Tender, juicy, and intensely flavorful, this is the only Thanksgiving turkey recipe you will ever need! Citrus, herbs, and a hearty slathering of garlic butter make this the best Thanksgiving turkey recipe around. You will look forward to serving this juicy turkey every year, and friends and family alike will be asking you for the recipe!
This turkey recipe is so easy to follow. You will have a moist and juicy turkey that is packed with delicious flavors. Try it, we promise it will be the best turkey recipe you will ever make. Once you make this recipe, you will make it more often than just one time a year.
We are going to show you step by step how easy it is to prepare a full Thanksgiving dinner. From defrosting the turkey, to preparing the perfect turkey, to slicing the turkey. We have your Thanksgiving side dishes covered and easy Thanksgiving desserts ready for you to try!
Roasting a turkey seems intimidating if you have never done it before (or even if you do it every year!), but by following these easy step-by-step instructions on how to cook the perfect turkey, you’re guaranteed to serve the best Thanksgiving turkey on the block.
Our Thanksgiving turkey recipe is straightforward, with no need for a brine, no frying, and only the simplest, easiest-to-find ingredients. Following this guide, you will have a moist and flavorful turkey with a delicious, crispy brown skin. This is truly the envy of other turkey recipes!
Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Ingredients
Here is EVERYTHING you will need to make your roasted turkey, from basic equipment to ingredients! This is an easy-to-follow Thanksgiving turkey recipe using simple ingredients.
- Equipment: You’ll need a roasting pan with a rack (large enough to comfortably hold your turkey), baking twine, and a turkey baster (optional) to douse the turkey with those yummy juices every 30 minutes.
- The Meat: We recommend a 12-20 pound whole turkey, but you can also use a turkey breast instead of the whole bird.
- Garlic Butter: Delicious, garlicky butter for slathering over the turkey for the perfect crispy skin. Check out our quick and easy Garlic Butter recipe!
- Citrus: We love citrus flavors with turkey, so we use oranges and lemons for our recipe.
- Onion: You will need one onion, halved.
- Herbs: You’ll need several sprigs of your favorite fresh herbs, like sage, rosemary, and thyme.
- Baking Twine: Available at most grocery stores.
- Gravy Ingredients: You’ll need chicken broth, whole milk, and flour.
How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey
Here’s our guide on how to roast a Thanksgiving turkey! You will need to prep the turkey for roasting, season the turkey, cook it and, finally, make the gravy. Each step is straightforward and easy, and you are guaranteed the best Thanksgiving turkey recipe ever.
How to Prep a Turkey for Roasting
- To begin, you’ll need to preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Rinse and pat turkey dry with paper towels. Remove neck and giblets, gravy packet, or any packages inside the cavities of the bird. Check large cavity as well as neck cavity.
How to Season a Turkey for Thanksgiving
- For seasoning your bird you will need to make Garlic Butter. It’s just 3 ingredients – check the link in the ingredients above to our garlic herb butter recipe!
- Carefully lift up the skin, separating from breast as much as you can (the back of a spoon works well for this), and season underneath with our garlic butter recipe. Rub the outer skin all over with more garlic butter. You don’t have to use it all; the leftover butter is perfect for buttering rolls or on vegetables or potatoes. You can also freeze the extra!
- Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, onion, and herbs.
- Tie the legs with cooking twine and transfer the turkey to a rack set inside a roasting pan. Tuck wings underneath so they don’t burn.
- Pour 2 cups of chicken broth into the roasting pan and transfer to the oven.
How to Cook a Turkey
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- After the first hour of roasting, baste the turkey every 30 minutes. Tent the turkey with foil if the skin becomes a deep golden brown before the turkey is cooked. You can also just cover the parts that are getting too brown.
- Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh joint registers 160°F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a carving board.
- Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Turkey Cook Time
- If roasting a 12-pound bird, check the temperature after 1½ hours.
- A 15-pounder should take 2½ to 3 hours
- A 20-pounder 4½ to 5.
How to Defrost a Turkey
How to thaw a turkey in the refrigerator
- We recommend placing the turkey in a large roasting pan. This will catch any juices that may leak from the turkey. You can also use a large baking dish.
- Place the turkey to the refrigerator: Make sure there is nothing touching the turkey. Give that bird some space so it has room to thaw.
- Thaw the turkey in the refrigerator: Total thawing time will depend on the size of your turkey.
- Turkey Refrigerator Thawing Times: Allow about 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey.
- 4 to 12-pound turkey: 1 to 3 days.
- 12 to 16 pound turkey: 3 to 4 days.
- 16 to 20-pound turkey: 4 to 5 days.
- 20- to 24-pound turkey: 5 to 6 days.
How to Quick Thaw a Turkey
- Place your turkey in a large plastic bag: This will protect your turkey from the water.
- Place the turkey in a large pot: Make sure the turkey completely fits inside the pot. A large bucket will also work.
- Fill the pot with cold water. Do not use warm water, only cold water.
- Change the water every hour.
- Continue until the turkey is thawed.
- Allow about 30 minutes for every pound of turkey
- 4 to 12 pound turkey: 2 to 6 hours
- 12 to 16 pound turkey: 6 to 8 hours
- 16- to 20-pound turkey: 8 to 10 hours
- 20- to 24-pound turkey: 10 to 12 hours
How to Make Turkey Gravy
To make turkey gravy from drippings, place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat (or transfer juices to sauce pan if you prefer).
Add 2 cups of the remaining broth to the pan drippings and bring to a simmer. Skim off all but 1-2 tablespoons of the fat, depending on the size of your bird.
Combine the milk and flour in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
Whisk the milk mixture into the gravy and simmer, whisking continuously, until the gravy thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
At this point, you can carve the turkey and serve it. Or, make it the star of the show by placing it in the middle of your table on a platter and garnishing the platter with some of the ingredients you used: citrus fruits sliced, whole, and halved, and sprigs of fresh herbs.
How to Carve a Turkey
What You Need to Carve a Turkey the Easy Way
- Cutting board
- Slicing knife
- Paper towels
- Platter
- Cutting board
- Tongs
How to Carve a Turkey Like a Pro
Place the turkey on a cutting board.
- Remove the string using your knife
- Remove the turkey legs
You will cut through the area that connects the breast and the drumstick. Use your knife to slice down until you reach the joint. Using a paper towel, grab the leg and push down. This will separate the leg and thigh from the bird. Use your knife to slice through the joint. - Remove the drumsticks
Separate the drumstick and the thigh by cutting through the joint area connecting them. Place the drumstick on a platter. Set aside the thigh meat to slice later. Repeat step 2 and step 3 with the other leg. - Remove the wishbone
Find the wishbone at the front center of the breast. Use your fingers to pull it out.
Recipe Tip: We highly recommend this step, as removing the wishbone makes it easier to carve the breast meat. - Remove turkey breast
Find the breastbone. Place your knife on one side of it, and slice down close to the bone. As you are slicing, use your other hand to pull the meat from the breastbone. This will help you take the breast in one piece. Set aside the whole breast to slice later. - Remove the wings
Using your knife, slice through the joint to remove a wing. Place the wings on the platter. Repeat step 5 and step 6 on the other side of the turkey. - Slice the thigh
Hold the thigh bone with tongs or a paper towel and remove the meat from the bone with your knife. Place the meat on the platter. - Slice the breast
Use the tongs to hold the breast in place, place the meat on the cutting board so you can cut it at a shorter length.
Recipe Tip: Slice the turkey breast against the grain. Trust us, this will make a huge difference. Make keep the skin attached. Place the breast slices on a platter. - Arrange and garnish with additional oranges, sage leaves, etc. Enjoy!
This is all you need to carve a turkey the easy way!
How long is leftover turkey good for?
Leftover turkey can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. Go ahead and put your leftovers in the fridge as soon as possible once you’re finished with your meal to keep them fresh and safe for consumption.
What to Do with Leftover Turkey
Wondering what to make with leftover turkey? There are so many options! You can use it for turkey sliders on Hawaiian rolls, or layer it in a casserole with more leftovers like mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, or even use it on a salad. Here are some of our favorite leftover turkey ideas:
- Turkey Tetrazzini (which is like a leftover turkey casserole)
- Turkey Sliders Recipe
- Broccoli Apple Salad
- Leftover Turkey Sandwich (with a blue cheese spread, caramelized onions, cranberry and arugula)
Our Favorite Stuffing Recipes for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
- Baked Cream Corn Casserole
- Popover Recipe
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
- Smashed Brussels Sprouts
- Gluten Free Au Gratin Potatoes
- Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
- Green Bean Almondine
- Marmalade Glazed Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Vegetables with Cheese Sauce
- Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese Casserole
Easy Thanksgiving Desserts
- Ina Garten Apple Crisp
- Apple Dump Cake
- Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Crunch Recipe
- Starbucks Pumpkin Bread
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This recipe is the best Thanksgiving turkey and we know your family is going to love it! Let us know how you like your turkey in the comments below and with a rating. We love to hear from you!
Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Equipment
- Roasting Pan with Rack (large enough for your turkey)
- Baking Twine
- Turkey Baster (optional)
Ingredients
- 12-20 lb turkey
- Garlic butter see notes, divided
- 1 Orange halved
- 1 Lemon halved
- 1 Onion halved
- Several sprigs of fresh herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme
- Baking twine
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Rinse and pat turkey dry with paper towels. Remove neck and giblets, gravy packet, or any packages inside the cavities of the bird. Check large cavity as well as neck cavity.
- Carefully lift up skin, separating from breast as much as you can, and season underneath with garlic butter recipe. Rub the outer skin all over with more garlic butter. You don’t have to use it all and the leftover butter can be used to butter rolls or on vegetables or potatoes. You can also freeze the extra.
- Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, onion, and herbs.
- Tie the legs with twine and transfer the turkey to a rack set inside a roasting pan. Tuck wings underneath so they don’t burn.
- Pour 2 cups of chicken broth into the roasting pan and transfer to the oven.
- Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- After the first hour of roasting, baste the turkey every 30 minutes. Tent the turkey with foil if the skin becomes a deep golden brown before the turkey is cooked. You can also just cover the parts that are getting too brown.
- Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh joint registers 160°F.
- If roasting a 12-pound bird, check the temperature after 1½ hours. A 15-pounder should take 2½ to 3 hours and a 20-pounder 4½ to 5.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a carving board.
- Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat (or transfer juices to sauce pan if you prefer).
- Add 2 cups of the remaining broth to the pan drippings and bring to a simmer. Skim off all but 1-2 tbsp of the fat, depending on the size of your bird.
- Combine the milk and flour in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
- Whisk the milk mixture into the gravy and simmer, whisking continuously, until the gravy thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Carve the turkey and serve with gravy.
Notes
- Turkey Breast: You can use a turkey breast in place of a whole turkey for this recipe.
- Garlic Butter: This recipe calls for our garlic butter recipe.
- Carving Turkey: When carving the turkey, find the wishbone at the front center of the breast. Use your fingers to pull it out.
- Slicing Turkey: Slice the turkey breast against the grain. Trust us, this will make a huge difference.
Nutrition
This post was updated on October 10, 2019.
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