• Home
  • About me
  • WORK WITH ME
  • Recipes
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Supergolden Bakes

Sweet, savoury and everything in between

You are here: Home / Christmas / Roasting Bag Turkey Recipe

Roasting Bag Turkey Recipe

November 18, 2016 by Lucy Parissi 8 Comments

Jump to Recipe
The best roast turkey and stuffing - your go-to recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas

The easiest way to make the PERFECT roast turkey – use a roasting bag! Read my tips and tricks for most succulent, perfectly cooked turkey. This post is sponsored by French’s

You will also love my Thanksgiving side dishes

The best roast turkey and stuffing - your go-to recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas

I have been slightly obsessed with Thanksgiving ever since I first watched that Gilmore Girls episode ‘A deep-fried Korean Thanksgiving’ in which Lorelai and Rory attend three Thanksgiving dinners in one day.

I haven’t had the chance to celebrate it in the US during my brief stint in New York – sadly I was gone well before November – but I have celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving on a couple of occasions, most recently at my friend Julia’s.

The best roast turkey and stuffing - your go-to recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas

I am thrilled to be able to share a virtual Thankgiving with you all this year thanks to my partnership with French’s who asked me to come up with the quintessential meal for the holiday. French’s classic yellow mustard is always in our fridge or pantry – homemade burgers just would not be burgers without it.

But I wasn’t familiar with their crispy onions, which just so happen to be the most addictive substance known to man. I very nearly finished the whole pack snacking on them 😛 The mustard and crispy onions feature rather heavily in my recipes and you will understand why once you have a taste.

I have tried a million roast turkey recipes – brined overnight, roasted upside down, covered with a cheesecloth soaked in butter and wine… been there, done that. Some methods are better than others – the cheesecloth is a Martha Stewart staple which works really well but requires a lot of basting and soaking.

The best roast turkey and stuffing - your go-to recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas

How to roast a turkey in a roasting bag

This time, I tried the roasting bag method. I always use a roasting bag when making roast chicken in a hurry and it never fails to come out great, so I was curious whether it would work equally well on a turkey – and the answer is a resounding YES!

Not only is it the easiest, least labour intensive way to roast a turkey, the results are pretty spectacular with minimal effort. And as a big plus, the cooking time is also cut down thanks to the roasting bag sealing in all the heat.

In fact, that’s the one thing to be really aware of, lest you overcook your bird. A digital thermometer is an absolute must to determine when the turkey is done.

Making roast turkey in a roasting bag

STEP 1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and set the shelf on lowest rack. If you are using a frozen turkey, make sure it is fully defrosted before cooking. Thaw in the fridge following pack instructions. Let the turkey (fresh or defrosted) stand at room temperature for at least an hour before roasting.

STEP 2. Tie the carrot, celery, lemon, bay leaf, parsley stalks and rosemary together with kitchen string and put into the turkey cavity.
STEP 3. Put he butter, mustard, thyme leaves, lemon and orange zest and Tabasco in a small bowl. Use a spoon to mix everything together.
STEP 4. Massage the butter paste all over your turkey, pushing some under the breast skin. Season well with salt and pepper.
Place the turkey in a large roasting bag and seal. Place flat on a large, deep roasting tray and pierce a few holes on the top of the bag.
STEP 5. Cook the turkey for 2 hours, rotating the tray halfway through.
STEP 6. Remove the turkey from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Be very careful when you open the roasting bag – the steam will be very hot and can easily give you a bad burn!
STEP 7. Check the temperature – it should be 170°F (77°C) in the breast and 180°F (82°C) in the thigh. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour before carving.

 

Best Bread Stuffing with Cranberries and Pecans

I hadn’t tried bread stuffing before Julia’s Thanksgiving dinner but it is so delicious, I came up with my own version. It brings together elements of my mum’s Christmas stuffing (which has chestnuts, liver and pine nuts) with the more traditional American bacon and leek stuffings.

You can prepare it the day before and assemble it on Thanksgiving, cooking it in the oven while your turkey is taking a much needed rest. Make sure you read my companion post for more Thanksgiving side dishes.

The best roast turkey and stuffing - your go-to recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas

The best roast turkey and stuffing - your go-to recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas

The best roast turkey and gravy

Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes
The perfect roast turkey cooks quickly and effortlessly in a roasting bag. Minimal effort with maximum rewards! And let's not forget the perfect gravy.
4.67 from 3 votes
Print Rate
Course: Christmas /Thanksgiving
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Christmas Turkey, Roast Turkey, Thanksgiving Turkey
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 1222kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 kg | 8lbs fresh turkey or frozen and defrosted thoroughly
  • 150 g | 5.3oz unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp French's Classic Yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon thyme leaves
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • zest of 1 orange
  • dash Tabasco
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 carrot halved
  • 1 celery stick halved
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 parsley stalks
  • small piece fresh rosemary

For the gravy

  • Giblets heart, gizzard and liver from the turkey
  • 3-4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 small leek finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk with leaves
  • 1 yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 lt | 4 cups water
  • 1 tbsp cornflour diluted in a little cold water
  • 1 tbsp Bourbon
  • 1 tbsp French's Classic Yellow mustard
  • 1 tsp soy sauce

For the Stuffing

  • 350  g | 12oz bread cubes, toasted sourdough or ciabbata bread
  • 200 g | 7oz smoked bacon cubes
  • 150 g | 5.3oz pecans roughly chopped
  • 150 g 5.2oz cooked chestnuts roughly chopped
  • 100 g 3 ½oz dried cranberries  finely diced
  • 6 tbsp crispy onions ground to a powder optional
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 celery sticks diced
  • 2 leeks white and light green parts only, finely diced
  • 2  large sage leaves very finely diced
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped
  • 360 ml | 1 ½ cup chicken stock
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard
  • pinch chilli flakes
  • dash Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and set the shelf on lowest rack.
  • If you are using a frozen turkey, make sure it is fully defrosted before cooking. Thaw in the fridge following pack instructions. Let the turkey (fresh or defrosted) stand at room temperature for at least an hour before roasting.
  • Tie the carrot, celery, lemon, bay leaf, parsley stalks and rosemary together with kitchen string and put into the turkey cavity.
  • Put he butter, mustard, thyme leaves, lemon and orange zest and Tabasco in a small bowl. Use a spoon to mix everything together.
  • Massage the butter paste all over your turkey, pushing some under the breast skin. Season well with salt and pepper.
  • Place the turkey in a large roasting bag and seal. Place flat on a large, deep roasting tray and pierce a few holes on the top of the bag.
  • Cook the turkey for 2 hours, rotating the tray halfway through.
  • While the turkey is cooking, make the stock. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a pot and cook the leek, celery and onion for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes.
  • Add the water bay leaf, gizzard and heart. Bring to the boil then simmer for 45 minutes. Straing the liquid into another pot. Pan fry the liver in the remaining butter and cook for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. Chop very finely and add to the stock. Set aside.
  • Remove the turkey from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Carefully open the roasting bag - be careful as the steam will be very hot and can easily give you a bad burn!
  • Check the temperature - it should be 170°F (77°C) in the breast and 180°F (82°C) in the thigh. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
  • Pour the liquid that's collected in the bag into the stock pot. Bring to a rolling simmer and stir in the bourbon, cornflour, mustard and soy sauce. Cook until slightly reduced and thickened. Check the seasoning and strain into a gravy boat.
  • Carve your turkey and serve with the gravy and stuffing.

Pecan and Cranberry Stuffing

  • Preheat the oven to 115C (250F). Cut the bread into small cubes and spread on a large baking tray in a single layer. Toast in the oven until crisp, mixing occasionaly. This can take 12-15 minute or longer. Cool before using.
  • Mix the bread cubes, pecans, chestnuts and cranberries in a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Heat 1 tbsp of butter n a non-stick frying pan and sauté the leeks and celery for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the sage, parsley and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl.
  • Cook the bacon cubes in same frying pan over medium high heat until crisp. Transfer to the bowl containing the vegetables.
  • Heat the frying pan and deglaze with the stock, scraping any browned bacon bits. Stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce and transfer to a measuring jug. Allow to cool slightly and then mix in the eggs.
  • Stir in with the leeks and bacon. Add the breadcubes and pecans and fold together.
  • Place in a buttered ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the ground crispy onions and chilli flakes. Dot with remaining butter and cook at 180C (350F) for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve hot.

Notes

Roast Turkey: Cooking times for cooking a turkey in a roasting bag can usually be found on the packaging. A 4kg (8lbs) turkey only needs about 2 hours roasting but always check the internal temperature with a digital thermometer. Always rest the turkey before carving.
Stuffing: If you are preparing this dish up to a day in advance, put the breadcrumbs, pecans, chestnuts and cranberries in a container and keep in the fridge. Prepare the recipe following the method but keep the leeks/egg mixture in a separate container in the fridge. Mix together before baking on the day you are serving dinner.

Nutritional Info

Calories: 1222kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 90g | Fat: 75g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 389mg | Sodium: 1135mg | Potassium: 1237mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 3187IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 169mg | Iron: 7mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @supergolden88 or tag #supergoldenbakes!

 

 

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: Thanksgiving, Turkey

« Linguine in spicy chorizo tomato sauce
Green bean casserole and fluffiest bread rolls – Thanksgiving side dishes »

Never Miss A Post!

Subscribe to get the all the latest tasty goodness delivered to your inbox!

Comments

  1. Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says

    November 26, 2016 at 4:17 pm

    Lucy, your photos are making me hungry! Love a bread stuffing baked in a separate pan. I don’t trust the safety of stuffed turkey made by anyone but my late mother, not even myself!

    Reply
    • Lucy Parissi says

      November 26, 2016 at 6:50 pm

      I have cooked stuffing inside the turkey but usually it is rice based not bread. With the aid of a digital thermometere you can’t go far wrong but it is definitely much easier to do it separate.

      Reply
  2. Nadia says

    November 20, 2016 at 5:39 pm

    Beautiful shots, Lucy! 😀 The stuffing sounds delicious. Stuffing is one of my favourite parts of the holiday/Christmas meal 😀 I never used to care much for mustard but recently I find myself adding it to anything and everything! It really does add so much flavour 🙂

    Reply
  3. Kate @ Veggie Desserts says

    November 20, 2016 at 1:54 pm

    I’ve celebrated loads of Thanksgivings in Canada and I love the togetherness of it. I really should start celebrating it in the UK! Lovely recipes, Lucy. So beautiful.

    Reply
    • Lucy Parissi says

      November 20, 2016 at 5:03 pm

      It is a lovely tradition – we enjoyed sharing this one with our Canadian neighbours

      Reply
  4. Dom says

    November 20, 2016 at 1:17 pm

    oooh, LOVE your separate bread stuffing, that’s a great idea… I also made a roast turkey this week… can’t wait for the festive period to start!

    Reply
  5. Julia Frey says

    November 18, 2016 at 7:16 pm

    This turkey dinner is what dreams are made of! I am getting hungry just looking at it and I’ve had my dinner already. The turkey looks absolutely divine and I am trying your stuffing recipe for Christmas!!

    Reply
    • Lucy Parissi says

      November 18, 2016 at 8:24 pm

      I was so impressed with the roasting bag method. So much easier, quicker and no basting! I will definitely be making this again at Christmas.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




HEY, NICE TO MEET YOU!

Picture of Lucy ParissiHi, I am Lucy Parissi, the recipe developer, food  photographer and author behind Supergolden Bakes. If you are looking for easy sweet and savoury recipes that are packed with flavour you have come to the right place!  READ MORE

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Slimming Recipes

More Posts from this Category

As Seen In…

Collage of brand logos, including Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, Chowhound, MSN, Elle, and Redbook
This site uses cookies: Find out more.