This cranberry-maple-glazed turkey takes minimal effort and ingredients and turns them into an impressive holiday centerpiece with festive flavors and aromas. Adding a cranberry-maple glaze is an easy way to transform your Thanksgiving turkey from tasty to can’t-stop-talking-about-it.

You’ll start by dry-brining your bird. This process may sound intimidating, but it’s as simple as generously salting the turkey and letting it rest overnight in the fridge. The salt seasons the meat and helps it stay juicy during roasting.

Before the turkey goes into the oven, stuff the cavity with fragrant onion, orange and bay leaves to infuse the meat with even more flavor from the inside. Then, coat the outside with a simple mixture of cranberry sauce, maple syrup and chopped nuts. The glaze bakes into a sticky, sweet-tart finish and gives the turkey a gorgeous color and beautiful shine. The result is a surprising yet classic combination of flavors that’s sure to wow guests and make your holiday table feel extra special.

Ingredients for Cranberry-Maple-Glazed Turkey

• Turkey: If you’re using a frozen turkey, plan for plenty of thawing time. A 12- to 14-pound frozen bird needs about three days in the fridge to thaw completely. Ignore the pop-up timer that comes with most turkeys; an instant-read meat thermometer is the most reliable way to ensure your turkey is cooked through.
• Kosher salt: Salting the turkey ahead (a process known as dry-brining) is the secret to extra-juicy meat. It may seem like a lot of salt, but it’s the key to locking in moisture and flavor. Be sure you’re using kosher salt and not table salt; table salt is too fine and will make the turkey taste overly salty.
• Aromatics: Stuffing the cavity with onion, orange and bay leaves subtly flavors the meat from the inside out as it roasts. Onion brings a savory aroma, orange adds brightness and bay leaves lend an herbal note.
• Maple syrup: Maple syrup adds a rich, caramel-like sweetness to the glaze and balances the tartness of the cranberry sauce. Be sure to use pure maple syrup (not to be confused with misleading pancake syrup) for the best flavor.
• Cranberry sauce: This shortcut ingredient gives the glaze its festive tart-sweet flavor and a hint of ruby-red color. We prefer whole berry sauce for added texture—store-bought is perfectly fine, but you can cook up a quick homemade cranberry sauce with fresh berries if you have time.
• Walnuts: Finely chopped walnuts add a nutty crunch to the glaze. Need a nut-free option? Just leave them out.

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