Whether you are preparing a Thanksgiving feast or a Christmas dinner, turkeys are the centerpiece for many holiday meals. If you aren’t careful, your turkey could wind up being saltier than you intended. Sodium lurks in all types of rubs, marinades, and glazes which can easily turn a joyous day into a sodium nightmare. But it is totally possible, and super easy, to prepare a low sodium holiday turkey.
Enter this low sodium apricot mustard glazed turkey. You’ll get the pleasantry of sweet citrus paired with the tang of stoneground seeded mustard. The combination is tasty and best of all, the ingredients for the glaze contain zero sodium!
What is a pan sauce? Is that the same thing as gravy? The answer is they are similar but different. Think of them like cousins instead of siblings.
Both are made with juice from the turkey, but gravy typically has milk and flour. The pan sauce in this recipe combines the natural juices of the turkey with bourbon (or apple cider), shallots, butter, and cornstarch. The result is a flavorful sauce that is a bit lighter than a typical gravy.
Don’t forget the low sodium sides! It would be a shame to make this delicious low sodium turkey and then fill your table with salty side dishes. I’ve got your back on the side dishes. Here’s a recipe for low sodium stuffing and click here for a recipe to whip up low salt garlic mashed potatoes.
Low Sodium Holiday Turkey with Pan Sauce
Savor a delicious low sodium holiday turkey glazed with apricot preserves and stoneground mustard. This low salt turkey will be the star of your holiday meal.
Ingredients
- 14-pound turkey
- 8 oz bottle of Westbrae Stoneground No Salt Added Mustard
- 8 oz jar of apricot preserves
Pan Sauce
- 3/4 cup of unsalted chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tsp of corn starch
- 1/2 cup of a quality bourbon or apple cider
- 1 whole shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Instructions
- Fully thaw your turkey following the directions on the packaging.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey.
- Fully rinse the turkey under cold water before placing it in a large roasting pan.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the bottle of mustard with the jar of apricot preserves. Make sure the two ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Gently lift the skin of the turkey to separate it from the body. Rub about one-third of the glaze under the skin of the turkey.
- Using a sauce brush, coat the turkey with another third of the mustard apricot glaze. Make sure you don't forget the wings and legs!
- Cover the remaining glaze and place it in the refrigerator. You'll need this in a couple of hours.
- Cover the turkey with tin foil and roast in a 350-degree oven for approximately 4 hours. At the halfway point, apply a second coat of glaze to the outside of the bird using the remaining glaze.
- Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of baking to create a crisp crust.
- Once the turkey has reached an internal temperature of 180°F as read by a meat thermometer, you can remove your turkey from the oven.
- Your turkey needs to set for at least 15-20 minutes before you can carve it. Cut it up any sooner and you will lose all of the juice!
- While the turkey is setting, use a turkey baster to collect drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan. Place these drippings into a saucepan.
- Add shallots to the saucepan with drippings and saute over medium-high heat until shallots have softened.
- Once shallots have softened, add bourbon or apple cider and bring to a low simmer. This is the point where we will cook off the alcohol.
- As the pan is heating up, occasionally scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Continue to simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half.
- Increase the heat to achieve a full simmer, whisk in the unsalted chicken stock, butter, and corn starch.
- Allow the final liquid to reduce by half before pouring into a gravy boat or other similar serving container.
Notes
- The alcohol in the bourbon will cook off, so you don't have to worry about having a drunk turkey on your table. But this is also why you want to use a quality top-shelf bourbon because you are left with that deep oaky flavor. If you don't have a bourbon on hand you can use half a cup of fresh apple cider.
- I suggest you do not use the "sugar-free" apricot preserves as many people can't tolerate the sucralose in that product. A better option is to find a "no added sugar" version. This means the only sweetness in the preserves is that which naturally occurs inside the apricot. Smuckers has a sodium-free version that doesn't use chemicals to sweeten the product. Just read the ingredients and you'll find the one that works for your family!
- You may have trouble finding an 8-ounce jar of apricot preserves. That's ok. You can use a 9 or 10-ounce jar without a problem. If you use a 12-ounce jar, I suggest adding an additional four ounces of mustard to even things out.
- If you have completely covered the turkey and you still have some leftover mustard apricot glaze, just add it to your pan sauce!
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