Description
A classic Thanksgiving turkey recipe featuring a flavorful herb butter and perfectly roasted to juicy perfection. This recipe guides you through thawing, seasoning, and roasting a whole turkey with fresh herbs and a moist, tender result.
Ingredients
Scale
Turkey and Aromatics
- 1 12-20 pound turkey
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 apple, quartered (your favorite kind)
- 0.75 ounce fresh rosemary
- 0.75 ounce fresh thyme
- 0.75 ounce fresh sage
Herb Butter
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- Fresh chopped herbs from rosemary, thyme, and sage
Instructions
- Thawing: If the turkey is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours for every 5 pounds, plus an extra day for safety.
- Bring to Room Temperature: Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Rack: Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Make Herb Butter: Combine softened butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, and 0.5 tablespoon chopped sage in a bowl.
- Prepare Turkey: Remove turkey from packaging, remove neck and giblets, pat dry with paper towels.
- Season and Stuff: Season the cavity with salt and pepper, then stuff with quartered lemon, onion, apple, and leftover fresh herbs.
- Apply Herb Butter Under Skin: Loosen skin above the breasts and smooth a few tablespoons of herb butter underneath.
- Tuck Wings and Place on Rack: Tuck wings underneath the turkey and set it on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan.
- Brush Turkey: Microwave remaining herb butter for 30 seconds, then brush all over the outside of the turkey, legs, and wings.
- Roast: Roast at 325 degrees F for about 15 minutes per pound, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F in the middle of thigh and breast. Halfway through cooking, tent turkey with foil once skin is golden brown to protect breast meat from overcooking.
- Rest and Carve: Tent the cooked turkey with foil and let rest on the counter before transferring to a cutting board for carving.
Notes
- If cooking for fewer people or preferring white meat, try the Turkey Breast recipe instead.
- To substitute dried herbs, use 1 teaspoon dried herbs for every 1 tablespoon fresh herbs.
- Start roasting uncovered; tent with foil once skin is golden to prevent overbrowning.
- For disposable roasting pans, place fresh chopped vegetables like celery ribs and large carrots at the bottom to elevate the turkey and add flavor to drippings.
- Electric roasting ovens follow the same instructions.
- Convection ovens cook turkey faster; start temperature checks after 2 hours.
- Check internal temperature with a thermometer placed in the middle of the thigh and breast.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 576 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 50 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg
