Jump to Recipe: Chili Crisp Roast Turkey
Holy Tshili's Everything Chili Crisp, to be exact
When it comes to the Thanksgiving experience, there are a few things I can’t live without, namely The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (which I watch from a TV that Mr. Ganz sets up in the kitchen every year for that sole purpose) and a bread bowl full of Knorr’s Spinach Dip, which I snack on while I cook. Turkey has never been among my more treasured aspects of the holiday, but that might be because I was approaching it all wrong, towing the line of tradition instead of the pursuit of flavor. This year, I’m changing things up with a flavor-blasted, tender, juicy roast turkey with the most perfectly crispy skin, and I only need one ingredient to make it happen — chili crisp.
I can find a place in my pantry for almost any chili crisp, but Holy Tshili’s Everything Chili Crisp has a permanent spot on my flavor station, as one of my most relied-upon condiments. It’s got, well, everything — the toasted sesame seeds, poppy seeds, crispy garlic of everything bagel seasoning, plus vibrant chilis and the unmistakable wallop of umami from sesame oil. When I approached Holy Tshili owner, Sasha Shor, with my plan to roast a turkey in chili crisp, she was instantly on board, and this recipe was born. Here, I used a turkey breast rather than a whole bird (great for a smaller crowd or a more sides-centric affair), but you can easily scale this recipe up* to suit the size of your bird.
Chili Crisp Roast Turkey Breast
Ingredients
1 (5 lb.) bone-in, skin-on turkey breast
6 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
1 (7.56 oz) jar Holy Tshili Everything Chili Crisp
~2 teaspoons kosher salt
Directions
Let turkey sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425℉.
Remove turkey from packaging, pat dry with paper towels, and place on a roasting pan. Use your hands to spread butter all over the turkey breast, including under the skin (careful not to rip the skin). Cover the turkey breast with as much chili crisp as needed, saving the rest for serving. Sprinkle all over with salt.
Roast turkey for 45 minutes at 425℉, and then lower the temperature to 350℉. Continue roasting until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ (about another 45 minutes). Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving. Serve with additional Holy Tshili Everything Chili Crisp (or swirl the chili crisp into your favorite homemade or store bought gravy).
*If you do scale up, reverse the technique so that you are roasting the turkey, covered with tented aluminum foil, at 350℉ for about 90% of the cooking time, and then crank it up to 425℉ and remove the foil to get a crispy skin and finish cooking. Baste with the chili crisp drippings every hour or so.
Looking for more Thanksgiving widom? I shared 28 Thanksgiving Hacks with the Kitchn this week (My favorite hack involves using a disposable muffin tin in a particularly genius way.), and there you can also find my love letter to one of the most essential Thanksgiving ingredients you can buy — Wondra Flour!
xox,
SG