Chefs are ditching traditional turkey this Thanksgiving and cooking unconventional recipes like energy drink-infused poultry or even skipping the meat altogether.
When you picture Thanksgiving, it's always those childhood sides you love, like cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. Why? Because the turkey is usually dry, but it's still on the table for tradition.
With our tips from chefs, it won't be this year.
Here are some out-of-the-box ways to mix up your turkey this year
Many chefs aren't planning on one of the biggest staples of all: traditional turkey — but they have other plans.
Juliette Moreno, a chef who has always taken “no rules when it comes to cooking” seriously, and Thanksgiving isn't an exception. Moreno has matcha-fied pretty much everything at this point. She experimented with
adding matcha to fried chicken, pasta, ribs, burgers and even matcha pickles, so when it was Thanksgiving last year, she made a matcha turkey.
"I actually really liked the matcha turkey. If you like matcha, you will definitely like it. The matcha really overpowered the turkey, so it really just tasted like a matcha latte, obviously biting instead of drinking, but overall I would try it again,” said Moreno.
She didn’t stop there, either. Since turkey makes people sleepy, she experimented with a Monster Energy turkey, which is pretty much what it sounds like: soaking the turkey in Monster Energy.
This year, Moreno isn’t moving back to tradition. She recently went to culinary school and plans on making the entire spread this year for her family — which might include a mashed potato matcha or a Monster Energy pie.
“I love experimenting with different flavors and finding creative ways to cook. It’s important to experiment, even if it doesn’t turn out right. Maybe one of your tries will work, and you could end up inventing a new dish that’s delicious,” said Moreno.
Moreno isn’t the only one who’s twisting tradition.
It might be time to skip the Thanksgiving turkey
Some chefs are skipping turkey altogether.
Owen Han, a culinary content producer in Los Angeles, said he prefers roast chicken over turkey. Han said it cooks faster, it's juicier and he's found that people actually seem to prefer it. He'll throw some cuts of steak on the table as well, so people still have the main meat of the meal, it's just not turkey.
"I don’t think it necessarily has to be about replacing turkey with the trendiest possible alternative. It’s more about people feeling comfortable making the meal their own rather than feeling like they have to serve something just because it’s traditionally associated with Thanksgiving," said Han.
Han said he cooks the chicken by spatchcocking it, which is removing the backbone and flattening the bird so it cooks evenly. He dry brines it overnight, then roasts it for about an hour. By making chicken instead of turkey, he's not completely getting rid of tradition. He uses the chicken drippings to make other sides, like gravy, to keep some of the favorite parts of the holiday.
Changing tradition doesn't necessarily have to take away the turkey (or turn it into a matcha or Monster turkey), either.
You don't have to serve the turkey how you bought it
Some recipes just switch up how a turkey is served.
Picture turkey burgers, curry with turkey in it or even turkey tacos.
While Thanksgiving is a holiday that usually sticks to tradition, it doesn't mean it always has to be that way. Like Han said, it's all about making the meal your own.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: These cooks have fun ideas for turkey alternatives (matcha is involved)
