Our tender and juicy Spatchcock Turkey is a great way to cook your Thanksgiving Day bird! This spatchcock turkey recipe is simple, delicious, and cuts down on cooking time. Plus, it results in a more evenly-cooked turkey for your holiday table!
The Best Spatchcock Turkey Recipe
Get ready for a delicious, easy way to cook a whole turkey this year for your Thanksgiving dinner! You may have heard of cooking a butterflied chicken, but you have tried it with a turkey?! We have and it is absolutely amazing! Serve with all your favorite Thanksgiving side dish recipes, like Wild Rice Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole and Cranberry Sauce. The whole family is going to love how fast it cooks, while still staying so juicy!
Looking for More Ways To Cook A Spatchcock Turkey?
Making a spatchcock turkey in the oven is great, but we also have a Smoked Spatchcock Turkey and Grilled Spatchcock Turkey! A great way to get it out of the oven!
What You Will Need
- fresh whole turkey: pick-up a large turkey from your local grocery store and follow our simple tutorial on how to thaw a turkey!
- butter: so much butter! This helps the skin become golden brown and oh-so-good! Option to swap with ghee or a plant-based butter, if you prefer.
- turkey seasoning: we have our own homemade Turkey Seasoning – classic and delicious. It is a mix of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sage and more!
- onion + broth + white wine + aromatics: adding these to the bottom of the roasting pan not only helps keep the turkey moist and juicy, but also adds to the overall flavor. The white wine really adds a noticeable flavor boost to the gravy as well!
- roasting pan: you will need a deep roasting pan that is wide enough to hold your turkey.
- kitchen shears: make sure you have a pair of sharp kitchen shears to use while you are spatchcocking your turkey.
- internal meat thermometer: the only true way to know if your turkey is close to being done or fully cooked is to use a dependable internal meat thermometer, make sure you have one on hand!
Why Should I Spatchcock My Turkey
- Evenly cooked turkey: because the turkey is laying flat, the entire turkey cooks more evenly compared to a traditional turkey where the outside will cook faster than the inside!
- Less total cook time: again since that turkey is laying flat the total cook time will end up being shorter!
How To Make A Spatchcock Turkey
The first steps to making this easy recipe is to remove the backbone. Place the whole turkey, breast side down, on a cutting board and use sharp kitchen shears to cut down each side of the backbone.
Use a knife to cut into the cartilage at the top of the breast bone. Flip the turkey over and press down firmly with the palm of your hand; you should hear a crack – that is the breastbone breaking which will allow the turkey to lie flat.
That’s it! You have officially spatchcocked a turkey! Now, pat dry with paper towels and then rub ALL over with softened butter and season with our turkey seasoning.
Flavor Options To Mix it Up
The recipe card below shares a butter + classic turkey seasoning mix, but there are a ton of other ways you can season your turkey:
- Citrus Butter: add some cut up oranges and lemons to the bottom of the roasting pan as well as a splash of orange juice! Use this to baste the turkey for a citrus-butter flavor!
- Cajun: grab a pre-made cajun seasoning from the store and use that instead of the turkey seasoning we discuss below!
- Garlic Butter: mix some minced garlic in with your softened butter to add even more, garlicky flavor.
Place broth, white wine, onions and some fresh herbs in a roasting pan; place the turkey on top, breast-side up. We start at a high heat (at 450 degrees F.) to crisp up that skin up! Then drop down the temp to 350 degrees F and let it roast until it hits 165 degrees F. at the thickest part of the meat Be sure to baste the turkey every 20-30 minutes with either melted butter and/or the juices at the bottom of the pan.
How Long to Cook a Spatchcock Turkey
If you are cooking your spatchcock turkey at around 350 degrees F, you will want to calculate a cook time of approximately 6 minutes per pound. Ensure the turkey is fully thawed before cooking or it will be very difficult to spatchcock and the cook time will be impacted. Also, be sure to use an instant read thermometer to track the turkey’s internal temperature!
Let turkey rest while you use the drippings and juices at the bottom of the roasting pan to follow our step-by-step guide on how to make turkey gravy!
How To Carve A Spatchcock Turkey
Carving a spatchcock turkey is actually pretty similar to carving a regular turkey:
- Cut away the turkey legs + thigh by breaking apart (use your knife if you need to) at the joint. Then separate the turkey thigh and leg.
- Remove the wings.
- Starting at the breastbone, cut the turkey breast meat away from the bone.
- Place the turkey meat on a platter – option to garnish with fresh sage, thyme and cranberries.
Pro Tip
After carving up this tender spatchcock turkey, take the remaining turkey carcass and follow our simple tutorial for how to make the best homemade turkey broth!
Best Ways To Serve A Spatchcock Turkey
Roasting a spatchcock turkey in the oven can be served the same way you would serve a regular roasted turkey that stays fully in tact. Just carve it up and enjoy with so many favorite holiday side dishes, like Cornbread Muffins, Apple Yam Bake, Ultimate Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Sausage Stuffing, Giblet Stuffing, Stuffed Onions, & Goat Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin!
Storage & Freezer
There is simply nothing better than leftover turkey and it can easily be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or keep it for longer in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Leftover Turkey Recipes
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- How big of a turkey do I need? We usually recommend planning for about 1 pound of turkey per person – people don’t normally eat a whole pound, but this way you will have some for leftovers!
- Fresh vs. Frozen: love buying a fresh turkey, if at all possible!! But, we know that can be a challenge sometimes, so frozen works too! Just make sure it is fully thawed.
- Should I brine my turkey? Brining a turkey is an option to add even more juiciness and flavor, but not necessary. Up to you!
- Can I prep a spatchcock turkey ahead of time? You can easily prep your Turkey Seasoning ahead of time and you can also spatchcock your turkey the day before! Make room in your fridge and place the spatchcocked turkey inside leaving it uncovered – the skin will dry out a bit overnight and ends up resulting in a more crispy skin!
Made this delicious recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Turkey Recipes You Might Like
Smoked Turkey
Smoked Turkey Breast
Grilled Turkey
Deep Fried Turkey
Spatchcock Turkey Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow our easy Spatchcock Turkey recipe to make a juicy and delicious turkey in a fraction of the time! Perfect for your next Holiday meal!
Ingredients
- 12–14 lb whole turkey (fully thawed, giblets removed)
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 2–3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup butter, softened + divided
- 1–2 yellow onions, quartered
- 2 cups chicken broth (or turkey broth)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2–3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2–3 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a small bowl combine the dried sage, dried thyme leaves, kosher salt, dried rosemary, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix to combine; set aside.
- Spatchcock Turkey: Place turkey on a large cutting board or on a baking pan. Flip turkey so it is breast-side down. Taking kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone (which will be running down the middle of the turkey) and remove. Using a sharp knife, cut into the top of the breastbone and start to break apart the cartilage. Flip over. Firmly press down towards the top of the breastbone with the palm of your hand until you hear a crack and the turkey lays flat. (option to check out our tutorial on How To Spatchcock a Turkey for even more details and pictures).
- Roasting Pan: Add onion, chicken broth, white wine (if using), rosemary and thyme to bottom of large roasting pan. Place a wire rack on top and place the turkey on top of that, ensuring the breast-side is up.
- Butter + Season: Take 1/4 cup softened butter and rub into every nook and cranny (including under the turkey skin, where possible). Use additional softened butter, as-needed. Sprinkle turkey seasoning all over.
- Roast: Place in preheated oven, uncovered and middle rack, for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and continue cooking an additional 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F. at the thickest part of the turkey. Baste every 20 minutes or so with another 1/4 cup melted butter. Once the butter is used up, simply use the liquid at the bottom of the pan to baste.
- Rest: Remove turkey from oven, once fully cooked, and baste one more time. Cover pan with aluminum foil and let meat rest 15-20 minutes.
- Serve: Move the turkey onto a platter or large plate and cover with foil again to continue its resting for another 10-15 minutes. Highly recommend using pan drippings to make turkey gravy!
Notes
- Turkey: use a fully thawed turkey! A partially frozen turkey will definitely impact the cooking time and it will cook unevenly – it will also be very hard to spatchcock. Follow our guide on how to thaw a turkey.
- White Wine: feel free to just use more chicken broth, if you don’t want to use wine.
- Dairy-Free: I would sub in olive oil instead of butter here – you won’t need quite as much, just enough to coat the bird.
- Cook Time per pound: it will take approximately 6-7 minutes per pound to cook a fully thawed turkey, using the spatchcock method. Of course, use an internal meat thermometer to track the temperature. I usually pull mine a little before it hits 165 degrees F. since it will continue to cook as it rests.
- Brine: feel free to use a dry brine or wet brine before roasting.
- Injection: want to take your turkey to the next level – try our Turkey Injection recipe for even more juiciness!
- Leftovers: got leftover – try our Leftover Turkey Pot Pie!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 355
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 126.8 mg
- Fat: 20.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Protein: 42.8 g
- Cholesterol: 160 mg
Haley says
This recipe was amazing and soo easy to follow!!!! Whole family loved it! It’ll be our go to way moving forward!
Lynn Weichmann says
First time spatchcocking a turkey. I have done chickens. My bird is 18 lbs. wish me luck.
Erin says
You got this!!
Stephanie Yoder says
I may not make Turkey any other way now. This recipe was easy and AMAZING!! Our whole family commented on how flavorful and juicy it was.
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Stephanie!!
Monica says
Second year making our turkey this way!! It is so juicy and all the fam loved it!!
Erin says
That’s so awesome to hear, Monica! And thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review! I appreciate it!
Emily says
Tried this last year and it came out perfectly – doing it again this year!
Erin says
So happy to hear that!
Pauline says
Hi Erin, did you brine the turkey before hand for this recipe?
Thank you Pauline
Erin says
Hi Pauline! I didn’t while testing this recipe, but you definitely can!! I would just brine first and then make your cut to spatchcock. Hope that helps!
Daphne says
So ideally I’d be putting the butter and season on the night before?
Erin says
Hi Daphne! Nope, so if you want you can spatchcock the turkey the night before, prep your seasoning and just set it aside, and then you can leave your turkey on a platter, uncovered in the fridge which results in a more crispy skin after cooking. You still butter and season right before cooking – hope that helps!