Sweet Herb Keto Thanksgiving Turkey
My favorite holiday of the year has always been Thanksgiving! What is better than lots of great tasting food, family, football and fun! Of course, growing up we didn’t know much about health and would overindulge on starch and sugar. Today, we have a great big feast and enjoy an organic, free range turkey and a bunch of great keto side dishes!!
Most turkey brines have sugar or honey which creates a sort of glazed skin look and flavor. We used a keto maple syrup that is sugar-free in order to create a similar look and flavor. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do! If you enjoy recipes like this, you may be interested in my advanced nutrition and recipe book the Keto Metabolic Breakthrough.
Sweet Herb Keto Thanksgiving Turkey
Prep
Inactive
Total
Yield 24 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 gallons of water
- 1 1/2 cups pink salt
- 6 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 fresh whole turkey (18 to 20 pounds), patted dry, neck and giblets reserved for stock, liver reserved for stuffing.
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced.
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed.
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 12 oz of Lakanto keto maple syrup
Instructions:
Prepare brine by mixing water, herbs, maple syrup and salt in a large bowl.
Line an extra-large stock pot with a food-safe plastic bag. Place the rinsed turkey in the bag and pour brine over the turkey. Gather the bag tightly around the turkey, causing the turkey to be surrounded by the brine. Seal the bag and refrigerate the pot, bag and brined turkey for at least 1-12 hours.
Remove turkey from brine and pat dry inside and out. Discard the brine. Continue with roasting instructions.
Instructions:
Be sure to get an organic turkey and ideally a “pasture-raised” turkey. You can find these at
Here are the basic instructions for roasting a turkey.
Turkey Weight: Time Cooked:
6–8-pound turkey 2 1/2 - 3 hours
8–12-pound turkey 3 to 4 hours
12–16-pound turkey 4 to 5 hours
16–20-pound turkey 5 to 6 hours
Step #1: Preheat oven to 325.
Step #2: Remove thawed or fresh turkey from bag.
Step #3: Remove neck from body cavity and giblets from neck cavity. Rinse with cold water.
Step #4: Drain juices from cavity and blot with paper towels.
Step #5: Place lifter on rack in 3" deep roasting pan and then place turkey breast side up on lifter.
Step #6: Rub skin and cavity liberally with olive oil to prevent drying, salt, pepper- you cannot over salt it.
Step #7: Place on center rack of preheated oven.
Step #8: When the skin is light golden, about 2/3 done, loosely cover the breast and top of drumsticks with lightweight foil to prevent over cooking.
Step #9: Cook until meat thermometer reads 180°F in the thigh.
Step #10: When done, let the turkey stand for 20 minutes before carving.
***Nutritional info does not include optional ingredients***
***The nutrition info for this recipe is based on the linked ingredients above**
Courses Dinner
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/2 lb serving
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 555 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 27 g | 42% | |
Protein 69 g | 138% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Dr Jockers Comments:
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year! Family, great food and football and we have so much to be thankful for! The Thanksgiving turkey is the centerpiece of this amazing day! I wanted to show you how to make a sweet skin turkey with a lot of great herbs that tastes amazing!
Be sure to get an organic and ideally a pasture raised turkey. Organic turkey means that the bird ate no GMO grains but was raised on certified organic feed. A pasture raised turkey was raised on grasses, worms and insects. This is the most genetically congruent lifestyle for a turkey and provides the most nutrient density in the form of omega 3 fatty acids.
Most of the commercial brines are loaded with additives and preservatives that are highly toxic and inflammatory. This Thanksgiving turkey recipe provides the necessary salts and flavoring in a natural, low-carb manner. Let me know how you enjoyed this recipe in the comments box below!
This sounds delicious. Could I substitute honey for the maple syrup?
Absolutely Dori!
Perfect! Thank you and have a wonderful and blessing filled Thanksgiving!
I found my pastured chicken at Tropical Traditions 75% off! Oils not pass it up. So we are about to enjoy this wonderful Turkey in February! What’s a good healthy keto recipe for the neck, giblets heart and liver?