Best Way To Cook A Turkey Recipe

This roast turkey recipe is actually easy to make so don’t feel intimidated. Below I will show you step-by-step how to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving or any special dinner!

While cooking turkey takes time, the steps are not difficult. Follow the guide below for our best tips to ensure your roast turkey is perfect and juicy!

This is an easy turkey recipe and can be served with your favorite sides like mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and of course cranberry sauce.

How To Cook A Turkey Recipe

Before stuffing or seasoning, flip the wing tips under the turkey (photo above left), this keeps the tips from burning and also helps stabilize the turkey. Place the turkey breast side down and fold the tip of each wing under the turkey as in the image above. If you’re not sure how, watch the video below.

Stuffing a turkey is optional, a stuffed turkey will take longer to cook. If you decide not to stuff your turkey, I would suggest adding onion and some fresh herbs to the cavity for extra flavor.

Once the turkey is stuffed and seasoned, the next step in this turkey recipe is to tie the legs. This helps with even cooking and makes sure nothing burns.

Ways To Cook A Turkey—and Which Is Right For You

If the turkey has a band of skin near the cavity opening, you can tuck the legs into the band. If not, simply crisscross the legs over the cavity and tie them together (this is called trussing) with a piece of kitchen string or twine. This helps everything cook more evenly.

Now that it’s all prepped, here’s how to cook a turkey! You’ll need a large roasting pan, I do not recommend a disposable roasting pan as they don’t tend to hold the heat as well which can sometimes add lots of extra cook time (an hour or even more!).

Preheat the oven to 350°F and then when you place the turkey in the oven, turn the oven down. Slow-roasted turkey at 325°F comes out perfectly tender and juicy.

Spatchcocked (butterflied) Roast Turkey With Gravy Recipe

According to the USDA, a turkey is fully cooked with both the meat and the center of the stuffing reach 165°F. Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh and ensure it is not touching the bone.

I usually take the turkey out a few degrees early (around 160-162°F) as the temperature will continue to rise while it rests.

Turkey roasting time can vary depending on if the turkey is stuffed or not. If you are short on time, you canSpatchcock Turkey to make cooking extra quick. For a smaller turkey meal, make Roast Turkey Breast.

Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

Turkey should be placed on a rack in the roasting pan. If you do not have a rack, use a small cooling rack or use balls of foil or carrots/celery to lift the turkey off of the bottom of the pan so it isn’t sitting in juices.

The turkey (and the center of the stuffing) should reach 165°F. I usually take it out about 5 degrees before as the turkey will continue to cook as it rests.

Calories: 498 | Carbohydrates: 1 g | Protein: 70 g | Fat: 23 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Cholesterol: 232 mg | Sodium: 648 mg | Potassium: 787 mg | Sugar: 1 g | Vitamin A: 233 IU | Vitamin C: 6 mg | Calcium: 42 mg | Iron: 3 mg

Roast Spatchcocked Turkey Recipe

© . Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!I was so excited about this juicy roast turkey recipe every step of the way and I think you’ll feel the same way when you try it. I spent several days researching all of the best turkey recipes online, in books, and getting trusted advice from my Mom and you, my readers. This tender and delicious turkey will impress your dinner guests.

The turkey breast is so juicy and flavorful and the skin is crisp and roasts to a beautiful golden brown. I invited all of my family over to help eat this turkey and received rave reviews from 10 adults and quite a few kiddos. I was so giddy with excitement when I tasted the juicy bird. Since the beginning of my blog (2009), I’ve been flooded with requests for a great turkey recipe for the holidays.

The Easiest Turkey Recipe Ever For A Perfect Thanksgiving

P.S. Be sure be sure be sure to make the turkey gravy; it’s super delicious and was the talk of last year’s Thanksgiving dinner! Big Thank you to Wolf for sponsoring this recipe!

You don’t need to be scared to try new things in the kitchen, like the Thanksgiving turkey which is the “year’s most important dish”. You can’t go wrong by adding this roast turkey recipe to your menu. It’s fantastic. Read on to learn everything you need to know for a perfect turkey. P.p.s. you can even make this turkey recipe a day in advance (stuff, butter it up, cover and refrigerate overnight then bake the next day) if it makes your life easier and it will taste even better! 🙂

Note: Many of you have asked about using a larger turkey. One of my readers, Shannon, shares her experience with a 23 pound turkey (Thanks Shannon!): “Used this recipe last night with a 23 pound turkey and it was superb!! I used 3 sticks of butter instead of the 2, about 1 cup of parsley, kept the zest and juice of 2 lemons and quartered them for the stuffing. Kept 1 large onion peeled & largely sliced, used about 8 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half. Cooked at 430 for 20 minutes and then 350 for about 5 1/2 hours, basting occasionally. I used the tin foil hat and had to made a couple other tin foil accessories for the legs that started to scorch. Took the tin foil hat off when it had 10 minutes of cook time left to ensure a nice browned top. Had tons of drippings to make a delicious gravy with. Will use this recipe every year! So flavorful and yummy. Thank you” Required Prep for Roast Turkey Recipe:

How To Cook A Turkey {in An Oven Bag}

*Remove turkey from fridge about 30 minutes before you start working with it. If the turkey is closer to room temperature, it will bake more evenly. *Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the turkey.

2. In a medium bowl, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, and 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash/stir with a fork until well combined (the lemon juice doesn’t easily stir into butter, but keep mixing and it will happen after a few minutes). This mixture was adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas Turkey video and it’s wonderful. Take a whiff of it; you’ll fall in love with how fresh it smells!

3. Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey, being careful not to tear the skin.

Easy Roast Turkey Recipe

4. Stuff 2/3 of the butter mixture under skin then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender, juicy and provides rich flavor.

5. Rub remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.

6. Stuff turkey with quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Tie turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.

Easy Traditional Turkey Recipe (step By Step Video)

Place oven rack in the lower part of your oven (mine was on the second level from the very bottom) – this ensures that your large turkey roasts in the middle of the oven and keeps the turkey breast further from the top heating element.

1. Here is a fantastic tip I picked up from Alton Brown to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil;  it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You’ll apply this shield later in the roasting process.

2. Place an oven-safe meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drumstick; deep into the dark meat. It’s ready for the oven. Start roasting uncovered at 430˚F for 20 min.

Roasted Turkey Breast

4. Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 170˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 160˚F to make sure it’s fully