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    Home » Recipes » Seasonal Recipes » Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

    Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

    Published: Sep 12, 2023 Modified: Nov 24, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

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    Tender, juicy, and intensely flavorful: this is the easiest and Best Thanksgiving Turkey recipe you will ever make! Citrus, herbs, and a hearty slathering of garlic butter make this the best no-brine recipe around.

    I’m excited to show you how to make the easiest, most delicious roasted turkey recipe! All your friends and family will want you to host Thanksgiving every year.

    whole thanksgiving turkey up close on a platter with orange wedges
    Jump to:
    • Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
    • Thanksgiving Turkey Ingredients
    • Turkey Recipe (Step-by-Step)
    • Easy Turkey Recipes Tips
    • Turkey Temperature Chart
    • Thanksgiving Turkey FAQs
    • How to Make Turkey Gravy
    • How to Carve a Turkey
    • How to Thaw a Turkey
    • Turkey Thawing Time
    • Turkey Recipes
    • Turkey Stuffing Recipes
    • What to Do with Leftover Turkey
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

    Every time I make this roasted garlic butter turkey, I get asked for the recipe. And every time, I am happy to admit how easy it is! It’s the easiest oven-roasted turkey but is packed with flavor from herb-filled garlic butter sauce, citrus, and onion.

    What I love most about this dish is that it’s a no-brine recipe. Roasting the perfect bird may seem intimidating, but following my easy step-by-step instructions on how to cook a turkey, you’re guaranteed to serve the best dinner on the block.

    Even if you’ve never roasted a turkey before, you will be able to make this easy Thanksgiving turkey. Give it a try, and enjoy how amazing your house will smell as it cooks!

    Tried this today and it turned out great! This is my go to turkey recipe from now on.

    Melanie on Pinterest
    a turkey leg on a cutting board

    Thanksgiving Turkey Ingredients

    • 12-15 lb turkey
    • Garlic butter
    • Orange, halved
    • Lemon, halved
    • Onion, halved
    • Several sprigs of fresh herbs, like sage, rosemary, and thyme
    • Baking twine
    • Chicken broth
    • Milk
    • Flour
    • Salt and pepper, to taste
    thanksgiving turkey ingredients with labels

    Turkey Recipe (Step-by-Step)

    1. Preheat your oven to 425°F with the rack in the lower third of the oven. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels (do not rinse).
    2. Remove neck and giblets, gravy packets, or any packages inside the cavities of the bird. Check the large cavity of the turkey as well as the neck cavity.
    3. For the turkey seasoning, you will need to make my Garlic Butter, butter mixture. It’s just 3 ingredients and takes only a few minutes to mix together!
      garlic butter ingredients in a bowl
    4. Carefully lift up the skin, separating it from the breast as much as you can. The back of a spoon works well for this.
      rubbing garlic butter under the turkey skin
    5. Season underneath with garlic butter. Rub the outer skin all over with more garlic butter.
      rubbing garlic butter on turkey in a baking pan
    6. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, onion, and herbs.
      stuffing the turkey with citrus
    7. Tie the legs with cooking twine and transfer them to a rack set inside a roasting pan. Tuck the wings underneath so they don’t burn â€“ this is important!
      tying the turkey legs with twine
    8. Pour 2 cups of chicken broth into the roasting pan and transfer to the oven.
      stock poured into the baking dish underneath turkey before baking
    9. Roast the turkey for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
    10. After the first hour of roasting the turkey, baste it every 30 minutes. Tent the turkey with foil if the skin becomes deep golden brown before the turkey is cooked through. 
      basting the turkey in the oven
    11. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh joint registers 175°F and 165°F when inserted into the breast (always test both).
      taking the internal temperature of turkey
    12. Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a carving board. Allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes, and it should reach the proper internal temperature of 180°F in the thigh and 170°F in the breast. Do this before carving the turkey. Serve with turkey gravy!
      pouring gravy over the sliced turkey

    Easy Turkey Recipes Tips

    • Do not wash the turkey. Everyone thinks you need to wash your turkey, but that is not correct. Any bacteria on the turkey will get killed while baking, and you can spread bacteria if you wash it.
    • Do not cook stuffing in the bird. I always recommend cooking the stuffing separately. You do not want to risk serving under-cooked stuffing! Stuffing the bird also slows down the cooking process, making it harder to cook it to the perfect temperature.
    • Use a roasting pan with a rack, and fill the pan with broth. This serves two purposes: keeping the turkey moist as it cooks, and collecting the drippings to use for turkey gravy.
    • Save those drippings! Trust me, you will want them for homemade turkey gravy. They make a world of difference!
    • Save the bones! You can make an awesome turkey carcass soup with them, or turkey stock.
    • Use a meat thermometer. See my guide to Turkey Temperature for best results. The perfect temperature will read 180°F inserted into the thigh and 170°F inserted into the breast. Always insert it in both spots to test.
    • Try my Butter Injection for Turkey or my Turkey Rub. They are amazing!
    whole thanksgiving turkey on a platter with orange wedges and greens

    Turkey Temperature Chart

    The perfect temperature will read 180°F on the thigh and 170°F on the breast. You can follow my guide to the perfect turkey temperature.

    Turkey WeightPeople FedRoasting Time
    10-18 poundsfeeds less than 10 peopleroast for 3-3.5 hours at 350°F (unstuffed)
    18-22 poundsfeeds 10 to 15 peopleroast for 3.5-4 hours at 350°F (unstuffed)
    22-24 poundsfeeds 16 to 20 peopleroast for 4-4.5 hours at 350°F (unstuffed)
    24-29 poundsfeeds more than 20 peopleroast for 4.5-5 hours at 350°F (unstuffed)

    I always recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure you cook your turkey to the right temperature. Always insert it in both the breast and the thigh area. It should be inserted close to, but not touching, the thigh bone.

    chart showing cook times and serving size for different turkeys by pound

    Thanksgiving Turkey FAQs

    How many pounds of turkey should I buy?

    You will need approximately 1½ lbs. per person. I like to add up how many people and tack on a few extra pounds to account for the bones. This will give you your weight with leftovers to spare.

    What temperature do you cook a turkey?

    The perfect temperature to cook a turkey is 350° F. Although, I am a bit of a rebel and I like super crispy skin. So I always start off my turkey at 425° F and then lower the temp to 350° F.

    How long can I keep leftover turkey?

    You can store leftovers 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!

    slicing turkey with a carving knife

    How to Make Turkey Gravy

    At this point, you can carve the bird and serve it with gravy. Follow my step-by-step instructions on how to make the perfect turkey gravy recipe!

    How to Carve a Turkey

    1. Place on a cutting board. Remove the twine around the legs using your knife.
    2. Remove the legs by cutting through the area that connects the breast and the drumstick. Use your knife to slice down until you reach the joint. Then, using a paper towel, grab the leg and push it down. This will separate the leg and thigh from the bird. Use your knife to slice through the joint.
    3. Remove the drumstick by separating 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.
    4. Find the wishbone at the front center of the breast. Use your fingers to pull it out. Removing the wishbone makes it easier to carve the breast meat, so don’t skip this step.
    5. Find the breastbone and 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.
    6. Using your knife, slice through the joint to remove a wing. Place the wings on the platter.
    7. 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.
    8. Use tongs to hold the breast in place, then place the meat on the cutting board so you can cut it at a shorter length. Slice the breast against the grain. Trust us, this will make a huge difference. Make sure to keep the skin attached. Place the slices on a platter.
    pouring gravy over slices of thanksgiving turkey

    How to Thaw a Turkey

    For three different methods and tips on thawing the turkey in time for Thanksgiving, take a look at my guide on How to Thaw Turkey!

    Turkey Thawing Time

    Turkey WeightDays to Thaw in RefrigeratorTime to Thaw in Cold Water
    6-11 pounds2 days3 to 5½ hours
    12-15 pounds3 days6 to 7½ hours
    16-20 pounds4 days8 to 10 hours
    21-24 pounds5 days10½ to 12 hours

    For a turkey less than 6 pounds, thaw for 1 day.

    Note: it is extremely important to thaw your turkey safely. Never, ever thaw your turkey on the counter!

    Turkey Recipes

    • Boneless Turkey Roast
    • Air Fryer Turkey Breast
    • Sous Vide Turkey Breast
    • Grilled Turkey Recipe
    • Instant Pot Turkey Breast
    • Smoked Turkey Recipe
    • Spatchcock Turkey
    • Deep Fried Turkey

    Turkey Stuffing Recipes

    • Chorizo Stuffing – all I can say is this stuff is amazing!
    • Gluten free Stuffing
    • Instant Pot Stuffing

    Give my Popular Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes a try for even more ideas!

    What to Do with Leftover Turkey

    • Turkey Tetrazzini
    • Turkey Sliders
    • Turkey Carcass Soup is the best turkey noodle soup!
    • Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole
    • Turkey Stock

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    📋 Recipe

    whole thanksgiving turkey on a platter with orange wedges and greens

    Best Thanksgiving Turkey (Simple Steps)

    Isabel Laessig
    Tender and juicy, with herby citrus flavors and covered in garlic butter, this is truly the Best Turkey Recipe!
    4.81 from 21 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 3 hours hrs
    Resting Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Course Dinner, Main, Thanksgiving
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 (Depending on size of your turkey)
    Calories 586 kcal

    Equipment

    • Roasting Pan with Rack (large enough for your turkey)
    • Baking Twine
    • Turkey Baster (optional)

    Ingredients
      

    • 12-15 lb turkey If using a larger turkey, use our cooking chart
    • Garlic butter
    • 1 Orange halved
    • 1 Lemon halved
    • 1 Onion halved
    • Several sprigs of fresh herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme
    • Baking twine
    • 4 cups chicken broth

    Garlic Butter

    • 2 sticks salted butter at room temperature
    • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed
    • 4 Tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped; or 2 teaspoons dried parsley

    For Gravy

    • 2 Tablespoons flour
    • ½ cup milk
    Cooking Conversions

    See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!

    Instructions
     

    How to Prepare Turkey for Cooking

    • Make sure your turkey is fully thawed. See: how to thaw turkey.
    • Remove the turkey from the packaging.
    • Remove the neck and giblets and discard or store and save for gravy or stock. The neck is typically found in the large cavity of the turkey and the giblets are usually found in a bag in the small (neck) cavity. Sometimes, gravy packets will be stored here, too. Remove any packets in the cavities.
    • Pat the turkey fully dry with clean paper towels. Do NOT rinse.

    How to Roast Turkey

    • Preheat oven to 425°F with the rack in the lower third of the oven.
    • Mix garlic butter by combining softened unsalted butter, parsley, and minced fresh garlic.
      2 sticks salted butter, 4 Tablespoons fresh parsley, 4 cloves garlic
    • Carefully lift the skin of the turkey, separating it from the breast as much as possible. This is easiest using the back of a spoon. Season underneath the skin with the garlic butter, then rub the outside of the skin all over with more garlic butter to coat the entire bird.
      Garlic butter, 12-15 lb turkey
    • Stuff the large cavity with a halved orange, half a lemon, a halved onion, and fresh herbs. Tie the legs together with baking twine.
      1 Orange, 1 Lemon, 1 Onion, Several sprigs of fresh herbs, Baking twine
    • Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan with a rack. Tuck the wings underneath the bird to prevent them from burning. Then, pour chicken broth into the roasting pan.
      4 cups chicken broth
    • Add the turkey to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F. Roast for 1 hour.
    • After 1 hour, begin basting the turkey every 30 minutes. If you find the skin is browning more quickly than the bird can cook, tent the turkey with foil.
    • Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh joint registers 175°F and 165°F when inserted into the breast (always test both).
    • Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a carving board. Allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes, and it should reach the proper internal temperature of 180°F in the thigh and 170°F in the breast.
    • Remove the stuffing and discard. Carve and serve after resting, and enjoy!

    Making Turkey Gravy

    • To make gravy from drippings, place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat (or transfer juices to a saucepan 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 milk and flour in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
      2 Tablespoons flour, ½ cup milk
    • Whisk the milk mixture into the gravy and simmer, stirring continuously until the gravy thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Turkey Breast: You can use a turkey breast in place of a whole turkey for this recipe.
    2. Garlic Butter: Trust us, once you try this garlic butter spread on your turkey, you will never go back to traditional roasting. It makes the juiciest turkey you will ever try. 
    3. Carving Turkey: When carving the turkey, find the wishbone at the front center of the breast. Use your fingers to pull it out.
    4. Slicing Turkey: Slice the turkey breast against the grain. Trust us, this will make a huge difference.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 586kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 85gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 282mgSodium: 793mgPotassium: 1012mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 305IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword best thanksgiving turkey recipe, thanksgiving turkey, thanksgiving turkey recipe, turkey recipe
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    Isabel, AKA Family Foodie

    About Isabel Laessig

    Hi! I’m Isabel Laessig, also known as Family Foodie, creator of Sunday Supper Movement and author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook. Sunday Supper is my mission to bring family back around the dinner table. Join me in making family meal-time a tradition to celebrate!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Audrey says

      November 25, 2021 at 12:01 pm

      Would like to know if I’m roasting the turkey covered or uncovered?

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        November 30, 2021 at 11:57 am

        Hi Audrey! You do not cover the turkey unless you have to. You should tent the turkey with foil if the skin becomes deep golden brown before the turkey is cooked through. You can also cover just the parts that are browning too quickly. Thank you for asking!

        Reply
    2. zoe says

      November 26, 2021 at 8:54 am

      5 stars
      when i got a turkey from my workplace, i had no idea what i was going to do with it. i’m not a huge fan of turkey and every time someone has served it for me in thanksgiving it’s been painfully dry. not this turkey, though! easily the best turkey i’ve ever had! it was juicy and flavorful and smelled incredible the whole time we cooked it. i ended up quartering the lemon, orange, and onion so they’d release more flavor and it definitely paid off!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        November 26, 2021 at 2:00 pm

        Zoe, that is awesome! Thank you so much for trying our recipe and for leaving a review. We’re very glad you had a different, enjoyable experience with your turkey this time around! Thank you so much!

        Reply

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