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Marmalade Roast Turkey for Christmas (and Thanksgiving)

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Marmalade Roast Turkey for Christmas (and Thanksgiving)

Marmalade Roast Turkey for Christmas (and Thanksgiving)

AhmadJunaidFoodDecember 9, 2025363 Views

This Marmalade Roast Turkey makes the perfect festive centrepiece with its citrusy, sweet and slightly spicy flavours with just a hint of marmalade bitter. It comes complete with an irresistible gravy.

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Marmalade Roast Turkey

Do you guys remember my Marmalade Roast Duck from a few years ago? I made that with Chinese New Year in mind, but because I love duck, it made its way into my Christmas Cookbook, published last year – Christmas Without Borders.

Since then, I’ve had so many requests on how to convert it to turkey you’d think I was running a poultry hotline. People have been promising me lifelong gratitude, emotional support, and possibly their firstborn if I’d just publish the turkey recipe. So, as I like to say… ta-da: Marmalade Roast Turkey!

The Recipe

You know that saying, if it ain’t broke…? Exactly. So I’ve basically stuck to the same recipe and the same ratios – why mess with perfection? I’ve just added some Chinese 5-spice for more attitude and a couple of apples in the pan for… reasons. (Don’t worry, I’ll explain the apple situation below, and the bonus recipe idea I got from it!)

So our Marmalade Roast Turkey is really just your classic roast – nothing wild, nothing that requires a culinary degree – except for one tiny twist: the marinade. This glorious, sticky, citrusy wizardry turns the leftover pan juices into gravy so good you’ll wonder why we even bother with any other food at Christmas.

And because I like to spoil you, we’re starting by making our own ridiculously simple Chinese chilli oil. We only need a smidge for the turkey, the rest can live in your fridge, ready to rescue any sad meal you encounter.

But hey, if you’d rather grab a jar from the shop, I’m not gonna judge. Much.

This is what we’ll be doing:

Make the chilli oil (or not) – 20 minutes.
Roast the Sichuan peppercorns – 2 minutes.
Grind or pound the Sichuan peppercorns, then make the marinade – 5 minutes.
Marinate the turkey, saving a little of the marinade for the vegetables. Leave the turkey to marinate overnight.
Prepare the vegetables, line the pan with them, rub in the marinade, then sit the turkey on the vegetables. Roast for a few hours. Exact times below.
Make a gravy with the liquid and juices in the pan when the turkey is done – less than 5 minutes.

See, just like regular roast turkey.

Marmalade Roast Duck on bed of cabbage — Marmalade Roast Duck with Sichuan Peppercorns

Christmas Day Schedule

I’ve been hosting family Christmas meals for 3 decades now. First as a single girl in London, feeding every expat friend who didn’t escape in time.

Then, after I got married, I inherited Christmas because my MIL hates cooking – and honestly, I’d rather roast a whole reindeer than endure boxed stuffing and fake gravy. I’m kidding! Not the boxed and fake stuff though.

Luckily, I cook for a living and actually enjoy the organised chaos, so here we are: years of triumphs, disasters and festive meltdowns neatly tucked under my apron.

And as any seasoned cook will tell you, the devil is in the detail.

Plan. Everything.

So let me share my long-standing Christmas schedule with you. Steal it, tweak it, print it, tattoo it on your arm – whatever gets you through the day.

Want a Stress Free Christmas?

Check out the following articles – everything you need to prepare for the big day.

Stress Free Christmas Secret #1 (Stress Free Entertaining)

It all starts here. Plan. Everything.

Read more!

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Essential Christmas Kitchen Tools (Stress Free Christmas Secret #2)

A quick look at what’s in our kitchen, what we need and how to ensure everything’s at hand, for a stress free Christmas.

Read more!

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Get Ahead, Make Ahead Christmas (Stress Free Christmas Secret #3)

To have a stress free Christmas, you absolutely must get ahead.

Read more!

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Delegate your Christmas Tasks (Stress Free Christmas Secret #4)

All good leaders delegate, so share the tasks.

Read more!

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Wash Up as You Go (Stress Free Christmas Secret #5)

Wash up as you go. That’s the main message in our last Christmas Secret.

Read more!

stress free christmas secret #5 wash up cheesecake with christmas stocking hanging

Turkey Cooking Times

You’ll see all sorts of turkey-cooking advice floating around the internet, and here I am adding yet another one! Not really.

The truth is, turkey timings have changed over the years, mostly because different countries keep updating their food-safety rules. So if it all feels a bit chaotic… it’s because it is.

However, once you add up all the different timings from all the different “expert” methods, you’ll realise something magical: they all land on pretty much the same total cooking time for a turkey of the same size. Go figure.

The method I’ve always used is beautifully simple: 20 minutes for every half-kilo of turkey. This actually started life as “20 minutes per pound” back in the pre-metric dark ages. Then I give it an extra 20-30 minutes at the end if it looks like it needs it – very technical, I know.

So if you’re cooking a 5kg (11 lb) turkey for our Marmalade Roast Turkey? That’s 20 minutes × 10 = 200 minutes = 3 hours and 10 minutes. Easy.

But of course, turkeys are never polite enough to weigh something neat like 5kg. They’re always 4.7kg or 5.3kg, just to keep us humble.

Which is why, in the recipe card, I tell you to start checking at the 3-hour mark. Adjust from there. If you’ve got a 4.5kg turkey (10 lbs), three hours should do it nicely.

Don’t forget: the last 30 minutes of cooking time wants to be done without the foil, so the turkey can brown and the skin can crisp up nicely.

If you are stuffing your turkey (we’re not here), weigh the turkey after it’s been stuffed, and use that as the going weight. Or weigh the stuffing you’ll be using and add them up.

And you thought that maths you learnt in school was never going to come in handy, huh?

Marmalade Roast Turkey Ingredients

Ok, now let’s talk turkey. Come on, you knew that was coming.

Turkey

This is rather obvious right? The size of the turkey you get will depend on how many people you are feeding. And whether you cook a whole turkey or just the turkey crown is also a matter of preference.

Fresh or frozen turkey? The short answer is either, and depends on your budget. Frozen turkeys are going to cost less, and if truth be told, are just as delicious, and are perfect for our marmalade roast turkey today.

Did you know that you can cook turkey straight from frozen? Seriously. It’s even USDA approved. Scroll down for more.

Marmalade Marinade

Our marmalade marinade is the real star of the show, no 2 ways about it. I’ve pretty much stuck to the same marinade as in our Roast Duck, with just the addition of Chinese 5 spice powder.

It uses easy-to-find ingredients but produces such a gloriously potent marinade with so many levels of flavour – you’ll be licking your fork long after your turkey’s all gone!

As far as the marmalade goes, it doesn’t really matter what kind, just one you enjoy eating. Thick cut, fine cut, it’s all good. The amount is also negotiable to some extent. While I’ve written 300g (10.5 oz) in the recipe below, in the video, I ended up using the whole jar which contained 340g. So a little difference is fine.

The amount of marinade in today’s Marmalade Roast Turkey recipe is perfect for a medium-sized turkey. If you’ve got a large or extra large, increase all the amounts by 50%. Get a calculator (your phone has one) and X everything by 1.5. Need help? Drop me a comment.

Chinese Chilli Oil

You can use shop bought Chinese chilli oil, also known as chili crisp in the US. But if you fancy making your own, I’m giving you a very basic, super simple recipe below.

It takes about 15 minutes simmering time.

We have 2 or 3 other chilli oil recipes here on LinsFood; my favourite is the one we use in the Chicken in Sichuan Chilli Oil recipe (aka Saliva Chicken!).

The Aromatics, Vegetables and Fruit

We’ve already got garlic and ginger working their magic in the marinade. Now let’s talk about the bits that line the pan and get stuffed into the bird.

I’m sticking with the usual suspects: onion, carrots and celery. Then we’re adding fresh orange slices for brightness and a handful of spring onions (scallions/green onions).

Now, apples. Yes, apples. I had a few cooking apples left over from my mincemeat and Christmas pudding marathon, and because I love what apples do in stews, I thought, “Go on then.”

Best decision ever. The apples round out the flavour beautifully – especially in the gravy we’ll make from all those glorious turkey juices. So you definitely want apples in there. Your marmalade roast turkey gravy will thank you.

And that lightbulb moment I mentioned? I think an apple sauce with marmalade would be amazing, so watch this space!

Festive marmalade roast turkey with orange slices and vegetables — those vegetables are the best!

How to Cook a Frozen Turkey?

If cooking a turkey from frozen, you’ll need to increase the cooking times by about 50%. But you do have to be a little more vigilant and definitely use a meat thermometer to ensure that all parts of your turkey are cooked and hitting 75℃ (165℉).

Perhaps I’ll do a full write-up of this soon. In the meantime do a Google search if you’re not sure. Below are the estimated cooking times for cooking turkey from frozen.

What size Turkey do you Need?

If you were to do a search online for this, you’ll be amazed at the varying answers, which doesn’t really help if you are new to this, does it?

A lot depends on who’s eating and how many slices make their way to each plate. The more slices per person, the bigger the turkey.

Below is a rough guide to give you an idea:

A turkey crown (2-2.5kg) will feed 6 people.
A small turkey (3-4.5kg) will feed 6-8 people.
A medium turkey (4-5kg) will feed 8-10 people.
A medium-large turkey (5-5.5kg) will feed 10-12 people
A large turkey (6-6.5kg) will feed 12-15 people.

How to Serve Marmalade Roast Turkey?

When it comes to serving this citrus flavoured turkey, I stick to the classics – they’re classics for a reason. Pour over a scandalous amount of gravy (like me), pile on the Brussels sprouts and carrots, plus roast potatoes of course. You could also serve it with mash if that’s your thing.

Cranberry sauce is always welcome, although, with the citrus notes in this turkey, a spoonful of marmalade works shockingly well too. Build the plate you deserve; it’s Christmas, after all.

Then there’s the cooked, mushy vegetables from the pan. Total yum!

Or Serve it Differently

Given that our marmalade roast turkey has a slight Chinese slant in its flavour, and if you are celebrating an Asian Christmas, you could serve it on a bed of noodles.

Think lightly spiced and flavoured noodles that will just soak up every last drop of those glorious turkey juices. Just imagine how good those noodles would be.

So just fry some rice noodles (think bee hoon, hor fun, pad Thai noodles) with sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Add some soy sauce and/or a little of the juices from the pan, so the gravy, in other words.

Leave the rest of the gravy on the side for top ups.

To complement that, have Asian side dishes for your Christmas spread. Need ideas? Drop me a comment.

How to Serve the Cooked Vegetables?

Remember all the fruit and vegetables that propped up our marmalade roast turkey? They are the best – mushy and so, so full of flavour.

You could:

serve them surrounding your roast turkey, as in the images here.
separately on a plate, so those who love them can devour them. Those orange slices? Don’t throw them away, the juice from them is out of this world!

Steam rising from a Christmas gravy jug with a roast turkey in the background — got carried away with the steam shoot, forgot the actual gravy photo!

Marmalade Roast Turkey Gravy

This is one of the best parts of the whole recipe. Who am I kidding? Every part of this recipe is incredible. This gravy is going to have your turkey swimming. Each drop tastes like a story simmered slowly: savoury, silky, and so seductive. You know I love my alliterations!

Once your turkey is cooked, lift it out, cover it with fresh foil and a thick tea towel, and let it rest for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, fish out all the fruit and vegetables from the pan, pop them in a bowl, cover, and keep them warm.

Now for the good stuff: strain every last glorious drop of liquid from the roasting pan into a small saucepan. Depending on your turkey’s size – and how many hungry relatives you’re about to face – you might need to top it up with a bit of stock (or honestly, just water) so you’ve got enough gravy to go around.

Or, if you’re a gravy maximalist, use my make-ahead gravy recipe and double the joy.

Bring your pan juices to a gentle simmer, taste for seasoning, and keep it warm until serving. I usually leave it sitting on the hob and only heat it properly about 10 minutes before everyone descends like a festive stampede.

Phew, I think that about covers it. If you’ve read all of that, well done. You now know more than you probably intended, but at least dinner will be spectacular!

Let me know if you made it, tag me on Instagram @azlinbloor, with a photo. Any questions, just hit that comment button.

Enjoy!

Lin xx

Christmas Roast turkey on a large oval platter with vegetables and orange slices

Start the Day Before to Marinate Overnight

Chinese Chilli Oil (skip if using shop bought)

Peel the shallot and slice thickly into about 4 pieces.Light smash the garlic and peel, leave as it is.Peel and slice the ginger into thick slices.Break up the dried chillies into 2 -3 pieces.

1 medium shallot, 2 garlic cloves, 5 cm ginger, 6 dried red chillies, 1 star anise, ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns
Place all the chilli oil ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer on the lowest heat with yur smallest burner. Simmer for 15 minutes.

125 ml vegetable oil
Take it off the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Tip your red chilli flaves into a bowl, then strain the hot chilli oil onto them using a metal strainer. A plastic strainer will melt.Stir the salt in and mix everything together.Now, if you like you can sit the strainer back onto the oil (still with all the bits), while you get on with all the other prep work. This will allow the oil to absorb even more flavour from the aromatics and spices.

4 Tbsp dried red chilli flakes, ⅛ tsp salt

Let’s Make the Marinade

Dry roast the Sichuan peppercorns for a minute on low heat and tip into a mortar. (or food chopper).

1 Tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
Add 1 tsp salt and grind to a powder.
Peel the garlic and ginger. Slice the ginger, then add both to the ground up Sichuan peppercorns and pound until everything is a fairly fine mash.

5 cloves garlic, 10 cm ginger
Add the marmalade and mix well.

300 g marmalade
Now add all the other ingredients in and mix thoroughly.Only 1 more tsp of salt, we used 1 earlier when grinding the Sichuan peppercorns.

2 tsp salt, 2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder, ½ tsp ground white pepper, 2 tsp Chinese chilli oil, 2 Tbsp light soy sauce, 1 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, 1 tsp sesame oil

Let’s Marinate the Turkey

The Next Day/Christmas Day

Get your turkey out of the fridge first thing or at least 1 hour before cooking, to allow it to come to room temperature.Preheat the oven to 180℃ (350℉/160℃ Fan).
Slice the oranges into rings.Chop up the carrots and celery into 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick pieces.Cut your onion into 8 pieces.Slice your apples into thick wedges, unpeeled.Trim and clean the spring onions as necessary.

3 celery sticks, 2 large carrots, 1 large onion, 2 large oranges, 2 cooking apples, 2 spring onions
Line your baking tray with all these sliced and chopped vegetables and fruits.
Remember our marinade from yesterday? Rub it all over the fruits and vegetables.
Sit the marinated turkey on the bed of fruits and vegetables, pouring all marinade form the pan.
Cover loosely with foil (remember to buy your turkey foil, unlike me for this video!) and roast in the oven for 3 hours for a medium-sized turkey. Check turkey times in article above for all other sizes. Or drop me a question in the comments if you’re not sure. Baste your turkey halfway and cover it again.
At 2 hours 30 minutes, take the foil off and roast, uncovered for the last 30 minutes. If you find the wings are burning, just wrap a foil around them.
When your marmalade roast turkey is done, cover with a fresh foil, and a thick tea towel and leave to rest for at least 45 minutes while you get on with all your side dishes and gravy.

The Gravy

Carefully dish out all the soft pulpy fruits and vegetables that are in the pan and keep them warm in a plate or bowl.
Strain all the remaining juices and liquid into a small saucepan. This liquid can be the finished gravy if you don’t have that many people eating. It has a full-on flavour, and is sweet and salty.
You can add water or stock to make more, then just check seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes, then serve hot in a gravy jug.I usually leave this until th every last minute so the gravy is still hot.

To Serve

Take the whole turkey to the table or carve and take the slices, whatever you usually do.Remember those fruits and vegetables that were cooked with the turkey? You can surround your turkey with them as in the images orserve them separately.