Roasted, Flattened Turkey Filled with Butternut Squash Dressing
Going 'Turkey' with a Single-Pan Wondershow!
Cooking up a Spatchcocked Turkey and Butternut Squash Stuffing in No Time!
Beat that Thanksgiving rush! This easy recipe simplifies your turkey and stuffing preparation by cooking them together in a single pan in under 3 hours. The secret lies in everyone's favorite time-saver, spatchcocking – a clever method perfect for both chicken and turkeys!
- Yield: Serves 8
- Difficulty: Child's Play
- Total: 2 hours 40 minutes
Equipment Needed:* 16x13-inch Roasting Pan* Kitchen Shears or Sharp Knife* Large Mixing Bowl
Enrichment Data:Overview:- Turkey and Stuffing in One Pan: Simplify your Thanksgiving meal with this clever method.- Spatchcocking: Learn the best-kept secret for evenly cooking chicken and turkey.
For the Butternut Squash Stuffing:* 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter (1/2 stick)* 4 Celery Stalks, chopped* 2 Large Yellow Onions, chopped* 2 tsp Fresh Thyme, coarsely chopped* Salt and Pepper, to taste* 1 (1-pound) Loaf Day-Old Bread, like French or Italian, cubed* 1 Butternut Squash (around 3 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cubed
For the Turkey:* 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter (1/2 stick), room temperature* 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard* 1 tsp Fresh Thyme, coarsely chopped* 1.5 tsp Kosher Salt* 1/2 tsp Black Pepper* 12-15 Pound Natural Turkey
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F and place a rack in the bottom third.
For the Butternut Squash Stuffing:
- In the roasting pan, melt butter over medium heat, spreading it across two burners.
- Add celery, onions, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sauté the mixture for around 6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the veggies soften.
- Remove the pan from the heat and mix in bread and butternut squash cubes. Set aside.
For the Turkey:
- In a small bowl, combine butter, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- With the turkey on a cutting board, breast-side up, remove giblets and neck from the cavity and rinse it out.
- Pull one leg away from the body and cut through the skin connecting leg and body on both sides to expose the thigh. Push the thigh up and bend the leg towards the back to expose the thigh joint, which will pop out. Repeat this process with the other leg.
- Cut along the ribcage, as close as possible to the backbone from the cavity opening towards the wing, stopping at the wing joint. Repeat on the other side.
- Flip the turkey over and cut through the backbone above the legs using kitchen shears. Split the turkey into two pieces.
- Season the turkey liberally with salt, pepper, and rub the butter mixture under the skin as well as on the exterior. Tuck the wings behind the breast.
- Place the turkey, skin-side up, on top of the stuffing in the roasting pan, adjusting as needed to fit.
- Roast the turkey for 30 minutes at 450°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F for an additional 60-75 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F to 170°F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer it to a carving board, letting it rest for 30 minutes.
- Heat the broiler and stir the stuffing to evenly distribute the pan juices. Broil for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bread cubes turn a beautiful golden brown.
- Serve the spatchcocked turkey and stuffing directly out of the pan, with warmed turkey gravy on the side (if desired).
Note: For extra flavor, you can use any drippings from the turkey with the gravy. You can also prepare the gravy ahead of time for a hands-off Thanksgiving!
- The Spatchcocked Turkey and Butternut Squash Stuffing recipe simplifies your Thanksgiving meal, ready in under 3 hours with the clever method of cooking them together in a single pan.
- This easy recipe requires a 16x13-inch Roasting Pan, Kitchen Shears or Sharp Knife, and a Large Mixing Bowl.
- For the Butternut Squash Stuffing, sauté celery, onions, thyme, salt, and pepper in melted butter over medium heat, then mix in cubed bread and butternut squash.
- Roast the spatchcocked turkey for 30 minutes at 450°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F for an additional 60-75 minutes or until the temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F to 170°F, before transferring it to a carving board to rest.
