Easy, No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
3 hrs 30 mins
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Total Time
3 hrs 50 mins
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Servings
16
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Calories
576 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Easy, No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey
Description
The Easy, No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey recipe calls for a 1-pound turkey prepared with fresh herb butter consisting of rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper. Fresh herbs also fill the bird's cavity along with lemon, onion, and apple quarters, providing fragrant moisture during roasting. The turkey needs to be fully thawed ahead of cooking, allowing one day of thawing per five pounds, plus an extra day for safety.
Before roasting, the turkey is brought to room temperature for even cooking, and the oven rack should be adjusted to position the bird in the center of the oven set to 325°F. This moderate roasting temperature ensures thorough cooking while developing golden skin. Serving suggestions can vary, but the recipe's methods work for both conventional and convection ovens.
Additional tips include substituting dried herbs if fresh are unavailable, tenting the bird with foil once the skin is golden to avoid over-browning, and using chopped vegetables in the pan as a natural rack that also adds flavor to pan drippings for gravy. For smaller servings, a simpler turkey breast recipe is recommended.
I Made This!
1,537 people made thisSave this
7,783 people saved thisIngredients
- 1 pound turkey
- 1 onion , peeled and quartered
- 1 lemon , quartered
- 1 apple (your favorite kind), quartered
- .75 ounce container rosemary fresh
- .75 ounce container thyme fresh
- .75 ounce container sage fresh
For the herb butter:
- 1 cup butter softened, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 6-8 cloves garlic , minced
- fresh herbs chopped
Instructions
- If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. I like to give myself 1 extra day, just to be safe.
- Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.
- Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You’ll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)
- Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
- Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
- Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
- Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.
- Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn’t need to be completely melted--just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.
- Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees. I tent it with foil and let it rest on the counter then move it to a large cutting board inside a sheet pan to catch any extra turkey juices while carving.
- ***Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.
- Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/how-to-carve-a-turkey/
- Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.
Notes
- Allow 24 hours of thawing per 5 pounds of turkey plus an extra day for safety.
- Substitute 1 teaspoon dried herbs per tablespoon of fresh herbs when necessary.
- Tent the turkey with foil after the skin turns golden to prevent over-browning.
- Use roughly chopped celery and carrots under the bird as a natural roasting rack and flavor base for pan drippings.
- For smaller meals, consider using turkey breast instead of a whole bird.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 16Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 576 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 576kcal | 29% |
| Carbohydrates | 3g | 1% |
| Protein | 70g | 140% |
| Fat | 30g | 46% |
| Saturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Cholesterol | 264mg | 88% |
| Sodium | 518mg | 22% |
| Potassium | 765mg | 16% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 565IU | 11% |
| Vitamin C | 5.4mg | 6% |
| Calcium | 46mg | 5% |
| Iron | 2.9mg | 16% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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