Adobo Butter Turkey

5 from 2 votes

This adobo turkey is marinated overnight and then rubbed with flavor-packed adobo butter. Then it's roasted to perfection for a super juicy, flavorful Thanksgiving turkey.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3 30

Marinating Time12

Total Time16

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: adobo butter, adobo butter turkey, adobo marinade, adobo turkey, interesting thanksgiving turkey ideas

Servings: servings

Author: Brandy O'Neill

Equipment

Roasting Pan

Ingredients

For adobo:

4 dried pasilla chiles
3 dried ancho chiles
2 dried chipotle chiles
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cloves

For turkey:

14 pound whole turkey giblets removed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup adobo sauce
4 cloves garlic halved
6 whole clementines halved

For adobo butter:

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1/4 cup adobo sauce

Instructions

For adobo:

Gently slit the slide of each dried chile and remove the seeds and stem.
Add chiles to a bowl and just top with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes to soften.
Once soft, drain the chiles.
Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until smooth. The mixture should be smooth, slightly thick, and very aromatic.
Set aside 1/4 cup of the adobo sauce.

For marinating turkey:

Remove your turkey from its packaging, remove the giblets, and pat the skin dry with paper towels.
Add turkey to your roasting pan and sprinkle the inside and outside the turkey with kosher salt and black pepper.
Rub adobo sauce all over the inside and outside of the turkey. Make sure to evenly cover all of the skin.
Cover the turkey (either with your roasting pan lid or plastic wrap) and let side in the fridge overnight. I marinated my turkey for 12 hours.

For cooking turkey:

After your 12 hours remove the turkey from the oven and let sit on the counter for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Take your adobo butter and rub it all over the turkey, inside and out.
Stuff the cavity of the bird with garlic and clementines.
Tie the legs of the bird if desired.
Roast for about 3-1/2 hours OR until the bird reaches an internal temperature (when checked near the thigh) of 165 degrees F. It's about 13-15 minutes PER pound.
Let the bird rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.

For adobo butter:

In a mixer mix together butter and reserved 1/4 cup adobo sauce. Mix until smooth and combined.

Nutrition