Indian-spiced marinated turkey with two chutneys recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to cook a turkey in the UK? ›

Basic cooked turkey recipe

Put in a roasting tin, breast-side up, and roast for 40 mins per 1kg for the first 4kg, then 45 mins for every 1kg over that weight, or until a meat thermometer reaches 65C when inserted into the thickest part of the breast or 70C in the thickest part of the thigh.

Preheat your oven to full whack, get the turkey in the roasting tray and cover with foil. As soon as it goes in the oven, immediately turn the heat down to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. As a rough guide, you want to cook the turkey for about 35 to 40 minutes per kilogram, so a 7kg turkey will want about 4 to 4½ hours in the oven.

Cooking temperature and cooking times

Make sure your oven has reached the right temperature: gas 5/190°C/fan 170°C. To work out the cooking time, a good rule of thumb is to allow 20 minutes per kg, and then +70 minutes for a 2–3.9kg turkey, or +90 minutes for a 4–10kg turkey.

Oven-Roasted Turkey

We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.

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.

Roast the turkey in the hot oven for 10–15 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven, baste the bird with the pan juices and lay the bacon rashers over the breast to keep it moist. Baste again. Lower the setting to 180°C/Gas 4 and cook for about 2 1⁄2 hours (calculating at 30 minutes per kg), basting occasionally.

Roast 1 hour, then baste every 30 minutes with pan liquids, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 125°F, about 3 hours. Remove foil; raise oven heat to 400°F. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until thigh reaches 180°F, 45 to 60 minutes more.

How to cook a turkey James Martin? ›

In a large heavy roasting tin, scatter the onions and thyme, pour in the stock and wine, then sit the turkey on top. Dot the turkey in butter and season. Cover the whole tin in baking paper and then very tightly in foil. Place in the oven for 1 hour and 30minutes, remove foil and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) Preheat your oven and take the turkey out of the fridge. Thirty minutes to an hour before the turkey needs to start roasting, turn on your oven and let the turkey sit out at room temperature while it's heating up.

Stick with salt and pepper, put herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage to work, or take spicy Cajun seasoning for a spin for some kick. Whatever blend you choose, spread it all over the turkey—on top, underneath, between the body and wings and legs, under the skin, and even in the cavity of the bird.

"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."

Heat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4

You'll get less shrinkage when it goes into a hot oven. Always preheat your oven for at least 20 minutes before cooking your turkey. Place a trivet of veggies and onions in the bottom of the tray to help make an epic gravy with all the juices.

If you are cooking a small turkey, a boned and rolled turkey, or a turkey crown you can use our Turkey cooking time calculator. Otherwise, preheat the oven to 180°C / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4 and allow 20 min per pound (lb) plus 20 minutes.

It is best to use a temperature probe or food thermometer to make sure your bird is cooked. Check the thickest part of the bird (between the breast and the thigh) reaches 75°C or above. Meat should be steaming hot all the way through.

The most straightforward approach is to roast an unstuffed turkey, breast-side up, for 13 minutes per pound of turkey at 350°. That works out to approximately 3 hours for a 12- to 14-pound bird (a 12-pound turkey is pretty standard).