I love turkey, my husband loves turkey, so we have turkey in the house often. I love roasting turkey in a simple way with just a little butter, salt and pepper, but sometimes I want to make my turkey a little more exciting and this brown sugar chipotle roast turkey is exactly that.
Let’s get started…
Begin by letting your turkey come to room temperature. I like doing this for about an hour. I unwrap the turkey, remove everything inside the cavity and rinse it out, pat the turkey dry with paper towels and let it sit at room temperature for an hour.
While the turkey is resting, place a rack just above the bottom of your oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I have always had the best success with starting the turkey at a high heat and then reducing the heat to let the turkey continue roasting gently until it reaches 160 degrees internally.
Once the turkey is at room temperature, rub softened butter over the the entire bird and season generously with garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, black pepper and dried Italian herbs.
Add 32 ounces of liquid into the base of your roasting pan and roast the turkey uncovered at 450 degrees for 45 minutes.
While the turkey is starting its journey, combine 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/3 cup of fresh orange juice, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt and 2 tablespoons of chipotles in adobo sauce that have been finely minced or pasted in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Bring the glaze up to a simmer and let it cook until the sugars have dissolved and the glaze has thickened just a bit. Transfer it off of the heat and let is rest until the turkey is ready to be brushed.
After the turkey has roasted at 450 degrees for 45 minutes, I quickly tent my turkey with foil and reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Set a new timer for 60 minutes and let it go.
After 60 minutes has elapsed, generously brush the turkey with your brown sugar chipotle glaze and set a new timer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, glaze the turkey again and continue roasting until the thickest part of your turkey reaches 160 degrees.
Transfer the roasting pan onto a heat proof surface, lightly cover with foil and let it rest for 20-25 minutes before slicing.
While the turkey is resting, pour the roasting pan juices through a mesh sieve into the same saucepan that you made the glaze in and place it over medium heat. While the gravy comes to a simmer, whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of water or stock until smooth and then add this into the gravy. Let the gravy simmer until it reaches your desired consistency.
This glaze is quite special. Nothing about the turkey prep and process is complicated, because at the end of the day this glaze is the real star of the show. The flavor is warm and perfectly sweet with notes of citrus and garlic and it turns the crispy turkey skin into a sticky treat that you are going to adore.
If you are looking for a wonderful way to add a little something special to your turkey this year then I would love for you to give my brown sugar chipotle turkey a try. It’s sweet with a little heat and loads of welcoming flavor. You’re going to love this one.
Serve it with some mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans or in an Italian bread sandwich with chips.
Brown Sugar Chipotle Roast Turkey
Ingredients
- 14-16 pound turkey
- 4 tablespoons of butter, softened
- garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, black pepper, dried herbs
- 32 ounces of liquid, chicken or turkey stock, white wine, beer or any combination of these
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water or stock (for thickening the gravy)
Brown Sugar Chipotle Glaze
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 1/3 cup of fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of garlic salt
- 2 tablespoons of chipotles in adobo sauce, finely minced or pasted
Instructions
- Unwrap your turkey, remove anything inside the cavity and dry the turkey with paper towels
- Let the turkey sit at room temperature for an hour before roasting
- Preheat your oven to 450°
- When the turkey is at room temperature and your oven is preheated, transfer it into a roasting pan
- Rub softened butter over the entire turkey and season generously with your favorite salt, pepper, herbs and spices
- Add 32 ounces of liquid into the bottom of the roasting pan
- Transfer the turkey into a 450° oven and roast for 45 minutes
- After 45 minutes, reduce the oven’s temperature to 325° and set a new timer for 60 minutes
- While the turkey is roasting, combine 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/3 cup of fresh orange juice, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, a teaspoon of garlic salt and 2 tablespoons of finely minced or pasted chipotles in adobo sauce in a small saucepan set over medium heat
- Bring the mixture to a low simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves and then set it aside for now
- When your timer goes off on the turkey, brush the turkey with the glaze and set a new timer for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes, brush the turkey with the glaze again and check the turkeys internal temperature (we are looking for 160° at the thickest spot)
- Continue roasting the turkey and brushing with any remaining glaze you have until the turkeys internal temperature reaches 160°
- Transfer the turkey out of the oven, loosely cover with foil and let it rest for 20-25 minutes
- Transfer the turkey onto a cutting board to carve
- Pour the roasting pan juices through a mesh sieve into the saucepan that you made the glaze in and place it over medium heat
- While the gravy comes to a simmer, whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of water or stock until smooth and then add this into the gravy
- Simmer the gravy until it thickens to your desired consistency
- Enjoy!
Reader Interactions