This classic Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe is easy to make and absolutely delicious. Crispy golden brown skin and flavorfulturkey meat, spread homemade garlic herb butter under the skin for a perfectly roasted turkey that will be the star of your Thanksgiving dinner.
We have tried a lot of Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes over the years, and I always go back to a classic roast Thankgiving turkey. It’s fun to experiment with grilling, deep frying and different brines, but nothing beats the smell of a traditional turkey roasting in the oven with butter, garlic and fresh herbs.
Thanksgiving Turkey
The first step is important and needs to be started several days in advance. Let frozen turkey thaw in the refrigerator in a disposable foil container to contain any drips. A 14-16 pound turkey will take 3-4 days to completely thaw. Next, let the turkey sit at room temperature for at least an hour to get the chill off of the bird. This will make it easier to handle and to remove the neck and giblets. It’s not fun trying to clean a partially frozen or ice cold turkey.
No need to wash the turkey before roasting, that will increase the chances of spreading bacteria around your sink and kitchen. Just use paper towels to pat dry inside and out and season inside liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
I like to stuff mine with a mix of orange wedges, lemon wedges, garlic, onion and fresh herbs.
For this Thanksgiving turkey recipe, I use 1/2 a stick of butter to make a garlic herb butter to spread under the skin. The skin protects the fresh garlic and herbs, and the butter, garlic and herbs flavor the turkey meat. Win, win! I used to make a garlic herb butter for under the skin and on top, but didn’t like how burned the fresh herbs and garlic would get.
Then spread the softened butter all over the turkey and season generously with salt and pepper. Tuck the tips of the wings under and tuck the legs together using the extra skin at the tailbone. You can also tie them together with cooking twine if preferred.
Roast the turkey on the rack of a large roasting pan on the lowest oven rack.
Start low and increase the temperature at the end to add color and crispness to the skin. The most important tool you can have when cooking your Thanksgiving turkey is a meat thermometer. The breast meat should be a minimum of 165 degrees and the thickest part of the thigh should be between 170 and 175.
Once the turkey is cooked to temperature, the next very important step is letting it rest, uncovered, 45 minutes to an hour before carving.
The heat of the oven is not kind to the appearance of fresh herbs, so for presentation purposes I like to tuck a few fresh herbs back into the turkey. It gives the Thanksgiving turkey that wow factor!
1headgarlic sliced in half, plus 2 cloves minced into paste
1 medium onioncut into wedges
1lemoncut into wedges
1orange cut into wedges
fresh sage
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
fresh parsley
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove turkey neck and giblets. Pat turkey dry, inside and out and season inside liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Place on roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Fill turkey cavity with onions, whole garlic cut in half, lemons, oranges and a 2-3 stems of each herb.
Combine 4 tablespoons of softened butter with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, 2 cloves of garlic that have been minced into paste, 1 tablespoon of minced sage, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon minced rosemary and 1 teaspoon of minced thyme leaves. Gently loosen skin from turkey breast and turkey legs and spread garlic herb butter under the skin.
Tuck wing tips under and use extra skin at base of backbone to tuck turkey legs together. You can also use cooking twine for this step, if preferred. Spread remaining softened butter all over outside of turkey and season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Roasted at 325 degrees for two hours, then increase temperature to 425 degrees and roast for another 30 minutes to one hour depending on size of turkey. Begin checking turkey for doneness at the 2 hour mark. Turkey is done when breast meat registers 165 degrees and thigh meat is 170-175 degrees. IMPORTANT - Let turkey rest 45 minutes to one hour before carving.
Yes!You can season, stuffed and butter up the turkey the night before and place it onto a roasting pan, then into the refrigerator. Can I make the garlic butter ahead of time? Yes, I recommend making the garlic butter ahead of time to save time the day of, especially if you have lots of other dishes to prepare.
Impart rich flavor and add moisture to your Thanksgiving turkey by adding a layer of butter under the skin before roasting. Learn how to do this simple (but genius) technique for a delicious Thanksgiving turkey.
Is it better to baste a turkey with butter or oil? Deciding whether to baste with butter or oil primarily depends on your own preferences. However, butter is the preferred choice in many recipes due to its flavor. If you choose an oil, consider a high-heat compatible oil such as vegetable or canola oil.
Our favorite way to season a turkey is through a dry brine. This simply involves rubbing a seasoning mix (like salt, pepper, dried herbs, and maybe spices) all over — and inside — the turkey well before you are going to roast it.
Season the Turkey Inside, Outside, and Under the Skin
Generously rub salt and pepper inside the cavity, along with whatever other herbs and spices you're using. You can also push seasoned butter or olive oil under the skin of the breast, and around the thighs.
Add halved onions, carrot chunks, celery and fresh herbs to the cavity of your turkey, inserting them loosely. These flavor builders are the base of stock and most soups. As your turkey cooks, they'll steam and infuse your bird with moisture and flavor.
Why isn't the butter sticking to the turkey? The bird may be condensating or your butter may be too cold and firm. Make sure the turkey comes to room temperature for an hour and pat it with paper towels to remove moisture before you butter it.
Cut a 20-inch piece of cheesecloth and fold twice, creating 4 layers. Submerge the cloth in the melted butter, making sure it is completely saturated with it. Gently squeeze the cloth, then re-form so there are 4 layers and place on top of the turkey, covering it completely.
It's easy: Simply cook it a day or two in advance, let it cool completely, then carve the bird into large pieces—breasts, wings, thighs and drumsticks. Store in a container in the refrigerator until the big day. This method actually result in juicier meat—and an infinitely more relaxed host.
Basting also gives you a less crisp skin. Instead of basting, rub fat (butter, olive oil or coconut oil, for example) all over the bird just before you tuck it into the oven. Then leave it alone until it's time to check for doneness.
If you let the turkey rest a bit, the juices reabsorb into the meat rather than running out of the bird and landing on the cutting board. Carve it to order.
To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.
There are plenty of easy ground turkey recipes out there. But, you will always need spices like olive oil, kosher salt and pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder. You can add minced garlic, and freshly chopped onions and peppers, for an extra edge.
You can use an injection like this Turkey Injection Sauce with Honey and Herbs or this Fried Turkey Rub with Cajun Injection. This time around I opted to use a butter/herb mixture under the skin like in this Mouth-Watering Herb Roasted Turkey Recipe. Then sprinkle kosher salt all over the turkey skin.
Butterball whole turkeys are individually pre-brined for convenience and taste, but if you want even more flavor and juiciness, you can brine, marinate, or inject your turkey following our step-by-step instructions.
You should plan on using this injection marinade several hours before you start cooking. If you have the time, inject the bird the night before roasting. While you can brine your turkey, that process mostly adds salt rather than additional flavors—plus it also takes more time.
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