Apple stuffed roast turkey with cider
- Preparation 30 min
- Refrigeration 12 h to 24 h
- Cooking 3 h
- Servings 6 to 8
- Freezing Absolutely
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🍷 A white wine and vegetable brine
A turkey that spends the night in salted water stays juicy, period. The brine here is built with white wine, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Most turkeys are already lightly seasoned, but I still add my salt: the recipe works the same, even with a regular turkey. For the base of a big holiday table, take a look at my perfectly juicy Christmas roast turkey too.
🍎 An apple, red onion and thyme stuffing, sautéed before it goes in
Inside the cavity it doesn’t get as hot as it does in the oven, so a raw stuffing would come out almost raw. I sauté the apples, red onion, garlic and thyme in a big skillet first, which brings out their flavor before the bird gets filled. And the stuffing is served with the turkey, not left behind in the cavity.
🥂 Basted with cider
All through the roast, the turkey gets basted with cider. It perfumes the meat and gives the skin a little apple note. Worried about wrecking your turkey at Christmas? Use a meat thermometer and you’re set: there’s no guessing in this recipe.
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🧂 How long to brine
The recipe allows 12 to 24 hours. I do about 16 to 18 hours, and that’s what I’d suggest: the longer it sits, the saltier it gets, and a turkey left in the brine too long comes out too salty.
Most turkeys are already lightly seasoned. You still add your salt to the brine, it’s the same thing, and the recipe works the same even with a regular turkey. Since the brine takes almost a full day, it’s a good step to do the day before.
🍳 Sauté the stuffing before you stuff
Inside the cavity it doesn’t get as hot, so the apples, red onion and thyme would come out nearly raw. Five or six minutes in a skillet, salted, peppered and with a drizzle of olive oil, brings the flavors out.
🔥 The 400°F start is for the crust
The first 30 minutes in a hot oven are mostly there to build the crust. After that, drop to 350°F (180°C) and let the turkey finish gently.
🍎 Hard cider, or unfiltered apple juice
When I say cider, I mean alcoholic hard cider. If you’d rather skip the alcohol, you can replace it with unfiltered apple juice.
The skin can soften a little from the cider basting. That’s normal, it’s part of the game.
🌡️ The thermometer decides, not the clock
Overcook your turkey and it dries out. You need a meat thermometer, there’s no guessing here: 165°F (74°C) in the breast and 180°F (82°C) in the thigh. My meat and fish cooking temperature guide gives you the other benchmarks. Once it’s out of the oven, let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving, like all my turkeys.
🫗 Save the cider juices for serving
The cider juices left at the bottom of the roasting pan can absolutely be reused for serving.
✅ What to serve with my apple stuffed roast turkey with cider?
The stuffing is already on the plate, so I keep the rest simple: my roasted garlic and maple carrots, my roasted Brussels sprouts with honey and peanuts and a homemade demi-glace sauce for the juices. If you’re hosting a big crowd, put my clementine and cranberry turkey next to it to offer two directions of flavor on the same table.
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Brine
- 1 turkey, about 11 lb (5 kg), thawed
- 2 cups (500 ml) Nantes carrots, cut into large pieces
- 3 celery stalks, cut into large pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into large pieces
- 7 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups (500 ml) white wine
- 1 cup (250 ml) salt
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) peppercorns
- About 20 cups (5 L) water
Stuffing
- 3 Macintosh apples, cut into large chunks
- 1 large red onion, cut into large pieces
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
The rest
- Olive oil
- Herbes de Provence
- 4 cups (1 L) hard cider
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Preparation
- In a large pot, about 15 L (4 gallons), add the turkey followed by the rest of the brine ingredients. Add enough water to cover the turkey by at least 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm). Stir, cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours (the longer, the saltier). Remove the turkey from the brine and drain.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line the bottom of a large roasting pan with aluminum foil and set the rack on top.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the stuffing ingredients with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Fill the cavity of the turkey with as much stuffing as possible and tie the legs together. Place the turkey on the rack in the roasting pan.
- Drizzle the turkey with a thin stream of olive oil and rub to coat. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle generously with herbes de Provence. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
- Reduce the oven to 350°F (180°C) and continue roasting for 2 to 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) in the breast and 180°F (82°C) in the thigh. Baste with cider every 20 minutes.
- Let the turkey rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the stuffing.
For a turkey of about 11 lb (5 kg), plan on 30 minutes at 400°F (200°C), then 2 to 3 hours at 350°F (180°C). Time doesn’t decide, the thermometer does: 165°F (74°C) in the breast and 180°F (82°C) in the thigh. My cooking temperature guide helps you double-check.
Here it’s a stuffing of Macintosh apples, red onion, garlic and thyme. I sauté it in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper for 5 to 6 minutes before filling the cavity, because inside the bird it doesn’t get as hot. It’s served alongside the turkey.
With a white wine and vegetable brine of 16 to 18 hours, a meat thermometer so you don’t overcook it, and a 10 to 15 minute rest before carving. My perfectly juicy Christmas roast turkey follows the same principle.
Plan on 4 to 5 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.
Roasted garlic and maple carrots, roasted Brussels sprouts with honey and peanuts and a homemade demi-glace sauce. You can also serve the cider juices from the bottom of the roasting pan.
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