Everyone has their preferred method of cooking the turkey on Turkey Day. Oven Bag Turkey is a new way to try, especially if you love your turkey perfectly moist and tender. Using an oven bag helps to both roast and steam the turkey, ensuring moisture doesn’t escape as the bird cooks to a beautiful golden brown. Rubbing butter under the skin and on top of the turkey infuses each bite with extra richness, as does the tangy, smoky, sweet maple syrup mix poured on top. Oven Bag Turkey might just become your favorite way to prepare the star of the table on Thanksgiving!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 (12-18-pound) turkey, thawed
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened and divided
- kosher salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 medium apple, sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions
Step 1 –Position a rack in the center position in the oven.
Step 2 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 3 –Place an oven bag in a 2-inch-deep roasting pan.
Step 4 –Spray the inside of the oven bag with cooking spray.
Step 5 –Add the flour to the bag and shake to coat the entire inside of the bag.
Step 6 –Arrange the celery and the onion in the bag.
Step 7 –Clean the turkey as necessary, removing the neck and giblets if still attached and discarding the organs.
Step 8 –Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
Step 9 –Combine the poultry seasoning with 1/2 of the butter.
Step 10 –Using your clean hands, gently lift the skin of the turkey breast away from the meat and rub the butter/poultry seasoning mixture between the meat and the skin.
Step 11 –Rub the remaining butter on the turkey breasts.
Step 12 –Season the outside of the turkey with the salt and the pepper.
Step 13 –Place the apple slices inside the turkey cavity.
Step 14 –Place the turkey, breast-side up, in the prepared oven bag.
Step 15 –Whisk the apple cider vinegar and the maple syrup together in a bowl.
Step 16 –Pour the vinegar mixture over the turkey, letting some spill into the cavity.
Step 17 –Seal the oven bag with the enclosed nylon ties.
Step 18 –Twist the end of the bag and tuck it under the bird’s legs.
Step 19 –Cut six 1/2-inch slits in the top of the bag to act as vents.
Step 20 –Roast the turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey (not touching bone) reads 165 degrees F, about 2-3 hours.
Step 21 –Allow the turkey to rest for at least 20 minutes.
Step 22 –Carve and serve.
