Chipotle and Ancho Turkey with Citrus

Ingredients:

1-1/2 sticks butter
2 oranges, zest finely chopped, juice strained and kept separate, keep squeezed fruit
4 lemons, zest only, finely chopped, fruit cut in half
2 limes, zest only, finely chopped, fruit cut in half
3 tsp. dry thyme or 4 tsp. fresh thyme
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. ancho chile powder5 tsp. adobo sauce from one can of chipotles in adobo, divided (do not use the chipotle chiles)
8–12 pounds turkey, brined for 4-6 hours or overnight, rinsed and pat dried with paper towels
5 medium carrots, washed, peeled and chopped, about 2 cups
1 pound plum tomatoes, washed, seeded, chopped, about 2 cups
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 onions, chopped
6 celery ribs, chopped
6 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
2 bay leaves
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. flour

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

To prepare the citrus-chile butter:

Prepare a large roasting pan with a non-adjustable v-shape rack to fit the turkey comfortably. In a stand-up mixer or with a hand held mixer, combine the softened butter, citrus zests, thyme, 2 Tbsp. of chile powder and the 4 tsp. of the adobo sauce and blend until well mixed. Add the juice of half a lemon and half a lime and mix once again until it is well combined. Set aside 2 Tbsp. of the flavored butter for the gravy.

To prepare the turkey:

Rub the remaining butter mix all over the skin of the turkey, and carefully use your fingers to detach the skin from the body of the turkey so you can also rub butter between the turkey meat and the skin in both the breast and the legs. Place the squeezed lemons, oranges and limes into the cavity of the bird and season the cavity with some salt and pepper.

Place the carrots, tomatoes, onions, garlic and celery in the bottom of the roasting pan under the v rack, and add 2 cups of the chicken broth and the bay leaves, then stir. Place the turkey, breast side down, on the rack and roast it for one hour. Remove and carefully turn the turkey breast side up. Be careful so you are not burned with any of the liquids. You can use wads of paper towels or two clean potholders.

Continue to roast and add some more chicken stock in 1/2 cup increments if it is too dry, up to 1-1/2 to 2 cups more. If desired, baste the turkey about once every hour. Roast the bird until done — when a meat thermometer inserted in the inner thigh of the leg and without touching the bone registers 180F and the breast meat registers 170F.

Remove the turkey from the oven and place it on a large serving plate. Tent the bird with some aluminum foil and let it rest for about 30 minutes before carving.

To make the gravy:

Strain all of the liquids from the roasting pan, pressing into the vegetables to gather as much of the juice as possible and place the extract into a bowl. Put the roasting pan over a stovetop burner on medium heat. Add the reserved butter and the flour and mix with a whisk until it makes a slightly colored roux, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining juices from the turkey and the juice from the oranges. Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Mix the gravy with a whisk scraping all the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Boil it moderately and let the gravy thicken. Taste and add another teaspoon of the adobo sauce and a teaspoon of the ancho chile powder if increased spiciness is desired. Let the gravy cook until it reaches the desired consistency, adding more stock if necessary in small increments. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Whole Foods Market.