saute pan as the browning. Worked great.

I use a stick blender to blend the vegetable with the drippings and extra stock if necessary. Make a luscious gravy and everyone eats the vegetables knowingly or unknowingly. I make a similar gravy for brisket roasted atop vegetables. sometimes use a diced rutabaga with the rest of the vegetables.

This recipe makes Thanksgiving very easy & delicious. I have had the butcher cut up the turkey & package the breast (off the bone) & thighs together, the bones separately, & giblets separately. Picking it up on Monday allows me to make the stock on Tuesday & then do the rest Thursday morning. Braising it in wine makes it particularly tasty.

I used a mixture of stock, vermouth and water and yum. We used rosemary, which was aromatic as heck but a touch overpowering — thyme might have been better bet. Fabulous with a bottle of 05 Chinon.

I use this recipe often in the colder months, not just Thanksgiving. You can play around with the veg ( diced turnips and parsnips are nice) an the liquid (stock and wine). You can do just thighs this way and roast the breast separately on top of some dressing. You can also brown everything on the the stove and then put it into one of the electric tabletop ovens (aka a Nesco roaster) and have the big oven available for all your sides.

Look no further: This is the perfect way to cook turkey. We make two turkeys per Thanksgiving, roasting both breasts in one pan and the dark meat in another. We add mushrooms to the braising base. We add the braising ingredients to cooked wild rice to make an instant side dish. We use leftover braising ingredients as a base for ragus by mixing them with sausage, duck or other proteins. The braise ingredients could be used in a soup or – what the heck? – be gobbled up by the spoonful.

Made a boneless, skinless turkey breast version of this after coating with lots of salt, pepper & full-fat yogurt x 6 hours. Wiped off the marinade then braised in white wine, veg stock, + carrots, celery, fresh sage leaves, & reconstituted dried mushrooms. Baked at 350º instead of 300º – oops, so it was (over)done in 30 minutes, but still really tender & moist, thanks to the marinade. Removed the veg, & used the strained mushroom liquid + giblets & veg stock for gravy – leaf lard for the fat).

They key really is to take it off at 155ish and let it come up to temp. Also, Id recommend adding a few whole garlic gloves and when its all done, use them like as a delicious spread on your meat.

correction to my note. Sorry. This recipe calls for four times as much for the braising vegetables, not 8 times as much. Still overwhelming amount, I think.

I haveBitttmans original recipe from the Times. It calls for 1/2 lb carrots, 1/2 lb celery and one onion for one turkey, 1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms and 1/2 ounce dried porcinis. This recipe calls for 8 times each vegetable. Ive made the original since it was first published; the amount of vegetables is perfect. it seems to me that 2 lbs of carrots and 1 whole bunch of celery would overwhelm everything else. Obviously, its not chemistry, and those amounts could easily vary, but not by that much

I think the reason for the variety of results has to do with the size of your turkey! I made a 15 lb bird, leg/thigh sections in for an hour, added the breasts and wings, and cooked another 50 minutes. The dark meat was a touch dry – next time Ill do 45 for the dark meat 50 for the white. Also, keep in mind that dark meat is best at 175-180 degrees. Its technically “done” at 165, but for max tenderness, you want your dark meat a little hotter than your white. Excellent recipe!!

Tried with Turkey legs only, and they cooked very fast and got overdone. Part of the issue may be the long (10 min) browning time. I’d try it again, perhaps at a lower roast temp and not do as hard of a brown. Think thighs would be a better choice for cut, too, if they are available.

This was the gift that kept on giving. I used just turkey thighs and added some boneless, skinless chicken breasts halfway in. Not only was it delicious, the leftovers work as a soup (add more broth) and I’ve also used the veggies without the liquid in scrambled eggs. This is a keeper!

I did not find the turkey legs continued cooking after I took them out of the oven. I had to cook to the temperature needed. Possibly a large turkey, which people usually cover after cooking for some time might continue increasing in temperature.

I am not a huge turkey fan so this recipe appealed to me as a minimal effort way to satisfy the turkey loving family members. It was so delicious, easily the best turkey Ive ever had. Im planning to make it again for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and craving it already. I will make the dark & light meat separately as recommended by another reader. This way I can use my cast iron Dutch oven for the thighs and big deep skillet for the breasts. I might add a third breast since we will be 8.

I left the celery and carrots mostly whole (cut in half) and quartered the onion. I also used a single bone in breast half so I added it in after 60 minutes on the thighs and then did another hour and a half for the whole thing. Everything was well flavored and the meat wasnt dry. The gravy from the broth turned out wonderful!

I made this in an instant pot. I had to do two batches with the amount of ingredients listed in this recipe. For the first batch I put in two cups of water and poured in white wine until it covered everything. Instead of putting in more water and wine for the second batch I used the liquid from the first batch. The gravy afterwards from this was amazing.

There is something wrong with this recipe. I made the recipe faithfully, except I used all turkey thighs. As another reviewer noted, I expected a quicker cooking time than 120/165 minutes per recipe. BUT at 60 minutes in they were 175 degrees. The timing made the rest of the preparation chaotic at best. We got through it, but, why the huge discrepancy in time. And these were huge thighs. Do the thighs come out as breasts go in or in some universe does it take 120 minutes to cook thighs???

Thanksgiving 2020, just the two of us. Ordered a fresh 11 lb. turkey. Cut it apart and made turkey stock from the backbone and wings. I made this recipe with the thighs and drumsticks. Used the stock and half cup of vermouth with the vegetables. Lots more stock left for soup. The meat was delicious and I thickened the vegetable sauce with some flour and water. It was delicious, too.

I made this once with one thigh which was overdone at 45 minutes, and with two things which were done at 60 minutes. Both times I used the left-over braising liquid and veggies to make a pureed soup. The next time I make it — and it is delicious, so there will be a next time — Im going to reduce the amount of veggies and slightly reduce the amount of broth so as to have a more concentrated broth for sauce. Im also going to leave the veggies larger to serve with the turkey.Private notes are only visible to you.

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How to Cook a Turkey

FAQ

Should you braise a turkey?

Braising is a wonderful way to cook meat: it cuts down on the work when energy is low and is the perfect substitute… Once you have it started, it is virtually worry free, even for turkey. All you have to do is let your bird slowly cook while it makes its own delicious gravy.

How to braise meat in oven?

Add stock or water halfway up the meat you’re braising and bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Once it’s simmering, you can add in aromatics. Cover and keep it at a low simmer on the stovetop or in the oven at 350 degrees F. Cooking low and slow breaks down the tough meat so it’s tender and delicious.

Should you cook a whole turkey covered or uncovered?

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.