Pomegranate Glazed Turkey

A friend of mine told me about this delicious glazed turkey that she made for her family every year. I had never made a turkey before a few years ago, and she was happy to share the recipe. (Thank you Becki!)

I set out to make this turkey the best I had ever made, even though that year, it was the first one I had ever made. Thankfully, it didn’t fail, and it turned out wonderful. The skin was crispy, the meat was moist, and it was devoured by all.

I won’t be hosting Thanksgiving at our home this year, so over the weekend I set out to create Thanksgiving dinner traditional to our family.  This turkey of course was showcased and again devoured by all.

It’s a simple recipe that is almost no fail, in my opinion. I think your whole family will love this turkey. Don’t be scared of some of the bold flavors, once prepared it’s still flavorful without a powerful punch.

This recipe was adapted from Bobby Flay.
Please scroll down for a printable version.


What do you need?
15 pound fresh turkey
½ cup butter
4 cups chicken stock
¾ cup horseradish
2 cups pomegranate juice – reduced down to 1 ½ cups
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons pepper

What do you do?
1.Prepare your pomegranate juice by heating over medium heat and reducing down to 1 ½ cups. It takes about 15-20 minutes. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Clean your bird inside and out by removing the neck, heart, and gizzard from inside. Rinse inside and out with cold water, and pat dry.
3. Rub the entire bird with butter and season well with salt and pepper (not mentioned in the ingredient list, just sprinkle liberally all over where you buttered).
4. Place the turkey breast side up in a large roasting pan. Roast for about 45 minutes, until slightly golden brown.
5. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue roasting, basting with chicken stock every 15 minutes for about an hour and a half longer. The temperature should read 160 degrees.
6. While your turkey roasts, mix together the pomegranate sauce, horseradish, mustard, salt and pepper together. Set aside and allow the flavors to melt together.
7. During the last 15 minutes of roasting, stop basting with the chicken stock and brush the turkey with 1 cup of the pomegranate sauce. Loosely tent and let rest 15 minutes before serving.