Chinese Red Sauce-Glazed Turkey

Complete with the flavors of soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and warming aromatics.

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Editorial Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated December 23, 2024
Overhead view of Chinese Red Sauce-Glazed Spatchcocked Turkey

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Spatchcocking the bird results in meat that cooks faster and more evenly, with better-browned, crispier skin.
  • Reducing the glaze makes it lightly syrupy, helping it adhere to the bird in an increasingly thick coating.

This idea, admittedly the most unusual in the context of Thanksgiving, popped up while I was reading Fuchsia Dunlop's book, Land of Fish and Rice, in which she describes the Chinese practice of "red braising" meats in a potent broth of soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and aromatics like ginger, cinnamon, and anise. It's a technique I used to use years ago when I worked in restaurants: I'd keep a big container of the braising liquid for preparing the nightly staff meal, using it to cook unused duck legs from time to time and topping it up as needed. That got me thinking—why can't I make a glaze out of this stuff and shellac a turkey in it?

Closeup of the leg quarter of a turkey being brushed with a Chinese red sauce glaze.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

The results are great. The turkey comes out with a deep, dark, and sticky salty-sweet glaze that's profoundly savory and concentrated, infused with the aroma and flavor of the ginger and spices. It's also more than enough to fully season the bird, so there's no need to add any other salt at all. The added sugar in the glaze means it'll burn if you apply it on top of the bird right from the beginning. I start by giving the underside a light coat of glaze, brushing it on the top only as it gets close to finishing.

Closeup of the leg quarter of Chinese red sauce-glazed turkey.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

I use our recommended spatchcocking method, which guarantees the most evenly cooked meat, the crispest skin, and the quickest cooking time. That said, you could also adapt this rub to a more traditional method for a whole roasted turkey.

This bird is so flavorful that it can stand on its own, which means that serving it with your typical gravy could be overkill. Instead, I recommend a light jus made from the reserved turkey spine, spooned on top for a little extra moisture. (Of course, if you want to go ahead and make gravy anyway, nobody's gonna stop you!)

Since this turkey is a bit of an outlier on your typical Thanksgiving table, you might want to harmonize some of your other dishes by spiking your cranberry sauce with fresh ginger and slipping some Chinese sausage into your stuffing. On the other hand, I think the glaze's bold savoriness can stand on its own, without requiring the rest of your meal to conform to it.

November 2016

Recipe Details

Chinese Red Sauce-Glazed Turkey

Cook 2 hrs 10 mins
Resting Time 20 mins
Total 2 hrs 30 mins
Serves 10 to 12 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (235ml) dark soy sauce

  • 1 cup (235ml) Shaoxing wine

  • 1 cup sugar (8 ounces; 225g)

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 2 pieces star anise

  • 2 (1-inch) knobs peeled fresh ginger, lightly crushed under the heel of a knife, divided

  • 4 scallions, divided

  • 3 large onions, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 quarts; 1 1/2 pounds; 680g), divided

  • 4 ribs celery, roughly chopped (about 1 quart; 12 ounces; 340g), divided

  • 1 whole turkey (12 to 14 pounds total; 5.5 to 6.3kg), butterflied according to these instructions, backbone, neck, and giblets reserved

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil, divided

  • 1 1/2 quarts (1.4L) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken or turkey stock

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan, stir together soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sugar until sugar is mostly dissolved. Add cinnamon, star anise, 1 knob of ginger, and 2 scallions. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to a bare simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is lightly syrupy and coats the back of a spoon, about 40 minutes. Set aside.

  2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Scatter 2/3 of onions and celery across pan. Place a wire rack directly on top of vegetables.

  3. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Rub 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil all over turkey. Using a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of glaze to underside of turkey only. Place turkey skin side up on top of rack, tuck wing tips behind back, and arrange so turkey does not overlap the baking sheet edges, pressing down on breastbone to flatten breasts slightly.

  4. Transfer turkey to oven and roast, rotating occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into deepest part of breast registers 150°F (66°C) and thighs register at least 165°F (74°C), about 1 hour 20 minutes. During last 20 minutes of cooking, apply several coats of glaze all over turkey skin with pastry brush, roasting for 5 minutes between each coat, until turkey is covered in a deep-brown, sticky glaze.

  5. While turkey roasts, make jus. Roughly chop reserved neck, backbone, and giblets. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil in a 3-quart saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add chopped turkey parts and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add remaining onions, celery, ginger, and scallions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften and brown in spots, about 5 minutes longer. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer. Simmer until reduced by half, about 40 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a 2-quart liquid measuring cup and discard solids. Skim off any fat from surface of broth. Season jus to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and keep warm.

  6. When turkey is cooked, remove from oven and transfer rack to a new baking sheet. Allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before carving. Carefully pour any collected juices from pan through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup. Skim off excess fat and discard. Whisk juices into jus.

  7. Carve turkey and serve with jus.

Special Equipment

Rimmed baking sheet, wire rack, pastry brush, instant-read thermometer, fine-mesh strainer

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
642Calories
24gFat
12gCarbs
87gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories642
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g31%
Saturated Fat 7g33%
Cholesterol 327mg109%
Sodium 953mg41%
Total Carbohydrate 12g4%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 87g
Vitamin C 1mg5%
Calcium 51mg4%
Iron 4mg20%
Potassium 803mg17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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