Oven Roasted Turkey
This no-frills, juicy oven roasted turkey is the ultimate centerpiece for a Thanksgiving dinner! My easy basting method ensures a perfect roast turkey with crispy skin and tender meat, without brining.
Servings: 10 people
Ingredients
- 14 pound whole turkey completely thawed
- 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
- ½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 large yellow onion quartered
- 8 cloves garlic crushed
- 6 rosemary sprigs or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 6 thyme sprigs or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 6 parsley sprigs or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 1½ cups unsalted butter
- 2 cups dry white wine I use Chardonnay
Instructions
- Prepare for roasting. Preheat the oven to 450°F with an oven rack placed in the lower third. Place a roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Set aside.
- Prep the turkey. Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve for later to make turkey broth, or discard them. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
- Loosen the skin. Starting at the neck end, loosen the skin from the breast by inserting your fingers or a long stick (I use my wooden spoon) and gently pushing between the skin and the meat. Do not detach the skin completely.
- Season the turkey. Season the turkey all over with salt and pepper; season the cavity, too. Place onions, garlic, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, parsley, and bay leaves inside the cavity.
- Truss the turkey. Tie the ends of the legs together with kitchen twine, and tuck the wing tips behind the back. Place the turkey on the rack in the roasting pan, breast side up, and set aside.
- Melt the butter. Add butter and white wine to a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm. Remove from heat.
- Soak the cheesecloth. Take the cheesecloth and fold it in half two times so you get 4 layers. Using a pair of tongs, lower the cheesecloth into the butter mixture to absorb it. Then, remove the cheesecloth and unfold it once, so you end up with two layers.
- Cover the turkey. Place the cheesecloth on top of the turkey to cover it; smooth out the cheesecloth onto the turkey’s skin. Cover the remaining butter mixture to keep it warm.
- Roast. Roast the turkey for 30 minutes at 450˚F. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and roast for 2 hours, basting the cheesecloth and any exposed areas of the turkey every 30 minutes with the reserved butter mixture.
- Remove the cloth. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and peel away the cheesecloth, being careful not to tear the skin. Discard the cheesecloth.
- Crisp up the skin. Continue to roast the turkey (and baste it) for about 30 more minutes or until the skin is browned and a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the breast registers at 160˚F.
- Rest and carve. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
- Juicy Turkey: There are many ways to ensure your turkey does not dry out. One of them is to take the turkey out of the oven as soon as the internal temperature registers at 160˚F. Also, you can create steam by filling a baking dish with water and placing it on the lowest rack in the oven. Finally, turn the roasting pan around halfway through cooking to avoid one side of the turkey cooking properly but not the other.
- Basting the Turkey: Basting is an excellent way to moisten the turkey. Baste the turkey every 20 or 30 minutes of roasting time with the butter mixture plus the cooking juices to keep your turkey from drying out.
- Cover the Turkey: For other recipes that do not use cheesecloth, you should cover the turkey with foil to keep the skin from browning too quickly. Then, uncover it about 30 minutes before it is cooked so the skin can brown and crisp up.
- Cooking Time: This will depend on the size of the turkey, but the rule of thumb is to cook the turkey for 13 to 14 minutes per pound.
Nutrition
Serving: 10people | Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 703mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 57IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.4mg
