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A full Thanksgiving spread with the roasted turkey, sausage dressing, roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, cranberry sauce and a gravy boat.
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Turkey and Dressing with Sausage and Chestnuts

Old school turkey and dressing, done right: a dry brined bird under Bell's Seasoning butter, sausage and chestnut dressing baked in the turkey's own fat and juices, and giblet gravy finished right in the roasting pan.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 40 minutes
Dry Brine1 day
Total Time1 day 4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 9650kcal
Author: Brittany Lauren

Equipment

Ingredients

Dry Brine

  • 3 ½ tablespoons flaky kosher salt or 2 tablespoons dense, granular kosher salt (about ¾ teaspoon flaky or ½ teaspoon granular per pound of turkey)

Turkey

  • 1 whole turkey 12 to 14 pounds, giblets and neck reserved
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 1 tablespoon Bell's Seasoning or your favorite poultry seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 onion halved, for the cavity
  • 1 lemon halved, for the cavity
  • 1 head garlic top ¼ cut off, for the cavity

Roasting Pan

  • 1 onion quartered
  • 2 ribs celery
  • 1 head garlic top ¼ cut off and drizzled with oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup turkey broth

Dressing

  • 12 cups sturdy white bread 1-inch cubes, dried overnight or toasted, or a hearty sourdough
  • 1 pound pork breakfast sausage
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for the dish
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 1 ½ cups diced celery
  • 1 cup roasted peeled chestnuts about 5 ounces, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Bell's Seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups warm turkey stock or chicken stock
  • 4 tablespoons skimmed turkey fat from the roast
  • ½ cup defatted pan juices from the roast

Giblet Gravy

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • turkey giblets and neck liver, heart and gizzard
  • ½ onion minced
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 3 to 4 cups turkey broth or chicken broth, divided
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme tied together with the rosemary
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • roasted vegetables, bay leaf and drippings left in the roasting pan

Instructions

Dry Brine

  • One to two days ahead, pat the turkey dry. Salt it all over, under the breast skin, and inside the cavity. Refrigerate uncovered on a rack. See our full dry brining guide for a more in-depth breakdown.
    A whole raw turkey breast side up on a white oval platter, ready to season.

Roast the Turkey

  • Heat the oven to 325°F. Mix the softened butter, Bell's Seasoning, and pepper. Rub two-thirds of it under the breast and thigh skin and the rest over the skin.
  • Stuff the turkey with the lemon halves, halved onion and head of garlic. Tuck the wing tips and truss the turkey.
  • Put the quartered onion, celery, oiled garlic, bay leaf and 1 cup broth in the roasting pan. Set the turkey breast side up on the rack and insert a probe in the thickest part of the breast.
    The trussed turkey rubbed with Bell's Seasoning butter on a rack in the roasting pan, a lemon half in the cavity and onion and celery in the pan below.
  • Roast until the breast reads 165°F and the thigh 175°F, about 2¾ to 3¼ hours. Check every 30 to 45 minutes, add more broth if the pan runs dry, and baste the turkey each time you check it. We find a brush does the job better than an old-school baster.

While the Turkey Roasts

  • Cook the giblets: heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Brown the giblets and neck on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the minced onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat and cook until the moisture is gone and the giblets are well browned, about 15 minutes. Add 1 cup broth, the herb bundle, salt and pepper, and simmer low for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid. Discard the neck and gizzard. Pulse the heart and liver in a blender until finely chopped. See ourclassic giblet gravy for step-by-step phtotos.
  • Make the roux: melt the butter in a small saucepan, whisk in the flour, and cook, whisking, to it becomes a dark brown roux. Slowly whisk in 1 cup broth, a little at a time. It seizes into a thick paste first, then whisks smooth. Whisk in a second cup of broth and simmer until thickened. Set aside.
    Flour whisked into melted butter in a white saucepan to start the dark roux for the giblet gravy.
  • Prep the dressing: brown the sausage in a large skillet, breaking it up. Set aside, then sauté the onion and celery in the same pan with 4 tablespoons of butter for 8 to 10 minutes. Toss the bread, sausage, vegetables, chestnuts, Bell's Seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper in your largest bowl.
    Browned crumbled sausage, bread cubes, chopped chestnuts and softened celery and onion in a mixing bowl, ready to toss together for the dressing.

Rest, Bake and Finish

  • When the turkey is done, carefully transfer it to a cutting board, tent it with foil and rest for 40 minutes. Raise the oven to 375°F.
  • Pour the liquid from the roasting pan into a fat separator, leaving the vegetables and browned bits in the pan. Set aside 4 tablespoons turkey fat and ½ cup defatted juices for the dressing, and pour the rest back into the roasting pan.

Bake the Chestnut Dressing

  • Whisk the eggs into the 2 cups warm broth, pour over the bread mixture and toss gently. Spread in a buttered baking dish and spoon the turkey fat and juices evenly over the top.
    Unbaked sausage dressing spread in a white baking dish, bread cubes studded with celery and crumbled sausage.
  • Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the top crisps and the center reads 165°F.
    The baked sausage dressing in a white baking dish, toasted golden on top.

Cook the Gravy

  • While the dressing bakes, set the roasting pan over two burners on medium. Add the reserved giblet liquid and scrape up the browned bits. Whisk in the roux mixture 1 cup at a time and simmer low for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the vegetables and bay leaf with a slotted spoon. Stir in the minced giblets, bring back to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. If it is thicker than you like, whisk in up to 1 more cup of broth.
  • Carve the turkey and serve over the dressing, with the giblet gravy alongside.
    A hand steadying the roasted turkey with a carving fork while the knife carves it on the platter.

Notes

  • Broth: plan on 6 to 7 cups in total. That is 1 cup for the roasting pan, 2 cups for the dressing and 3 to 4 cups for the gravy (1 cup for the giblets, 2 cups for the roux and up to 1 more to thin it).
  • Allergen note: chestnuts are a tree nut. Flag the dressing for anyone at the table with a tree nut allergy.

Nutrition

Calories: 9650kcal | Carbohydrates: 476g | Protein: 728g | Fat: 531g | Saturated Fat: 206g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 88g | Monounsaturated Fat: 185g | Trans Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 3017mg | Sodium: 39676mg | Potassium: 11123mg | Fiber: 35g | Sugar: 74g | Vitamin A: 8818IU | Vitamin C: 197mg | Calcium: 2182mg | Iron: 60mg