Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Truly the best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe with juicy, flavorful, tender meat and crispy golden skin - this fool-proof turkey recipe will have your guests coming back for seconds! A complete step by step guide (and video!) on how to cook a turkey so it's the centerpiece your holiday table deserves!
Servings 12
Calories 673kcal
Ingredients
- 1 (14 to 20 pound) turkey thawed
Herb Butter
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1½ tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cavity and Roasting Pan
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large carrots cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- 1 stalks celery cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- 1 large onions quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 orange quartered
- 1 lemon halved or quartered
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock or broth
- ½ cup apple cider
Instructions
Prep Turkey
- Remove the thawed turkey from the refrigerator one hour before roasting. (If you bought a frozen turkey, thaw in the refrigerator, allowing 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds of turkey.)1 (14 to 20 pound) turkey
- Remove the turkey from its packaging. Check the cavity of the turkey and remove the giblets, neck - really anything that is in there. Also remove any thermometers, plastic pieces, etc. Feel free to save the neck and/or giblets for stock and gravy or go ahead and discard if you want. Let the turkey come to room temperature while you prepare the herb butter.
Preheat Oven
- Adjust the rack in your oven so the turkey sits in the lower third to half of the oven, depending on the size. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Prepare Herb Butter
- Combine the butter, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt and pepper in a small bowl or food processor and stir or process until combined. Set aside.10 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1½ tablespoons fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, ½ tablespoon fresh sage, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Stuff Cavity
- Using paper towels, pat the turkey very dry, making sure to get around the wings and legs. The turkey needs to be dry so the butter can spread easily on the skin. Season the cavity with salt and pepper.1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Loosely stuff the cavity with carrots, celery, onion quarters, fresh herbs, bay leaves orange and lemon quarters adding just as much as will comfortably fit. You will have leftovers.2 large carrots, 1 stalks celery, 1 large onions, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2 sprigs fresh sage, 1 orange, 1 lemon, 4 sprigs fresh parsley
Apply Herb Butter
- Working from the neck, lift the skin from the breasts and thighs, releasing the membrane that connects the skin. Stuff a few tablespoons of the compound butter under the skin on top of each breast. Use your fingers to smooth it out from the the top. Now add some of the butter mixture under the thigh and leg skin and anywhere else you can reach.
- Slather the remaining butter mixture all over the turkey.
- Loosely tie the legs together with butchers twine and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey and transfer to the rack of your roasting pan (if using).
- Add chicken stock (or water) and apple cider to the roasting pan (this will keep anything from burning as well as aid in keeping the turkey moist and flavorful).1 cup low sodium chicken stock, ½ cup apple cider
- Place the turkey in the preheated oven and roast the turkey until a thermometer inserted at least two inches in between the thigh and the breast reads 160°F (this takes approximately 12 to 15 minutes per pound). If you want to baste the turkey, you can baste once an hour with turkey stock, chicken stock or with the pan juices. (Be quick about it, as we don't want the oven temperature to reduce unnecessarily.)
- Check on the turkey occasionally to ensure the skin isn't getting too dark. If it is, simply tent with foil to stop the browning. I usually tent with foil about 90 minutes in.
- Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to a baking sheet and tent with foil (carry over cooking with cause the internal temperature to reach 165°F.) Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes (at least!) before carving. Serve immediately.
- Make sure to reserve any drippings and pan juices to make turkey gravy.
Video
Notes
Storage Information
See post above for FAQs, helpful graphics, information about thawing, carving, etc.
- Refrigerator: Once the turkey has cooled to room temperature, store it in an airtight container or tightly wrap it in plastic wrap or foil. Leftover turkey will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: For longer storage, freeze turkey in freezer-safe bags or containers. Be sure to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Leftover turkey can be frozen for up to 4 months. It’s a good idea to portion it out into smaller servings for easier use later. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
See post above for FAQs, helpful graphics, information about thawing, carving, etc.
Nutrition
Calories: 673kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 88g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 315mg | Sodium: 858mg | Potassium: 1014mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2655IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 4mg
