5 Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes, From Whole Roast to Cider-Brined Legs

Golden skin, a carving platter and both white and dark meat make the whole roast the familiar Thanksgiving picture. These five turkey recipes also include a flattened bird, herb breast, smoked turkey and cider-brined drumsticks.

Choose the meat you want to serve before buying the cut. Then match that cut to the pan or outdoor equipment the maker calls for. The full recipes carry the ingredient lists and cooking instructions.

A table with white-meat and dark-meat requests gives this bird a clear job. You can carve both from one roast without adding a second turkey dish.

Inside are lemon, onion, garlic and rosemary, with butter and broth supporting the roast. The cavity holds aromatics; if bread stuffing is part of your menu, treat it as a separate dish.

That spread shape is the deciding detail before you shop. Have the pan in mind before choosing the bird, and use Natasha’s size guidance rather than assuming it will fit.

The onion, celery, carrot and garlic beneath the bird are part of this roast’s construction. Review Natasha’s preparation before committing, especially if opening and flattening a turkey would be new to you.

Keep the bone-in half breast on your shopping list. That is the cut this recipe uses, and it matters when you’re moving from the illustration to the maker’s ingredient list.

This is the one to choose when breast slices are the meal’s priority and a whole bird would add meat you don’t need. For dark-meat plates, compare the separate cider-brined drumsticks below.

Choose it because you want the outdoor smoke and already have the equipment for it. The full recipe calls for a smoker or Susie’s specified indirect grilling arrangement; an oven-only plan calls for another recipe.

The recipe uses olive oil or melted butter alongside Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub. The turkey page links to the complete Sweet Rub recipe; open it when you write the ingredient list.

The brine needs refrigerator space, so check its container and the maker’s preparation plan before you buy the legs. The cider belongs in that brine rather than a sticky glaze painted over the finished drumsticks.

You’ll see “Braised” in the maker’s recipe card title, but the instructions roast the legs on a rack. Follow that complete recipe for the cooking method and serving amount; a drumstick doesn’t automatically equal one portion.