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Oven Roasted Turkey
Juicy and tender oven roasted turkey that will be the star of the holiday table! Easy to prepare with fresh herbs and garlic butter for the best Thanksgiving turkey recipe.
Equipment
- Non-metallic container or roasting pan
Ingredients
- 12-15 pound turkey (I prefer Butterball or Norbest)
- 1 onion (quartered)
- 1 lemon (quartered)
- ½ cup softened herb butter (see notes)
- salt and pepper
Optional: Lemon slices and fresh herbs for topping
Instructions
- Thaw turkey. Thaw turkey (plan on about 4 days in the refrigerator or 8-10 hours in cold water).
- Prep, truss and tenderize turkey. Remove neck and giblets from body and neck cavities, discard. Place turkey breast side down in a roasting pan. Cross the legs and tie with baking twine if they aren't already tied. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Then sprinkle with a thin layer of salt. Let rest 30-60 minutes before preparing to bake.
- Rub with butter. Pat the turkey with paper towels to dry the turkey. Salt and pepper the inside of the cavity and then fill with 1 quartered onion, 1 quartered lemon and herbs. Create a pocket using the dowel of a spoon on the top and then rub 1/4 cup herb butter under the skin. Then rub the remaining 1/4 cup butter all over the top of the turkey.
- Preheat oven. Preheat oven to 325°F. Adjust rack if needed.
- Roast turkey. Place turkey with the legs down in a roasting pan. Bake for 2 1/2 hours (about 13-15 minutes per pound), or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Remove from the oven and tent with foil. The temperature will reach 165°F while resting.
- Rest, then slice. Let rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. Reserve any drippings to make turkey gravy. Slice the turkey and serve. Serve on platter with herbs and lemon slices if desired.
Notes
Butter: Want to take it up a notch? Rub about 1/4 cup garlic herb butter in between the meat and the skin before baking.
Turkey: If turkey is done ahead of time, cover with foil and then place towels over the foil to hold in the heat. Slice just before serving.
Carving: Check out this post for my tips on how to carve a turkey.
Turkey gravy: Use the drippings to make my favorite turkey gravy recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 345kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 52g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 174mg, Sodium: 271mg, Potassium: 560mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 135IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
