Description
A straightforward recipe for roasting a whole turkey until it is moist and fully cooked.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 whole turkey (12–14 lbs)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
- 1 lemon, halved
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey cavity. Pat the turkey skin completely dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix the softened butter with salt, pepper, and thyme. Rub this mixture all over the turkey, including under the skin over the breast meat.
- Place the onion, garlic, lemon halves, and rosemary sprigs inside the turkey cavity.
- Place the turkey on a roasting rack set inside a roasting pan.
- Roast for approximately 3 to 3.5 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Baste the turkey with pan drippings every 45 minutes.
- If the skin browns too quickly, loosely tent the turkey with aluminum foil.
- Once cooked, remove the turkey from the oven. Tent loosely with foil and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
Notes
- For easier cleanup, line the roasting pan with aluminum foil before placing the rack inside.
- If you prefer a crispier skin, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for the last 20 minutes of cooking, watching carefully to prevent burning.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 3 hr 30 min
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz cooked meat
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Unsaturated Fat: 11
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 0
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 45
- Cholesterol: 150
Keywords: roast turkey, whole turkey, holiday dinner, simple roast, poultry