How to Roast a Turkey

5 from 14 votes

How to Roast a Turkey

Master how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey with this easy, no-brine method. You'll love this tender, juicy roast turkey recipe topped with homemade turkey gravy, perfect for the holidays!

Prep Time30

Cook Time3 20

Resting Time30

Total Time3 50

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to roast a turkey

Servings: Servings

Author: Katerina Petrovska

Ingredients

For the Compound Butter:

1 stick (8 tablespoons or 113 grams) butter softened
½ lemon zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Turkey:

12 pound whole turkey
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 whole bulb garlic cut in half, horizontally
2 yellow onions quartered
10 fresh thyme sprigs
10 fresh rosemary sprigs
10 fresh parsley sprigs
4 cups chicken broth

For the Maple Turkey Gravy:

2 cups broth and drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Fit a wire rack inside a large roasting pan and set aside. (Most roasting pans come with a wire rack.)
Make the compound butter. In a medium bowl, combine softened butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Using a fork, mash and stir until well combined. Set aside.
Prepare the turkey. Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Season the inside of the turkey cavity generously with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with a halved bulb of garlic (use both halves), quartered onions, and all the sprigs of fresh herbs.
Separate the skin from the meat. Using your fingers OR the long handle of a wooden spoon, separate the skin from the breast meat, starting at the top of the breast and sliding to the right and left, then work your way down.
Apply the butter. With your fingers, grab small dollops of the compound butter and rub 2/3 of the butter mixture under the turkey’s skin. Then spread the remaining compound butter over the top of the skin.
Tie it. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. Then, tuck the wing tips under and transfer the turkey to the roasting pan fitted with a rack.
Prep it for roasting. Place a meat thermometer into the bird, beneath the drumstick, deep into the dark meat. Pour 4 cups of chicken broth into the roasting pan and transfer the turkey to the oven.
Roast. Once the turkey is in the oven, immediately lower the oven temperature to 350ºF. Roast the turkey for 40 minutes; remove from oven - close the oven door so you don’t let out the heat – baste the turkey with the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan.
Cover the breast. Place a piece of foil over the turkey breast area and put the turkey back in the oven. Cook for 2½ to 3 hours, basting every 40 minutes. Turkey is done when the internal temperature reads 170ºF at the thickest part of the thigh.
Let it rest. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, start working on the gravy. Pour out the turkey pan juices into a heatproof bowl and skim off the fat. Set the roasting pan over 2 burners on high heat until sizzling. Add 1 cup of the pan juices and bring to a boil, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Add the liquid back to the bowl with the remaining pan juices, then set aside.
Make the gravy. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 cups of the pan juices to the saucepan and cook (add water or broth, if needed, to make 2 cups), whisking, until the gravy is thickened; about 5 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup and season with salt and pepper.
Serve. Strain the gravy into a gravy boat. Carve the turkey and serve it with the gravy.

Video

Notes

Frozen Turkey: Let the turkey completely thaw before cooking. Frozen turkey will thaw in the fridge in a few days; it takes approximately 24 hours per 5 pounds.
Roasting Times: For every pound of turkey, you need 13 minutes of cooking time if the turkey is not stuffed. If it’s stuffed, plan 15 minutes of cooking time per pound.
Check for Doneness: Turkey is done when a thermometer registers at 170ºF in the thickest part of the thigh.
Resting: Turkey needs to rest 30 minutes to 1 hour before cutting. The longer it sits, the better, because it will become more tender, and it will be much easier to cut.
Gravy: If the gravy is too thick, add more broth, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the gravy is too thin, make a slurry with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Add to the hot liquid and whisk and stir until incorporated and the gravy thickens.

Nutrition