Thanksgiving Main Dish Recipes

Iain Bagwell

Find the perfect turkey, ham, or pork recipe to anchor your holiday meal.

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Sweet-and-Spicy Roast Turkey

Greg Dupree

Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Roast Turkey

This turkey packs the heat with a spice rub. Top that off with a honey-hot sauce glaze while its roasting.

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Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy

Basted in butter, made with sage, thyme, and fennel seeds, this turkey comes our juicy and moist.

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Roasted Turkey with Béarnaise Butter

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Roasted Turkey with Béarnaise Butter

This classic roasted turkey is made even more divine with a rich Béarnaise Butter. Garnish with roasted onions, fresh herb sprigs, and grapes.

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Citrus-Grilled Turkey Breast

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell

Recipe: Citrus-Grilled Turkey Breast

To prevent a top-heavy turkey breast from tilting onto its side, use kitchen shears to trim the bony lower portion of the rib cage—just enough to level the underside of the breast so it rests securely in the pan or on the grill.

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Apple-Bourbon Turkey and Gravy

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Apple-Bourbon Turkey and Gravy

Apple slices and aromatic vegetables line the turkey's roasting pan, creating a colorful rack that adds terrific flavor to both the turkey and pan juices.

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Creole Deep-Fried Turkey

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Creole Deep-Fried Turkey

Southerners love to fry their food, and there's no stopping us when it comes to our Thanksgiving turkey. Give this fried turkey recipe a try and enjoy the flavors that only deep-frying can create.

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Honey-Bourbon Glazed Ham

Photo: Beau Gustafson

Recipe: Honey-Bourbon Glazed Ham

Roasting ham with cloves makes for a showstopping Southern classic. Your family and friends are sure to love the flavorful sweet glaze. For a twist, try Honey-Bourbon Boneless Glazed Ham.

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Roasted Dry-Rub Turkey With Gravy

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns

Recipe: Roasted Dry-Rub Turkey With Gravy

This recipe, with its Paprika-Brown Sugar Rub, yields a turkey with dark crusty skin. That’s good—it will remind you of the crispy outside pieces of barbecued meats.

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Roast Pork with Garlic-Onion Gravy

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Recipe: Roast Pork with Garlic-Onion Gravy

It's worth purchasing a meat thermometer for this recipe. We used an instant-read version, but a standard one would work equally well. Cook the roast to 180° to 185° for incredibly tender but sliceable meat, making a pretty holiday presentation.

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Sweet-Hot Plum-Glazed Ham

Photo: Ralph Anderson; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Recipe: Sweet-Hot Plum-Glazed Ham

You guest will love the sweet-hot glaze on this ham. Garnish with wintry herbs for a holiday presentation.

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Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Recipe: Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

Add additional moistness and flavor by replacing the wire roasting rack with a colorful rack of carrots and celery ribs. Tuck in a few sprigs of fresh herbs, some unpeeled whole shallots, and apple slices to enhance the flavor of the chicken.

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Classic Roasted Duck with Orange-Bourbon-Molasses Glaze

Southern Living

Recipe: Classic Roasted Duck with Orange-Bourbon-Molasses Glaze

The secret to crispy skin is a dry duck. Pat ducks with a paper towel before, during, and after refrigerating. Store uncovered in the back, coldest part of your fridge for up to two days ahead.

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Two-Alarm Deep-Fried Turkey

Photo: Van Chaplin

Recipe: Two-Alarm Deep-Fried Turkey

Fry your turkey for extra moist, flavorful meat that will taste perfect with your spread of sides and desserts.

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Baby Back Ribs With Jackie’s Dry Rub

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Scott Martin

Recipe: Baby Back Ribs With Jackie’s Dry Rub

Take a break from the traditional turkey meal and try a relaxed, lively cookout complete with ribs, cheese grits, and butter beans. You’ll enjoy all the warmth and spirit of the holiday as well as food so good you won’t even miss the turkey and dressing.

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Herb-Roasted Turkey

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Herb-Roasted Turkey

Turn up the flavor on classic Thanksgiving fare with this show-stopping bird.

Learn How To Dress Up Your Turkey

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Delta Roasted Turkey With Million-Dollar Gravy

Recipe: Delta Roasted Turkey With Million-Dollar Gravy

The cornerstone dish for the holiday meal is turkey, and this recipe is a winner. Its unusual method, which comes to us from reader Elizabeth Heiskell, produces a crisp exterior with incredibly juicy meat.

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Brown Sugar-Bourbon Baked Ham

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Recipe: Brown Sugar-Bourbon Baked Ham

Delicious warm or cold, this Southern Living favorite is the ultimate make-ahead main dish. Basting delivers big flavor and a beautiful glaze with little effort.

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Roasted Turkey Stuffed with Hazelnut Dressing

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell

Recipe: Roasted Turkey Stuffed with Hazelnut Dressing

For a nutty twist on traditional turkey, add toasted hazlenuts or pecans to your dressing. Garnish with fresh collard greens, nuts, kumquats, and pomegranates.

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Ham Glazed with Spiced Plum Conserve

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Ham Glazed with Spiced Plum Conserve

Any brined, smoked supermarket ham will be welcomed on your holiday table in addition to (or in lieu of) the turkey. If you're using a spiral ham, there's no need to score it and stud with cloves. For the Spiced Plum Conserve, experiment with your favorite seasonal fruit, including muscadines.

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Salt-and-Pepper Roasted Turkey

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Salt-and-Pepper Roasted Turkey

With a turkey this simple and with so few ingredients, focus on the techniques that matter most. First, pat the turkey very dry, which will help it achieve a crispier skin in the oven. Then season liberally with kosher salt. Season the cavity, gently under the skin, and again on the surface of the skin to enhance the flavor from the skin to the bone.

Cooking Video: Salt-and-Pepper Roasted Turkey

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Herb-Roasted Turkey Legs

Photo: Jody Horton

Recipe: Herb-Roasted Turkey Legs

While cooking a whole bird is traditional, most chefs smartly cook the white and dark meat separately to achieve the best flavor and perfect level of doneness. Brining and smoking the breast and curing and roasting the legs yields the most succulent results.

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Smoked Turkey Breast

Photo: Jody Horton

Recipe: Smoked Turkey Breast

In this recipe, the tender white meat is infused with apple cider, herbs, and hickory flavor.

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Citrus-Roasted Turkey with Lemon Aïoli

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Recipe: Citrus-Roasted Turkey with Lemon Aïoli

Seasoning with a citrus-salt rub and stuffing the cavity with lemons and oranges imparts fresh flavor and citrus fragrance and keeps the turkey extra juicy.

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Grill-Smoked Turkey

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Grill-Smoked Turkey

The dry brine used on the turkey is inspired by a wet brine that cookbook author Gena Knox sells through her brand Fire & Flavor (fireandflavor.com).

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Smoked Self-Basting Turkey

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Smoked Self-Basting Turkey

Chris Lilly, one of our favorite pit masters and four-time Memphis in May grand champion, taught SL recipe tester and developer Pam Lolley this cool technique. The key? Mounding herb butter on top of the breast, covering the bird with aluminum foil, and cutting a slit in the foil. The butter will slowly melt and baste the turkey as it cooks and the smoke will permeate the bird through the hole. Find out more techniques in Chris' book, Fire and Smoke.

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Dry Brined-Herb Roasted Turkey

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Dry Brined-Herb Roasted Turkey
Recipe: Jerk Brine Roasted Turkey
Recipe: Cajun Brine Roasted Turkey
Recipe: Five Spice Brine Roasted Turkey

Skip the cumbersome wet brines that call for soaking turkey and making the skin flabby. This classic overnight dry brine—a simple herb, salt, and sugar mixture—gives the turkey deep flavor and a crackly crust. Be adventurous and create your own signature dry brine using our sugar and salt ratios as a guide, or try one of our three variations.

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Pepper Bacon Fried Turkey

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Pepper Bacon Fried Turkey
Recipe: Nashville Hot Turkey

Follow this recipe for two delicious takes on your holiday bird. Start with black pepper bacon or any bacon to flavor the peanut oil. For serious spice hounds, take the Pepper Bacon Fried Turkey a step further and try our Nashville Hot Turkey (pictured)—our ode to the city's incendiary fried chicken.

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Thanksgiving Turkeys & More

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Sweet-and-Spicy Roast Turkey

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Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy

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Roasted Turkey with Béarnaise Butter

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Citrus-Grilled Turkey Breast

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Apple-Bourbon Turkey and Gravy

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Creole Deep-Fried Turkey

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Honey-Bourbon Glazed Ham

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Roasted Dry-Rub Turkey With Gravy

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Roast Pork with Garlic-Onion Gravy

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Sweet-Hot Plum-Glazed Ham

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Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

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Classic Roasted Duck with Orange-Bourbon-Molasses Glaze

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Two-Alarm Deep-Fried Turkey

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Baby Back Ribs With Jackie’s Dry Rub

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Herb-Roasted Turkey

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Delta Roasted Turkey With Million-Dollar Gravy

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Brown Sugar-Bourbon Baked Ham

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Roasted Turkey Stuffed with Hazelnut Dressing

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Ham Glazed with Spiced Plum Conserve

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Salt-and-Pepper Roasted Turkey

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Herb-Roasted Turkey Legs

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Smoked Turkey Breast

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Citrus-Roasted Turkey with Lemon Aïoli

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Grill-Smoked Turkey

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Smoked Self-Basting Turkey

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Dry Brined-Herb Roasted Turkey