Easy Thanksgiving Turkey

Whole roast turkey on a platter garnished with fresh herbs, lemon and pomegranate arils.

from kristineskitchenblog.com

This easy Thanksgiving turkey recipe is the best roast turkey I've ever made. Rubbing the meat with herb butter before cooking makes it so flavorful and juicy! Be sure that the turkey is fully thawed before cooking, or it will not cook evenly. (See the note below the recipe about thawing a turkey.) You do not need to brine the turkey or baste it as it cooks.

Prep Time40

Cook Time4

Inactive Time1 30

Total Time6 10

Servings: -20 servings

Calories: 592kcal

Author: Kristine Rosenblatt

Ingredients

For the turkey:

12-20 pound whole turkey fully thawed
kosher salt and black pepper
1 yellow onion peeled and quartered
½ whole head garlic halved crosswise
1 lemon quartered
a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary

Herb Butter:

1 cup unsalted butter fully softened
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons lemon zest (save the rest of the lemon for the cavity)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Let thawed turkey come to room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour before roasting. This helps to promote even cooking.
Adjust oven racks so that the turkey will fit in the center of the oven (you do not want the top of the turkey to be too near the top of the oven). Preheat oven to 325° F.
Make herb butter: In a medium bowl, stir together the softened butter, minced garlic, lemon zest (save the rest of the lemon for the cavity), chopped fresh thyme, chopped fresh rosemary, salt and pepper.
Place turkey on a rimmed baking sheet or in a disposable roasting pan (to catch any juices) and remove it from the packaging. Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the cavity. (Check both the big cavity and the smaller neck cavity to make sure you remove everything. The bag of giblets is often in the neck cavity.)
Pat turkey dry with paper towels, including inside the cavity. Generously season the cavity with salt and pepper. Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin from the breasts (be careful not to tear it) so that you will be able to rub some of the herb butter underneath. Tuck the wings underneath the turkey.
Place the quartered onion, ½ head of garlic, quartered lemon and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme in the cavity. If your turkey is on the smaller side, you may not fit all of the onion and lemon, just put what fits without overstuffing the cavity.
Put a generous amount of the herb butter under the skin on each of the turkey breasts. Rub your fingers over the skin of the breasts to spread the butter around. Then rub the rest of the herb butter all over the outside of the turkey.
Use kitchen twine to tie the legs of the turkey together, close to the body of the turkey.
Place turkey on a rack set inside a large roasting pan, breast side up. (See the note below for instructions on using a roasting pan without a rack, such as a disposable roasting pan.)
Bake turkey at 325° F for 13-15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature of the breast and thigh reaches 165°F. Begin checking on the turkey an hour before you expect it to be done; you don't want to overcook it or it will dry out. If the skin is browning too much as the turkey cooks, cover the top of the turkey loosely with foil.
The turkey is done when an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast and thigh not touching bone registers 165°F.
Let the turkey rest for 30-45 minutes before carving and serving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat for a juicy turkey. You can cover it with foil to keep it warm while it rests. (During this time I like to bake our side dishes in the oven and make the turkey gravy.) Find instructions for carving the turkey in the post above.
Save the juices from the pan to make turkey gravy.

Video

Notes

Thawing a frozen turkey: The safest way to thaw a frozen turkey is to let it thaw in the refrigerator. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet or in a disposable roasting pan to catch any juices that are released as it thaws. Allow 24 hours for every 4 pounds of turkey. For example, a 16 pound frozen turkey will take about 4 days to thaw in the fridge. I always allow an extra day to be on the safe side.
Disposable roasting pan: If you do not have a roasting pan with a rack, you'll want to put a layer of vegetables in the bottom of the roasting pan for the turkey to rest on as it cooks. I suggest using 1 sliced yellow onion, 3 coarsely chopped ribs celery and 3 coarsely chopped carrots.
How much turkey per person: I recommend planning on 1.5 pounds of turkey per person. This way, you should have some leftovers.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.