Thai Marinated Roast Turkey with Lemongrass Coconut Gravy

Every year during Thanksgiving, I feel compelled to make a turkey dinner because I love a good tradition. But as a Thai, I can't help but put some Thai twists on it for a little bolder and more complex flavours. In this recipe, turkey breast and thigh are marinated in a classic Thai meat marinade, then roasted on a bed of lemongrass and other Thai herbs. The herb-infused drippings get turned into our coconut gravy. It is sublime. If you still want a traditional vibe to your turkey dinner, but are getting tired of the same old, this recipe is for you! It can also be made gluten free.

Note: Over the years I have decided that my favourite way to roast turkey is to roast breast and thighs instead of roasting a whole turkey. This yields the juiciest, most flavourful meat, a short cooking time, easiest carving, and you can scale it up or down to suit the size of your party. And I think the serving is still just as beautiful! If you still want to roast a whole turkey, I will provide some guidance.

Why You Should Roast Turkey Parts Instead of a Whole Bird

I know there’s nothing more impressive than a whole roasted turkey in the middle of the Thanksgiving table, but let me try to convince you that if you prioritize flavour, juiciness AND practicality, you should roast turkey parts instead.

The Problem with Roasting a Whole Turkey

• It’s nearly impossible to cook evenly. The bird is so big that the outside usually overcooks before the inside is done, or the breasts are dry by the time the thighs are cooked through. You can try to keep it juicy by brining or dry-brining, but that adds a long, cumbersome step and requires a lot of fridge space.
• It’s hard to marinate. This recipe is so flavourful because of the Thai marinade. To marinate a whole bird, you’d need a giant bucket of marinade, which is impractical and wasteful.
• It’s pretty stressful! Cooking a whole turkey is basically a whole-afternoon ordeal, and we all know the nervous moment at the end when you’re not sure whether you’re about to cut into a bird that’s raw inside or completely dry. Turkey parts take a fraction of the time and are so much easier to temp properly. Most importantly, you can take the breast and thigh out at different times, so each part cooks to its optimal doneness!

Roasting turkey parts solves all of these issues. And while you don’t get the classic whole-bird presentation, I think turkey breast and thigh on a platter of lemongrass is just as beautiful and impressive!

Important Ingredient Notes

Here are all the important notes on ingredients, including substitutions. Amounts are in the full recipe card below!

Turkey

• Turkey breast and/or thigh. I chose to use one boneless breast and one bone-in thigh so I have both dark and white meat to choose from, just like a whole turkey! If you have a strong preference, you can go with 2 breasts or 4 thighs. Roasting in parts also allows you to scale up according to the number of people, so you can do 2 breasts and 2 thighs if you've got a larger party. You can even add 2 drumsticks and you'll basically have a whole turkey, but much easier to roast!
• Lemongrass. You want whole stalks of lemongrass as these will form the "bed" for your turkey to roast on. Frozen whole lemongrass works fine for this.
• Makrut lime leaves. These will add a beautiful, citrusy aroma to the gravy which will help make the meal feel fresher. Fresh or frozen work well.
• Galangal. Optional, but adds lovely flavour if you can find it! Frozen is fine.
• Ginger. I don't normally add ginger to the "Thai trinity" that is the 3 previous herbs, but since this isn't meant to be traditional, I think it works quite well!
• Shallots. Red onions or regular onions can also work. These will soften and naturally sweeten the drippings.

Marinade

• White and black peppercorns. I like to use both black and white as they both have different flavours, but you can choose one or the other.
• Garlic
• Cilantro stems, or cilantro roots. Traditionally we would use cilantro roots for marinades as they are very aromatic and hold up well in pastes. But cilantro stems work great as a substitute.
• Fish sauce. Use good quality fish sauce such as Squid, Megachef or Red Boat. You can read more about how to choose good fish sauce here.
• Soy sauce. I use Thai soy sauce, but any kind of regular or light soy sauce you have will work. To make this gluten free, use gluten free soy sauce.
• Black or dark soy sauce. This is added for colour, so the turkey will darken beautifully. You do not have to add it. If making gluten free, you can omit, or use GF dark soy sauce (though I have not seen that yet!)
• Palm sugar. The sweetness will balance the saltiness of the soy sauce and fish sauce. You can sub an equal amount of brown sugar.

Gravy

• Chicken stock, or turkey stock, of course! The most important thing is to make sure your stock is unsalted or low sodium, as we will be adding soy sauce and fish sauce into it. Store-bought is fine, but if you wanna DIY here's my recipe for an Asian style chicken stock.
• Coconut milk. This will add a little creaminess and coconut aroma to our gravy. My favourite brand is Aroy-D in UHT paper carton. It is leaps and bounds better than canned coconut milk!! Read more about that in my Ultimate Guide to Coconut Milk.
• Cornstarch. Gravy thickener. You can use all-purpose flour instead if you wish.
• Lime juice or lemon juice (optional). You may or may not need this, but I find that if the gravy tastes a little flat or rich, a little squeeze of lime or lemon can sharpen the flavours and make it so much more palatable. You can decide whether to add it at the end when you are doing final taste adjustment for the gravy.
• Black or dark soy sauce (optional). If you want your gravy a little darker, which always makes it look more delicious, an extra glug of dark or black soy sauce does the trick!

How to Make - A Bird's Eye View

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. These are NOT the full instructions, they're here to give you a visual guide of what you'll be doing. When you're ready to cook, cook from the full recipe card with detailed instructions, and you can also watch the video tutorial where I talk you through how I did it!

1. Make the marinade: Pound peppercorns in a mortar and pestle until fine. Add the garlic and cilantro stems and pound into a fine paste. You can also finely mince the cilantro stems, grate the garlic, and use a pepper grinder.

2. Add the palm sugar and pound until mostly dissolved, then add fish sauce, soy sauce, black/dark soy sauce and water, stir to combine.

3. Place the turkey breast and thigh into a flat dish just large enough to hold them (they can be in 2 separate dishes, which is what I did). Or you can put them into zip top bags. Pour the marinade over the turkey, putting about ⅔ of it for the breast and ⅓ for the thigh. Flip the turkey over to thoroughly coat and then marinate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
   On roasting day: Pull the turkey from the fridge 2-3 hours before roasting so it is not fridge cold going into the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

4. Prepare the roasting pan: Cut the lemongrass stalks in half then smash them with a pestle or the back of a knife until the stalks are split open. Place them on the roasting pan, spreading them out enough to create a bed for your turkey. Scatter the galangal, lime leaves, shallots and ginger all around the herb bed.

5. Place the turkey on the herbs (don't discard the marinade!) and then place into the oven on the middle rack. Pour water into the pan so it's about ¼ inch deep. Roast for 35 - 45 minutes, depending on the size; check at 30 mins. You want the internal temp of the breast to be 145-150°F (63°C), and the thigh should reach at least 170°F (77°C). Keep an eye on the water and don't let it dry or the drippings could burn. Add a little more water as needed!
   *You will likely need to remove the breast before the thigh. If they are browning too quickly, reduce the heat to 400°F (200°C).

6. Once the turkey is done, place the meat on a plate to rest, then take all the herbs and arrange them on a serving platter (this is just for presentation, do not eat the herbs!). Put the turkey on top of the herbs and allow to rest for 20 mins before slicing.

7. This is the liquid I had left in the roasting pan. Mine is dark because I accidentally let the water dry up halfway through, so the drippings browned onto the pan and I deglazed it with extra water. If yours is not brown that is okay!

8. For the gravy: In a pot, add the chicken stock and the reserved turkey marinade and bring to a boil to cook the raw turkey juices in the marinade. Pour the turkey drippings into the gravy pot (carefully!).

9. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Then taste for seasoning. If it tastes bland, reduce until the seasoning tastes right. If it is too salty, add more unsalted chicken stock or coconut milk to dilute. Once the seasoning is right, dissolve the cornstarch with a bit of water, then pour about half of the slurry into the gravy while you whisk until it comes to a boil. If you want it thicker, add more slurry. Do a final taste and add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice if you feel like it needs it.

10. Make sure the turkey has rested for at least 20 minutes before slicing, then slice and serve with your sides of choice!

What to Serve with Thai-Style Gravy

Because the Thai flavours used here are subtle, any of your traditional Thanksgiving sides will work with this turkey, from mashed potatoes and stuffing to roasted veggies. But if you want to keep the Thai theme going, you can do what I did!

I served mine with my 5-spice roasted cauliflower and som tum pla ra, a spicy, umami-packed green papaya salad that brings a fresh crunch to balance the rich gravy. For this som tum I used store-bought broccoli slaw to make it more convenient since I was already making so many other things, and it worked fantastically as a papaya substitute. I also had mashed potatoes, which worked well with those two dishes.

For something even more Thai, serve with nam jim jaew, the dipping sauce Thai people must have whenever we serve grilled or roasted meats. Serve it on the side for anyone who wants something spicy and bold!

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