Gluten-Free Herb Roasted Turkey (Dairy-Free)

I’ve made a lot of turkeys over the years, and this one is the best ever. You and your family will love it! Let me show you how to make your best turkey.

Thawing and Prepping Your Turkey:

The best way to thaw your turkey is to place it in the refrigerator for several days on a tray that has sides. As it thaws, it will drip liquid, and you want to contain that. It’s important not to skip this step. You don’t want raw turkey juices dripping all over your fridge. Trust me, that rock-solid frozen turkey wrapped in plastic is going to drip liquid when it starts to thaw.

I let my 16-pound turkey thaw in the fridge for 5 days, and while it was completely thawed, there were still some chunks of ice in the cavity.

Prepare the turkey: 

Take the turkey out of the refrigerator one hour before cooking. Remove the neck and giblets (both ends) and any ice chunks that may still be inside. Rinse and pat dry. Place the turkey breast side up in a large roasting pan. (with or without a roasting rack. I use one, but it isn’t absolutely necessary)

How to Prepare the Herbs:

The herbs are going to give your turkey the most wonderful flavor, and your home will smell “amazing” while your turkey is baking.

The parsley and sage can both be chopped into small pieces with a large knife. You want 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons of sage. Leave any extra whole to put inside the cavity of the bird.

To prepare the thyme, simply run your fingers along the twigs and scrape off the little leaves. You’ll want 2 tablespoons of thyme, and again leave any extra to put inside the turkey.

Wash and dry one lemon and use a zester to zest the lemon. Lightly chop the zest into smaller pieces. You should be able to get about 1 tablespoon of zest from one lemon.

Add the chopped herbs, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to the softened buttery spread. Mix until thoroughly combined. Note: You could make your herbed buttery spread up to a week before. Just bring to room temperature before using it.

How To Season Gluten-Free Herb Roasted Turkey:

Seasoning the turkey:

Place the halved onions, lemons, the head of garlic, and the remaining whole herbs into the turkey’s cavity.

Lift the skin and rub some of the herbed buttery spread around. Rub more of the spread all over the top of the skin, too. This is a little messy, but it’s going to be amazing.

Prepare a cheesecloth by cutting it to size. You want it doubled or quadrupled and a little bigger than the turkey. Heat the rest of the herbed buttery spread in a saucepan to almost melting. Take the cheesecloth, get it wet with water, and wring it out. Place the cheesecloth in the saucepan and get it soaked with the herbed spread. Remove the cheesecloth and spread over the turkey. Take any remaining spread and smear into the cheesecloth.

How to Bake a Turkey:

Oven settings:

Place the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450°.

Baking the turkey: 

Pour the chicken broth into the roasting pan. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove after 45 minutes and baste with the broth in the bottom of the pan. Baste directly over the cheesecloth.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350° and continue baking for 2 hours or until the turkey registers 165° on a meat thermometer. Bast 2-3 more times and rotate your turkey when you put it back in the oven in case your oven has a hot spot.

The cheesecloth will turn brown during the baking. After removing the turkey from the oven, pull off the cheesecloth and behold your beautiful turkey.

Removing the turkey from the pan: 

Seriously, I think this is the hardest part, but if you have some extra hands to help, it will make it easier. Place another pan directly beside the roasting pan and use large spatulas or even medium-sized plates to get around the sides of the turkey and lift to the other pan. If the wings come off, you can prop them up beside them to keep the grand look of the beautiful turkey. Loosely tent with aluminum foil and let sit for 30 minutes before serving and cutting.

This roasting pan with a rack would solve the problem of lifting the turkey out of the pan.

How to Make Gravy:

Carefully pour all of the broth from the roasting pan into a medium-large container that can handle the hot broth.

In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, begin melting the dairy-free butter and add in any drippings (any small pieces of turkey) from the roasting pan that was left. Stir together the drippings and dairy-free butter, breaking up the drippings into smaller pieces if necessary. After it’s melted, pour 4 cups of the hot broth into the skillet and stir.

Add 1/4 cup cornstarch to 1 cup cold water and mix until dissolved. Stir into the broth mixture and keep stirring while heating. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep stirring for about 6-9 minutes until desired thickness. Remove from heat. Serve warm with turkey and the rest of the meal.