How to make a Thanksgiving Turkey

To honor one of the most important American holidays, the following recipe is not about Buffalo Cooking, but a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey recipe. Thanksgiving is a day when families and friends gather together to show gratefulness for the many blessings that they have (hopefully) received for that year. A Thanksgiving dinner will never be complete without a juicy and flavorful turkey on the menu. Historically, the traditions of serving turkey during this special day are said to have started when Native Americans served turkey to the early Pilgrims settlers. However, this is not less disputable than the “correct date” of the holiday itself.

Nevertheless, the Turkey is traditionally cooked with stuffing and roasted with vegetables. Deep fried turkey has also been a favorite among a lot of families. However, due to the very busy schedule and the fast paced life of many homemakers, you might just want to relax after a long day by playing foxy bingo, the easiest ways to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving is what we are looking for here

So, if you are wondering how to make a Thanksgiving turkey, this is an easy but great recipe. Everyone will commend you for a simple yet delightful turkey cooked the way that grandma used to make.

Ingredients

Serves 10-15 persons.

1 whole turkey (approximately 18 pounds)

½ cup butter softened

3 tablespoons of cola

4 teaspoons minced garlic

2 large sized onions, cut in quarters

3 celery bruches, cut in sticks

3 medium sized carrots, sliced into rounds

salt and ground pepper to taste

Preparing the Turkey

With all the ingredients at hand, you are ready to make your Thanksgiving turkey.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. It would be best to cook your turkey at the lowest portion of your oven.

On a medium sized bowl, mix together the softened butter, cola, garlic, salt, and ground pepper.

It is best to defrost a frozen turkey to room temperature before preparation. Remove the neck and innards from the turkey. You may want to reserve these for making gravy or turkey stock which would also make flavorful soup. Rinse the turkey under tap water and pat dry. Place the turkey with the breast side up on a tray. Rub the butter mixture into the cavity and on the skin of the bird.

Place the onions, carrots, and celery inside the cavity. Use a string or metal skewers to close the cavity of the turkey. Tie a sting around the body of the turkey to keep the wings and legs in place.

On a rack, place the turkey with its breast down. This will help keep the breast part juicy and moist because it will avoiding over cooking the area. Place a pan at the bottom of the rack to catch the drippings.

Cook for hour at 350 degrees F, then, baste the turkey with the juices at the bottom of the pan or with a cup of turkey stock. To keep your turkey meat moist, baste every 30 to 45 minutes with the drippings accumulated on the pan. If the drippings evaporate, add a cup of turkey stock at a time. Cook for another hour. Decrease the heat to 250 degrees F and continue to cook for two more hours.

The cooking time would approximately last for four hours or until the internal temperature of the most meaty part of the thigh area reaches 180 degrees F. If you want to brown the breast, you can turn the turkey and roast for five minutes more.

Transfer your turkey to the serving platter with its breast side up and allow to stand for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Additional Tips and Side dishes for Your Thanksgiving Turkey

You can use the drippings to make a nice gravy and of course you should prepare some delicious side dishes to complement the turkey. Potato pie, broccoli or cauliflower salad, buttered corn and carrots, or a classic green bean casserole would be some of your side dish options. However, do not forget some Buffalo Hot wings and dips – I personally love to combine meat with more meat

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded

16 oz cream cheese

1 bottle Ranch dressing

½ cup celery, chopped

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese

1 bottle hot sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a baking pan, combine the shredded chicken and hot sauce. Spread out the mixture to form a layer.

Combine the cream cheese and Ranch dressing in a saucepan over a medium heat. Keep stirring till the cheese mixture is smooth and hot. Pour this mixture evenly over the chicken layer. Top with the chopped celery.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and bake for another 20 minutes till the cheese starts bubbling. Do not let the top brown too much. Take the baking pan out of the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Serve the dip with celery stalks or corn chips.

Tips

Instead of cheddar, you can use any other cheese like jack or Monterey.

Hot chicken wings waiting for a sauce

All hot wing fans know that their all time American favorite chicken recipe was invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. Now here’s a chicken sauce recipe that makes use of the original Buffalo wing hot sauce. You can try this sauce as a marinade, you can pour it over grilled chicken or add cooked chicken straight into it. You can even use this Buffalo chicken sauce as part of a dip. While serving wings the traditional way, toss the prepared wings in the sauce before serving them or simply serve the wings with the sauce on the side. This recipe takes very little effort but is high on the taste factor.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons hot sauce

8 tablespoons butter

1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt to taste

Directions

Combine all the ingredients together in a saucepan over a low heat. Bring to the boil and reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, and then turn off the heat. Serve with Buffalo wings.

Tips

You can also pour Buffalo chicken sauce over wings while they are still hot. Use a spoon to make sure the wings are completely coated with the sauce before serving.

Buffalo chicken sandwich

Here’s a treat for all Buffalo chicken lovers – a sandwich with a Buffalo chicken filling. Once you have the basic Buffalo chicken patty in place, you can go ahead and experiment with your sandwich by adding onion rings, a slice of cheddar cheese or even blue cheese dressing.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

2 eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Buffalo wing sauce

2 hamburger buns

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Place the chicken between plastic wrap and beat it with a tenderizing hammer until it is about 1/2″ thick. Trim the chicken so that you get a round shape that will fit snugly into a hamburger bun.

Beat the eggs well. Combine the bread crumbs, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Grease a wire cooking rack with cooking spray. Place the wire rack on a cookie sheet so that you can catch any extra crumbs that fall off the chicken.

Now dip each chicken breast into the egg till it is well coated. Next coat the chicken with the bread crumb mixture. Place the chicken on the wire rack and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, rotating once halfway though. Check to see that the chicken has cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the oven and coat each breast with buffalo wing sauce. Place the chicken in between the burger buns and serve.

Tips

You can add a slice of tomato, a lettuce leaf and blue cheese dressing to your sandwich for extra taste.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

This salad is a huge hit with every Buffalo wing fan. Cook chicken Buffalo style and then serve it with a lettuce and Ranch dressing salad. You could even try your own choice of vegetables for the salad and combine them with your favorite salad dressing.

Ingredients

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

½ cup Ranch dressing

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch cubes

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup Louisiana-style hot sauce

1 tablespoon salad seasoning mix

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped

Directions

Combine the blue cheese and Ranch dressing in a bowl and set aside. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a skillet. Just before the oil begins to smoke, add the chicken. Cook till the meat is evenly browned. Lower heat and add in the butter, hot sauce, and salad seasoning mix. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce and Ranch dressing and toss well. Arrange the chicken on top of the salad just before serving.

Tips

You can also add a sliced red bell pepper to the salad along with the lettuce.

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

16 oz. cream cheese

1 bottle blue cheese dressing

½ cup hot sauce

8 oz. sharp, cheddar cheese

Directions

Take enough water in a large saucepan to cook the chicken breasts. Boil the chicken until it is cooked through. Drain the chicken of all water and pat it dry to remove any leftover moisture. Shred the chicken using a fork.

Place the shredded chicken in a large baking dish. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish and place it in the refrigerator to let the chicken absorb all the flavors.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the cream cheese in a large pan and melt it over a medium heat. Pour in the blue cheese dressing and stir until the mixture is well combined. Now pour this mixture over the chicken in the baking dish.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the top and return the dish to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese just starts to brown.

Tips

You can serve this Buffalo chicken dip hot or cold with chips.

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 jar premium blue cheese

1/4 cup Buffalo wing sauce

8 oz. cream cheese softened

Tabasco sauce to taste

Directions

Boil chicken until tender. Pat dry, set aside and allow it to cool. Once the chicken has cooled, chop it finely or shred it using a fork.

Combine the blue cheese with the Buffalo wing sauce in a small bowl. Add Tabasco to taste. Mix in the chopped chicken and set aside.

Spread out the cream cheese in a baking dish so that it forms a layer at the base of the dish. Pour the chicken mixture over the cream cheese evenly. Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes.

Allow the dip to cool completely before serving.

Tips

You can serve Buffalo Chicken Cheese dip with tortilla chips, crackers or celery sticks. Alternatively, chop up different veggies into finger-sized pieces and use as dunks.

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

½ cup blue cheese dressing

½ cup hot sauce

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place the cream cheese in a baking dish. Stir until smooth. Add in the blue cheese dressing, hot sauce and cheese and mix well. Next, add in the chicken.

Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with crackers or vegetables as dunks.

Tips

To make Buffalo chicken dip, instead of blue cheese dressing you can use Ranch.

Ingredients

¾ cup hot sauce

6 tablespoons butter

4 chicken breasts, cut in half across

4 chicken drummers

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Juice of 2 lemons

½ cup mayonnaise

8 ribs of celery, thinly sliced

2 cups shredded carrots

6 scallions, thinly sliced

½ head red cabbage, shredded

3 cups bread crumbs

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Melt butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Take off the heat and pour in the hot sauce. Mix well and set aside.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Pour the butter-hot sauce mixture over the chicken and toss so that the pieces are evenly coated. Allow the chicken to stand for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the blue cheese, lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Add the celery, carrots, scallions and red cabbage. Toss till well combined.

Place the bread crumbs in a tray. Add the parsley and mix well. Roll the chicken pieces in the bread crumb mixture until well coated. Arrange the pieces on a nonstick baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown.

Serve the chicken with the blue cheese salad on the side.

Tips

You can substitute the mayonnaise with buttermilk for a leaner version of the blue cheese salad.

Ingredients

1 lb. penne pasta

1 tablespoon paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

½ tablespoon garlic powder

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into strips

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup hot sauce

1 cup celery, diced

1 large red onion, sliced into quarter rings

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing

¾ cup milk

Directions

Cook pasta as per the directions on the packet. While the pasta is cooking, season the chicken with paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a skillet, heat the oil over a moderate heat and add in the chicken. Cook till the chicken is half done. Now add the onion and celery, and sauté until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the hot sauce and keep sautéing the chicken for another 2 minutes. In the meantime, combine the mayonnaise, blue cheese dressing, and milk in a bowl. Pour this mayo-blue cheese mixture into the skillet and combine with the chicken. Take the skillet off the heat.

Toss the chicken with the pasta just before serving.

Tips

For a healthier version of this recipe, use whole wheat pasta. You can use other variations of pasta according to your preferences. Fettuccine for example would be a possibility I like.