Description
A classic Thanksgiving turkey recipe featuring a flavorful herb butter rub, roasted to juicy perfection. This recipe guides you through thawing, seasoning, and roasting your turkey with fresh herbs and seasonal aromatics for a delicious holiday centerpiece.
Ingredients
Scale
Turkey and Aromatics
- 1 20 pound turkey
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 apple (your favorite kind), quartered
- 0.75 ounce container fresh rosemary
- 0.75 ounce container fresh thyme
- 0.75 ounce container fresh sage
Herb Butter
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 0.5 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
Instructions
- Thaw the Turkey: If the turkey is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours per 5 pounds of turkey plus an extra day for safety.
- Bring to Room Temperature: Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting so it can come to room temperature.
- Prepare Oven and Rack: Adjust your oven rack so the turkey sits in the center and preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make Herb Butter: Combine the softened butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon each of chopped rosemary and thyme, and 0.5 tablespoon of chopped sage.
- Prep Turkey: Remove turkey from packaging, discard or reserve neck and giblets. Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
- Season Cavity and Stuff: Season the inside of the turkey cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff it with quartered lemon, onion, apple, and leftover herbs.
- Apply Herb Butter under Skin: Loosen skin on the breasts and smooth a few tablespoons of herb butter underneath the skin.
- Tuck Wings and Place Turkey: Tuck the wings underneath the bird and place it on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan.
- Brush Remaining Herb Butter: Microwave remaining herb butter for 30 seconds to soften, then brush all over the outside of the turkey, including legs and wings.
- Roast Turkey: Roast at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes per pound until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in the thigh and breast.
- Tent with Foil if Needed: When skin turns golden brown during roasting, tent turkey with foil to prevent overcooking of breast meat. Remove foil in the last hour to brown if desired.
- Rest Turkey: After roasting, tent the turkey with foil and let it rest at room temperature before carving.
Notes
- If cooking for fewer people or preferring white meat only, try a turkey breast recipe instead.
- To substitute dried herbs for fresh, use 1 teaspoon dried herbs for each tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs.
- Start roasting turkey uncovered; once the skin is golden, tent with foil or use a roasting pan lid to protect the breast meat.
- If using a disposable roasting pan, place chopped celery and carrots under the turkey to act as a rack and to add flavor for drippings used in gravy.
- Cooking directions are the same for electric roasting ovens.
- In convection ovens, turkey cooks faster; check temperature starting after 2 hours.
- For quicker cooking, consider spatchcocking the turkey, which removes the backbone and cooks the bird flat in half the time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 576 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 42 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 25 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 43 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg
