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Few feasts are so steeped in tradition as Thanksgiving, the ultimate comfort meal! Perhaps you’re going for a more straightforward, smaller Thanksgiving meal this year? Or are you still cooking the “Big Bird” for a more enormous feast? We have you covered with seven different ways to prepare the turkey—plus all the delicious fixings!
Thanksgiving Turkey
Option 1: The simplest roast turkey breast
While a traditional Thanksgiving feast may involve carving an entire turkey at the table, a more intimate Thanksgiving works by simply roasting the turkey breast.
See our recipe for Simple Roasted Turkey Breast. One advantage of roasting just the breast is that it comes out juicy and doesn’t get dry.
Then add your sides—basic cranberry sauce, microwave sweet potatoes (about 10 minutes or under tender), and an easy stuffing. See more recipes below!
If you plan to cook the traditional “big bird” this year, our #1 tip is: Think in advance! If the turkey is frozen, you must start defrosting days in advance—one day for every four pounds! For the Thanksgiving feast, you want a turkey that brings out the flavor with roasting, brining, rubs, glazes, and basting. This is not your lunchmeat turkey. Explore the delicious options!
Ensure one pound per person—or more, if you want to ensure leftovers! Order or buy 2 to 3 weeks in advance!
Have a good roasting pan and a rack (which often comes with the pan), plus an instant-read thermometer for safety, if not peak flavor. See how to use a meat thermometer.
If you buy a frozen turkey, it’s essential to start defrosting days in advance—one day for every four pounds—and it is recommended that you defrost it in the refrigerator. If your turkey is not frozen, unwrap it a couple of days before cooking and let it air dry in the refrigerator so the air dries its skin tight.
You don’t need to truss your turkey (tie up the legs) unless you’re stuffing the bird. Keep in mind that a trussed turkey takes longer to cook.
Have plenty of turkey or chicken stock on hand. Avoid the boxed stock for Thanksgiving. Here’s a simple recipe to make your own homemade turkey stock!
First, what’s the difference between “stuffing” and “dressing”? Traditionally, “stuffing” is cooked inside the turkey, whereas “dressing” is cooked outside. Nowadays, the terms tend to be interchangeable, though there are purists. Southern cooks have always served their “dressings” as separate side dishes so you’ll more often hear the term “dressing” in the South.
More and more folks are cooking outside the bird in recent years due to safety concerns. Warm, moist stuffing is a potential breeding ground for bacteria such as salmonella (unless you know how to cook the stuffing properly).
Here are three recipe options to fit your dinner menu
The turkey may be the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal, but the mix of delicious sides makes it memorable. Think about selecting side dishes that add color—bright red cranberry, deep orange sweet potatoes, and bright green Brussels sprouts—against the neutral of the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.
Before Thanksgiving week, clean out your freezer (to make space for leftovers) and see our Kitchen Cleaning Checklist.
Whether you use table linens or placemats, be sure they are cleaned and ready. See How to Care for Table Linens.
No matter your style, we advise cloth napkins for your guests; paper gets too messy with a meal this big.
Refresh your memory on How to Set a Table or Set Up a Buffet. Use less if you’re unsure how many plates or glasses to use. It’s not that important for a family-style meal!
Make some Thanksgiving dishes ahead of time to relax with the company on the feast day. See our Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes.
Happy Thanksgiving Feast to all Almanac readers—from sea to shining sea!
Orchards have shared their treasures, The fields, their yellow grain, So open wide the doorway— Thanksgiving comes again! –Unknown
Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
I'm probably a strange cookie, but I've never liked turkey or chicken, even when I was a child. The one and only time I can honestly say I liked turkey was when my did killed and smoked a wild turkey. However, nothing is ever mentioned about HAM, which is my preferred alternative to turkey or chicken. Just wondering why.
In addition to the yummy turkey recipes listed above is my favorite which is smoked. Of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving in the South without a fried turkey.
In the above article, the section that deals with preparing your turkey, it states that "IT MUST BE DEFROSTED IN THE REFRIGERATOR"! That simply is not true! There is another PERFECTLY SAFE way to thaw out your frozen turkey, and I use this method EVERY time that I cook a frozen bird. First, I clean (& rinse) my kitchen sink out very well! Then, simply put your frozen turkey in your clean sink, and fill the sink up with COLD water so that it covers your turkey (be sure to place turkey in the sink BEFORE filling with water so that the proper water level can be obtained). If your turkey is so large that the water level coesn't quite cover the whole bird, just simply turn the bird over every couple of hours for even thawing. NOTE!!! You ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY MUST use COLD water to thaw out your turkey for this method to be safe!
While we do not have the exact recipe that is pictured, we do have a similar one: Green Beans with Roasted Almonds. The pictured dish appears to have slices of red bell peppers and portobello mushrooms mixed in.