Easy Roast Turkey Recipe
Making a perfect Thanksgiving turkey doesn’t have to be difficult! Try this Easy Roast Turkey Recipe with butter, fresh herbs, and garlic for a holiday meal everyone will love.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
FOR THE BRINE
- 4 quarts water
- 1 cup kosher salt
FOR THE TURKEY
- 8 to 10 pound whole turkey thawed
- 1 yellow onion quartered
- 1 whole garlic bulb halved
- sprigs of thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 tablespoons butter melted and divided
Instructions
- Prepare the brine. In a saucepan, warm up 1 quart (4 cups) of water. When warm, remove it from the heat and stir in the salt until dissolved.
- Combine the turkey and the brine. Grab a bucket large enough to hold the turkey and the liquid. Remove the giblets from the turkey, set those aside or discard them, and transfer the turkey to the bucket. Pour the prepared salt water (the brine) over the turkey.
- Refrigerate. Pour in the remaining 3 quarts of water. Make sure the turkey is submerged; if needed, weigh it down with a heavy plate or stone. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. NO more than 24 hours.
- Prep the turkey for roasting. When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the brine and rinse it under cold water. Pat dry the turkey with paper towels, inside and out.
- Prep the oven. Adjust the rack to the lowest position of your oven. Then, preheat the oven to 325˚F.
- Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with the onion wedges, garlic halves, herbs, and bay leaves. Set the turkey breast-side-up on a roast rack set in a roasting pan.
- Roast. Brush the turkey with half of the melted butter. Tent with foil and roast the turkey for 2 hours. Remove the foil and baste the turkey with the remaining melted butter.
- Continue to roast. Increase the oven temperature to 425˚F and continue roasting the turkey for about 45 more minutes, or until the temperature of the turkey's thigh registers at 165˚F. Baste every 15 minutes with the juices in the roasting pan.
- Rest and carve. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Carve and serve.
Notes
- Prep time. Give yourself enough time because you will have to brine the turkey for 12 and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Serving size of turkey: Plan on about 1 pound of turkey per person. That accounts for the weight of the bones, so you’ll still end up with a good, generous serving of meat for everyone.
- Thawed turkey: You should thaw out the turkey because it can take much longer to cook if frozen. Keep in mind that the bigger the turkey, the more time it will need to defrost. You could be talking about 2 to 4 days for just thawing. Yes, you can cook a frozen turkey, but remember that you will need to estimate around 50% longer cooking time.
- Cooking time for turkey: A larger, 12 to 14-pound turkey will need up to 4.5 hours in the oven, but a smaller 8 to 10-pound turkey will be done in about 3 hours.
Nutrition
Calories: 561kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 70g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 262mg | Sodium: 14622mg | Potassium: 749mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 532IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg
