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Easy Chinese 5-Spice Turkey with Gravy

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Asian, Canadian, Cantonese, Chinese
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Resting time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 12 people
Author Mary Tang

Ingredients

  • 1 Butterball turkey, deconstructed
  • 6 carrots, peeled and cut 1 inch thick
  • 4 celery stalks, cut 1 inch thick
  • 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled, cut into 1-inch slices
  • 1 red onion, peeled, cut into 1-inch slices
  • 5 sprigs of thyme
  • 6 sprigs of flat leaf parsley
  • 1 cup of butter,  cut into 1 cm cubes
  • 4 cups of chicken stock
  • 1 cup of water

Seasoning:

  • Grapeseed oil, or oil of your choice
  • Salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to season
  • 2 tsp of fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tsp of Chinese 5-spice powder
  • ¼ cup orange zest (about 4 oranges)

Gravy

  • ⅛ cup each of butter and flour, have more handy for the roux
  • 3 cups pan drippings
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ½ cup flour, reserve more
  • Salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to season

Instructions

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 °F.

  2. Drizzle oil over the deconstructed turkey and season with salt and black pepper on both sides of the pieces.

  3. Using half of the butter cubes, place a few cubes underneath the skin of the breast, drumsticks and thighs.

  4. In a bowl, combine the Chinese 5-spice, thyme leaves, and orange zest and gently mix. Evenly spread the seasoning on the turkey skin.

  5. Spread the vegetables, evenly on 2 sheet pans. Fit the turkey pieces on top of the vegetables evenly on both pans. Add the remaining butter cubes on top of each piece of turkey.

  6. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and ½ a cup of water to the first pan and repeat the steps for the second pan.

Roasting time:

  1. Place the pans into the oven using 2 separate racks. Roast the turkey at 325 °F for 1 hour. It is best to use the convection setting on your oven.

  2. After one hour, turn the heat to 385 °F and cook for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the breast hits 165°F and the thigh meat reaches 180°F.

  3. Broil on high for 3 minutes.

  4. Take the turkey out of the oven, remove the pieces onto a plate or cutting board to rest.

Making the gravy:

  1. Using a strainer, pour the vegetables and turkey drippings from the pan into a separate bowl. Skim fat using a spoon and discard.

  2. In a pot, turn the heat on medium-high and make a roux by adding equal parts of butter and flour. Stir until a paste is formed.

  3. Add the strained and skimmed pan drippings into the pot. Add chicken stock and white wine. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste, and add salt and pepper if desired.

  4. To thicken, add flour and stir until the flour fully dissolves. Simmer for a few minutes (add more flour as needed to achieve the desired gravy consistency).

  5. Add the gravy into a bowl or gravy boat.

Serving:

  1. Cut the turkey into desired sized pieces and plate. Serve with the gravy.

Optional steps for extra gravy:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Add the turkey carcass, neck bone and gizzards to a roasting pan with a rack and add 4 cups of stock. Roast for 45 mins at 400 °F.

  2. At 45 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and pour the drippings into a bowl. Skim off the fat and add to the current gravy mixture and thicken with flour.

    * Please note that the 4 cups of stock are not listed in the ingredient list in the main recipe. 

Recipe Notes

Cook time is approximate as oven temperatures vary.

 

For the vegetables in the pan, you can eat them, discard, or add to the roasting pan with the carcass to add more depth to the drippings.  Enjoy!