General Tso’s Whole Turkey Recipe

Directions

Ingredients :

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 small dried red chiles, or more to taste

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 green onions, chopped

¼ cup light sesame oil

1 small shallot, chopped

½ (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 cup turkey broth

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup white vinegar

¼ cup plum wine

¼ cup white sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Methods :

Step 1

Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast dried red chiles in the hot oil until they turn dark red, about 2 minutes. Toss black pepper, 2 chopped green onions, light sesame oil, and 1 small chopped shallot into the hot oil; remove from heat.

Step 2

Blend cranberry sauce, turkey broth, soy sauce, orange juice, white vinegar, plum wine, ginger, garlic, and orange zest in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Stir toasted red pepper mixture into glaze. Divide glaze in half.

Step 3

Place turkey into a large basting bag and pour half the glaze over the turkey and into the cavity. Seal the bag and refrigerate turkey overnight.

Step 4

Dissolve cornstarch in the remaining half of the glaze and refrigerate in a covered container.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Step 6

Remove turkey from marinade; discard the used marinade. Set turkey onto a rack inside a roasting pan.

Step 7

Mix white rice, wild rice, dried cranberries, walnuts, 2 small chopped green onions, 1 chopped shallot, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a bowl. Lightly stuff the turkey cavity with the rice mixture. Combine 1/3 cup vegetable oil with 1/3 cup sesame oil in a bowl and set aside.

Step 8

Roast turkey in the preheated oven, basting with vegetable and sesame oil mixture every 15 minutes, until skin is browned and crisp, about 2 hours. Stir reserved glaze containing cornstarch thoroughly and baste turkey every 15 minutes until glaze has baked onto turkey and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), 1 1/2 to 2 more hours.