A whole new way to cook your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey. This Mexican Turkey Recipe is poached in a lime broth and then roasted to ensure a juicy and incredibly flavorful bird and the technique is easy! {Last updated November 30, 2021}
Behold! I give you quite possibly the easiest Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey recipe ever.
Keep in mind I did not say the fastest but the easiest one I’ve ever made, and I’ve made my fair share of turkeys like this one, and this one, and even this one.
They were all good but they all took the kind of effort you’d expect for the centerpiece of the year’s most important meal and the leftover turkey was never this flavorful.
Have you ever poached your turkey first?
Let’s go back to one year ago today when I was eternally washing dishes and listening to turkey roasting tips from Ariane Daguin when she said she poached her turkey before roasting it.
What the what?!!!
In her beautiful French accent she explained how briefly poaching the turkey the night before in a rich broth infuses the turkey with loads of flavor and not only that, you are pre-cooking it ever so slightly which cuts down significantly on the roasting time, resulting in a juicier bird.
Well, I knew that was the turkey for me.
I was willing to go the extra mile for such a glorious-sounding bird but to my pleasant surprise it turned out to be so much easier than your average turkey roasting affair. With a tender turkey breast and no worries wondering if the thickest part of the thigh is cooked through.
There are no special bags, no brining, no basting, it takes about a quarter of the time and bonus, you are left with boatloads of delicious turkey broth that you can use to make soup with the leftovers!
The only, ever-so-slightly, annoying thing is that you do have to let it sit in the broth overnight.
So you will need to A: Have a lidded pot big enough to fit the turkey in.
And B: Have enough room in your refrigerator for the pot. Or if you live in a cold enough climate (like me) you can put it on your front porch or non-heated garage, as long as it is 30°F or colder outside.
Then the next day you place that baby in a roasting pan and roast it at a pretty high heat for only—get this— 30 Minutes! That’s it! And then turn your oven off and leave the turkey to finish gently cooking from the residual heat.
I tell you that skin was so shatteringly crisp and gorgeous I think I shed a tear.
And the meat was tender and soaked with lime juices and garlic and pepper and bay.
I went with Mexican-inspired flavors but you could add anything you want to the broth. Basic carrots, onion, celery are gorgeous or you can even try something like cinnamon stick, dried chiles, or saffron.
Have fun with it but just remember, no recipe will make up for a crappy turkey so make sure you buy one that hasn’t been jacked up with saline solution or any other weirdness. In my opinion, organic, free-range is best.
What you need to make this Mexican Turkey Recipe
The ingredient list is small but, like I mentioned, you will need a extra-large soup pot. Here’s the list:
- Onions
- Jalapeños
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Fresh oregano
- Bay leaves
- Black peppercorns
- Kosher salt
- A 10-12 pound turkey
- 20-Quart Stock Pot with lid
- Large baking dish or roasting pan with rack
How To Make It
There aren’t very many steps here, which is great, but you do need to plan ahead. Start the day before you plan on serving the turkey.
Make the poaching liquid
Start by combining all the ingredients (except the turkey) in the 20-quart stock pot. Fill halfway with water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Poach turkey
Add turkey and monitor the heat so it is never boiling, just a gentle simmer. Let simmer 20 minutes then remove the pot from the heat and let cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Roast turkey
Carefully remove turkey from the poaching liquid by lifting the whole body with your hands. Don’t try to grab it by the legs, they will come off.
Place turkey, breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Heat oven to 400°F. Roast turkey for 30 minutes or until skin is golden brown then turn the oven off and let sit in the hot oven for 1 hour.
Let rest, then carve
Remove turkey from the oven and let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes loosely covered with foil. Carve and serve!
More holiday recipes to try!
- Vegan Atole
- Black Bean and Cheese Vegetarian Tamales
- Pumpkin Spice Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Two Easy Mexican Side Dishes for the Holidays
- Pumpkin Mole Sauce
- Red Mole Pork Tamales
- Thanksgiving Paloma Cocktail
This Mexican Turkey Recipe Will Become A Holiday Staple
If you’ve never cooked a turkey like this before, you will not believe how delicious and easy it is. When you make it please let me know by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) !
Mexican Lime-Poached and Roasted Turkey Recipe
Recipe inspired by D'Artagnan. A whole new way to cook your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey. This Mexican Turkey Recipe is poached in a lime broth and then roasted to ensure a juicy and incredibly flavorful bird and the technique is easy!
Ingredients
- 3 white onions, sliced
- 3 jalapeños, stemmed and cut in half
- 2 heads garlic, cut in half
- 2 tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 bunch cilantro
- Juice of 4 limes
- 10 fresh sprigs oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1 (10-12 pound) whole fresh or defrosted turkey, neck and giblets removed
Instructions
- Prepare poaching liquid. Combine all ingredients except the turkey in a pot large enough to hold the turkey. Fill halfway with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Poach turkey. Add the turkey and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, then remove pot from heat and let turkey cool to room temperature (about 4 hours). Refrigerate turkey in broth overnight.
- Roast turkey. Remove turkey from the refrigerator. Heat oven to 400°F. Carefully remove bird from the pot by lifting the body with your hands. Don't lift by the legs, they will come off. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes then turn oven off and leave turkey inside for 1 hour.
- Carve. Remove turkey, let rest for about 15-20 minutes, covered with foil. Carve and serve.
- What to do with the broth. Strain the leftover poaching liquid and save for another use.
Notes
This recipe works best, logistically, for smaller birds. Anything bigger than 14 pounds becomes a bit cumbersome unless you are blessed with an enormous fridge. If you'd like to make the roasted butternut squash and charred scallions as seen in the pictures, lay thick slices of squash on a baking sheet, toss with oil and salt and roast at 425°F for 20 minutes then place under the broiler for a minute or two to brown. For the scallions, toss with oil, salt, and pepper and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil for 3-4 minutes or until lightly charred.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 59Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 58mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g
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