Juicy Oven Roasted Turkey

User Reviews

4.6

108 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    30 mins

  • Cook Time

    4 hrs 20 mins

  • Additional Time

    30 mins

  • Total Time

    5 hrs 20 mins

  • Servings

    12

  • Calories

    234 kcal

  • Course

    Main Course

  • Cuisine

    American

Juicy Oven Roasted Turkey

This Juicy Oven Roasted Turkey recipe involves seasoning softened butter with a blend of fresh herbs and spices, then rubbing it beneath the turkey skin before roasting. The cavity is filled with aromatic herbs, citrus, and garlic to infuse flavor. Roasting at 325°F ensures even cooking, yielding tender, flavorful meat with aromatic notes from the herbal and citrus stuffing.

Description

The preparation starts by preheating the oven to 325°F and placing a thawed whole turkey in a deep roasting pan, optionally layered over sliced vegetables to prevent burning in disposable pans. The giblets and neck are removed from the cavity. The turkey’s skin is carefully separated from the meat, and any loose skin trimmed. The softened butter is mixed with kosher salt, black pepper, and a fresh herb blend including parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, and sage for seasoning.

This herb butter is gently rubbed between the skin and meat to flavor the bird internally and help retain moisture. The cavity is stuffed with halved garlic, quartered lemon and orange, fresh rosemary, parsley, sage, oregano sprigs, and bay leaves. The wings are tucked under for stability. Roasting at 325°F should be monitored as the temperature and oven type affect cooking time and skin color.

The method promotes a juicy, herbaceous roasted turkey with fragrant citrus undertones. The use of fresh herbs in both the butter rub and the cavity stuffing enhances aromatic complexity. The recipe notes caution that convection oven settings will cook the bird faster and may brown it sooner, requiring attention during cooking.

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Ingredients

Servings

For Rubbing In Between the Turkey Skin and Meat

  • 1 whole turkey thawed, giblets and neck removed
  • 12 ounces butter softened, unsalted
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper freshly ground
  • 2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped, fresh
  • 2 tablespoons thyme finely chopped, fresh
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary finely chopped, fresh
  • 1 tablespoon oregano finely chopped, fresh
  • 1 tablespoon sage finely chopped, fresh

For Stuffing Inside the Turkey Cavity

  • 1 garlic cut in half to expose the cloves, small head
  • 1 lemon quartered
  • 1 orange quartered, or blood orange
  • 1 rosemary fresh sprig
  • ½ cup parsley fresh sprigs
  • 1 sage fresh sprig
  • 1 oregano fresh, sprig
  • 5 bay leaves fresh or dried

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325F* (See Notes). Place the thawed turkey into a large baking dish (disposable or otherwise) with deep sides. Tip - If you are going the disposable pan route, I recommend placing a layer of vegetables such as thinly-sliced carrots and potatoes underneath the turkey to prevent burning on the bottom since disposable pans are so much thinner than an actual roasting pan.
  2. Remove the giblets and neck (both found inside the cavity) and discard (you could keep the giblets for gravy-making but I don't and in my gravy recipe aren't necessary).
  3. Tuck the wings underneath the turkey to help stabilize it, cut off any excess skin that is loose and just hanging, and pat dry with paper towels; set aside.

For Rubbing In Between the Turkey Skin and Meat:

  1. Place the softened butter into a medium-sized bowl. Add the salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.
  2. Using your hands, very carefully separate the skin from the breast meat. Work your hand all the way down to the legs and thighs, separating the skin as you go. 
  3. Reserve about one-third of this butter mixture; set aside.
  4. Place two-thirds of the butter mixture under the skin. Carefully work it all the way under and all the way over to the thighs and legs.
  5. Rub the remaining one-third of butter mixture all over the outside of the skin.

For Stuffing Inside the Turkey Cavity:

  1. Stuff the turkey with the garlic, lemon, orange, rosemary, parsley, sage, oregano, and bay leaves. They can just lay loose inside the turkey cavity or if you have poultry twine, you can tie the herbs together in a bouquet.
  2. Place the turkey into the oven on the lowest rack, so it is sitting directly in the center of the oven.
  3. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature reaches about 160F in the thickest part of the thigh. Please Note - The baking time of 4 hours 20 minutes is only an estimate given for a 20 pound turkey. Putting something in the field is a requirement of this recipe-writing program but your baking time WILL VARY based on the size of your turkey!** (See Notes)
  4. Tip - If your turkey is becoming more golden than desired before the internal temperature is going on, drape a sheet of foil loosely over it to prevent exposure from the direct oven heat. If you have a lid for your actual roasting pan, use that.
  5. Take the turkey out of the oven and let rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Discard the garlic, herbs, lemon, and orange that were in the cavity. However, DO NOT throw out any of those wonderful drippings, save them to make turkey gravy.
  6. Leftover turkey will keep airtight for up to 5 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Equipments used:

Notes

  • Use 325°F for roasting; convection ovens may require earlier checks due to faster cooking.
  • Place vegetables under the turkey if using a disposable pan to prevent bottom burning.
  • Remove giblets and neck before roasting; these are optional for gravy but not required here.
  • Carefully separate skin from meat to rub herb butter evenly underneath without tearing.
  • Tuck wings under the turkey to keep it stable during roasting.
  • Consult roasting time guidelines to avoid overcooking or premature browning.

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Serving 1 Calories 234kcal (12%) Carbohydrates 3g (1%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 24g (37%) Saturated Fat 15g (75%) Polyunsaturated Fat 8g (47%) Cholesterol 105mg (35%) Sodium 546mg (23%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 234 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 234kcal 12%
Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 24g 37%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Polyunsaturated Fat 8g 47%
Cholesterol 105mg 35%
Sodium 546mg 23%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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4.6

108 reviews
Excellent

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