Tandoori Turkey
A deliciously spiced twist on traditional turkey, this tandoori turkey has an especially scrumptious gravy. Perfect with mashed potatoes & roasted veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain full-fat yogurt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp oil
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 2- oz piece fresh ginger
- 3 tbsp sweet not hot paprika
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp ground cayenne
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 9 kg/20 lb fresh whole turkey (thawed, if using frozen)
- Freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 medium onion
For Gravy:
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour or more, as needed
- 1 litre unsalted chicken broth cold or room temperature
- 3 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Combine the first 12 ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
- Remove fresh turkey from bag. Remove neck from body cavity and giblets from neck cavity. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow (3" deep) roasting pan. Slather the yogurt-spice rub all over the turkey, sprinkle with black pepper, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Chop the onion in half and place it in the cavity.
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Position turkey on centre oven rack and roast until meat thermometer reads 180°F (82°C) in the thigh, about 4 hours. About half-way through cooking time, tent the turkey with foil if the skin is getting dark. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, make the gravy. Place the roasting pan with all of the turkey bits and juices on the stove over medium heat. Place the flour in a bowl. Slowly drizzle one cup of the cold chicken broth into the flour, whisking constantly to make a smooth mixture without any lumps. Gradually whisk this flour mixture into the stove-top simmering juices, followed by the remaining broth and the butter. Allow the gravy to come to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened. Taste and add salt as needed. Strain into a serving bowl.