General Tso's Whole Turkey

A Chinese take on the holiday roast turkey. The sauce is a sweet and spicy flavorful glaze on the crispy skin of the turkey with a hint of orange and cranberry. The whole red peppers with green onions on the side add a festive touch. The dressing is a savory rice dressing with cranberries and nuts. Sure to become a year-round favorite. Garnish with whole dried red peppers and green onions along the side.

• Preparation Time: 60 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 hr
• Total Time: 4 hr
• Calories: 802 Calories

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 2 cups cooked white rice
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• ⅓ cup sesame oil
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 1 cup turkey broth
• ½ cup cooked wild rice
• ½ (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
• 3 small dried red chiles, or more to taste
• ¼ cup light sesame oil
• ¼ cup plum wine
• 2 small green onions, chopped

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

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

Step 2

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 3

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 4

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 5

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

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.