Pavo a la Mexicana (Mexican Style Turkey)

4.08 from 14 votes

Pavo a la Mexicana (Mexican Style Turkey) is seasoned and smothered in smoky chipotles, cumin, oregano and loaded with fresh garlic! Excellent for the holidays or make the best tasting homemade turkey sandwiches!

Prep Time1

Cook Time4

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: to 7 people

Calories: 296kcal

Author: Catherine Arena

Ingredients

12+ lb turkey thawed, rinsed
1-2 cups water, chicken broth or beer added to roasting pan
1 lime

Chipotle Garlic Marinade

1½-2 heads garlic peeled
4 tablespoon oil
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1½ tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Gravy (Optional)

turkey giblets
2 cups broth and drippings from turkey
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1+ tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Chipotle Garlic Marinade

Place the chipotle peppers, garlic, oil, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to a mini chopper or blender and blend until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Turkey

If turkey is frozen, thaw out in refrigerator 2-3 days in advance. (depending how large it is)
Remove the giblets and rinse the turkey well under cool water. Make sure to check neck pouch as well). Reserve giblets for gravy.
Place the turkey on a large tray. Using your hand, spread the chipotle paste all over the turkey including the inside of the cavity.
Season the entire turkey with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.

Cooking Turkey

Preheat oven to 350° F. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator and allow to sit on the counter for 20 minutes before cooking.
Add a cup of water, chicken broth or beer to roaster. Add the giblets to the pan to cook with the turkey.
Cover the turkey and cook for 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven and baste the turkey with the cooking juices from the bottom of the pan.
Continue cooking until a meat thermometer reads 165°F internal temperature. Note: If you notice the breast starts to color to fast or burn, use a piece of foil to cover the breasts but leave everything else exposed. Remove foil the last 30 minutes of cooking to allow the turkey to get fully golden brown.
Once the turkey is done, remove it from oven and let sit for 20 minutes before carving.

Carving Turkey

If you're making gravy, reserve two cups of the broth and drippings from the pan. Set aside until ready to make the gravy.
Carefully transfer the turkey to a carving board, ensuring you keep the juices and drippings in the pan.
Cut the wings, thighs and drumsticks at the joints. Return the pieces whole back to the pan or slice the meat from the thighs and drumsticks into thin pieces and then return to the pan to soak in the juices for extra flavor.
Slice the turkey breast into thin slices and return to the pan as well.
Serve the turkey directly from the pan or transfer it to a serving dish and top with some of the pan juices. Sprinkle fresh lime juice for a zesty finish.

Gravy (Optional)

Add the reserved broth and giblets to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat for a few minutes.
*If you do not have enough broth, add a cup of water to pot.
After broth has heated through, remove giblets and strain broth if you like.
Return broth back to pan and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Add a tablespoon of cornstarch to saucepan and whisk into broth until smooth.
Add more cornstarch until desired consistency is reached.
Gravy is ready.

Notes

If turkey is frozen, make sure to allow enough time for thawing, as it can take a few days to fully defrost. Keep in mind you will also need 24-48 hours for marinating the turkey before cooking.

How Many Pounds of Turkey You Need for Number of Guests

- 2 to 4 guests — 8 to 12 pounds

- 5 to 7 guests — 12 to 16 pounds

- 8 to 10 guests — 16 to 20 pounds

- 11 to 13 guests —20 to 24 pounds

Nutrition