Be a rock star this year on Thanksgiving by presenting your family and friends with this juicy, golden brown roast turkey. Serve it alongside sour cream mashed potatoes, pomegranate brussels sprouts, homemade cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and honey roasted carrots for a complete meal that will earn you rave reviews. It’s almost time for Thanksgiving, and for me, cooking turkey can be a source of stress. I want my turkey to be golden brown, juicy and perfectly cooked, and that’s a lot of pressure when you’re juggling a bunch of other side dish recipes, desserts and appetizers at the same time! This roast turkey is a super simple way to do a Thanksgiving turkey and it always comes out perfectly for me.
Roast Turkey Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need a turkey, lemon, onion, rosemary, garlic, butter, salt, black pepper, and chicken broth or turkey broth.
How Do You Make A Roast Turkey?
The first step is to season your turkey. In this case, we’re stuffing the inside cavity of the turkey with aromatics like onion, herbs and lemon. Be sure to fold the wings of the turkey under the body. Place butter, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix until well combined. Spread the butter mixture all over the turkey, including under the skin, then add more salt and pepper to taste on the exterior of the turkey. Tie the drumsticks together, then place the turkey on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Bake at a higher temperature until the turkey starts to brown, then lower the oven temperature. Roast the turkey, basting it every 30 minutes with broth, until it is cooked through. Let the turkey rest, then carve and serve along with pan juices or use the drippings to make turkey gravy.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
You do not have to brine a turkey to get a juicy and flavorful bird. That being said, a brine does help prevent a turkey from drying out by adding moisture, and it also adds a lot of flavor in the process. If you’d like to brine your bird before proceeding with this roast turkey, you can use my favorite turkey brine recipe. More questions about brining? Check out my complete guide on how to brine a turkey! It’s very important to use a meat thermometer to ensure that your turkey is cooked to the proper temperature. This also helps to prevent your bird from drying out in the oven, since you won’t accidentally overcook it. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels before you apply the butter for the crispiest skin. I buy a fresh turkey whenever possible, but I know sometimes that isn’t always economical or practical. If you have a frozen turkey, the best way to thaw it is in the refrigerator, but you do need to plan in advance. Typically you’ll need to thaw in the fridge for one day per 4 pounds of turkey. I had a 12 pound turkey and it took a full 3 days for it to thaw.
How To use Turkey Leftovers
Got leftover turkey? That’s a very common occurrence and I find that sometimes the leftovers taste even better the second day. I’ve compiled a list of Leftover Turkey Recipes so that you have plenty of ways to repurpose your bird.
remove the neck from the turkey cavity tie the legs together with oven safe kitchen twine (do this after you’ve stuffed the cavity!) fold the ends of the turkey wings under your bird remove the bag of giblets
Flavor Variations
While this recipe is delicious as-is, you can easily customize the flavors to your taste.
Stuffing: Fill your bird’s cavity with other ingredients such as celery, orange, shallots, thyme, sage or parsley. Flavorings: You can add other seasonings to the butter such as Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, Creole seasoning or turkey rub. Protein: This recipe will also work with a whole turkey breast or whole chicken. You will just need to adjust the cooking time accordingly, or use a thermometer to skip the guesswork!
Everyone will be so impressed when you serve up this beautiful and delicious roast turkey on Thanksgiving Day!
Roast Turkey Video
