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A whole garlic butter turkey on a white platter surrounded by fresh citrus and herbs
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How Long to Thaw a Turkey + Best Turkey Recipe

My Roasted Turkey Recipe, complete with garlic herb butter and citrus stuffing, is the most beautiful turkey for Thanksgiving!
Course Dinner, Main, Thanksgiving
Cuisine American
Keyword how long does it take to thaw a turkey, how long to defrost turkey, how long to thaw a turkey, turkey thaw time
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings 10 (Depending on size of your turkey)
Calories 586kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 12-15 pound turkey If using a larger turkey, follow our cooking chart
  • Garlic butter (softened butter, garlic, parsley)
  • 1 Orange cut in half
  • 1 Lemon cut in half
  • 1 Onion cut in half
  • Several sprigs of fresh herbs such as sage, rosemary, thyme
  • 4 cups chicken broth 2 cups reserved for gravy

Turkey gravy

  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 Tablespoons flour

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 425°F with the rack in the lower third of the oven. Rinse and pat turkey dry with paper towels. Remove the neck and giblets, gravy packet, or any packages inside the cavities of the bird. Check the large cavity as well as the neck cavity. For the turkey seasoning, make our Herb Butter Rub (softened butter, garlic, parsley).
    Garlic butter, 12-15 pound turkey
    Garlic Butter in a white bowl
  • Carefully lift up the skin, separating it from the breast as much as you can (the back of a spoon works well for this). Season the turkey beneath the skin with garlic butter. Rub the outer skin all over with more garlic butter. Save some garlic butter if you like for buttering rolls, adding to vegetables, potatoes, or freezing.
    Rubbing garlic butter on and under skin of turkey for Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
  • Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, onion, and herbs.
    1 Orange, 1 Lemon, 1 Onion, Several sprigs of fresh herbs
    Turkey prepped and ready for over for Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
  • Tie the legs with cooking twine and transfer to a rack set inside a roasting pan. Tuck the wings underneath so they don’t burn. Pour 2 cups chicken broth into the roasting pan and transfer to the oven.
    4 cups chicken broth
    Up close turkey with the legs tied with twine
  • Roast the turkey for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. After the first hour of roasting, baste it every 30 minutes. Tent turkey with foil if the skin becomes deep golden brown before the turkey is cooked through. You can also cover only the parts that are browning too quickly if necessary.
    Basting a turkey as it cooks on a roasting pan
  • 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. The turkey will continue cooking and should reach 170°F while resting. Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
    Thanksgiving turkey roasted on a pan with a rack

Making turkey gravy

  • To make gravy from drippings, place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat (or transfer juices to the 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. Whisk the milk mixture into the gravy and simmer, stirring continuously until the gravy thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
    ½ cup milk, 2 Tablespoons flour, 4 cups chicken broth
    Thanksgiving turkey recipe on a white platter with herbs and citrus next to a gravy boat filled with turkey gravy

Notes

  • You can use a turkey breast in place of a whole turkey for this recipe if desired.
  • When carving the turkey, find the wishbone at the front center of the breast. Use your fingers to pull it out.
  • Slice the turkey breast against the grain. This will make a huge difference in how tender your slices of turkey are.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 85g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 282mg | Sodium: 793mg | Potassium: 1012mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 4mg