Herb Butter Turkey
Our juicy and tender Herb Butter Turkey recipe is perfect for your next holiday gathering or special occasion!
Ingredients
Turkey + Basting Liquid:
- 12-15 pound whole turkey fully thawed
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 small yellow onion sliced
- 2 celery stalks cut into large chunks
- 1 large carrot peeled and cut into large chunks
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- optional: fresh sprigs of rosemary + thyme or a splash of white wine.
Herbed Butter:
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 5-6 tablespoons butter
- pinch kosher salt
Optional Stuffing:
- 1 small yellow onion quartered
- 1 small orange quartered
- fresh thyme
Instructions
- Thaw + Room Temp: Ensure the 12-15 pound whole turkey is fully thawed. Remove turkey from packaging. Remove the turkey neck and any giblets out of the turkey cavity. Place turkey on a plate or on a roasting rack in a roasting pan (breast side up) and let sit out at room temperature for approximately 60 minutes (why: this will help the oven get a jump start on raising that internal temp + allowing the skin to dry out, results in a crispier, more delicious skin).
- Oven + Roasting Pan: preheat oven to 450℉. (we will reduce later) and ensure you have a roasting pan + rack (which lifts the turkey off the bottom of the pan and allows it to cook a bit faster). Add chicken broth and onion to the bottom of the roasting pan. Ensure turkey is sitting in the roasting pan on top of the roasting rack, breast-side up.
- Prepare the Turkey: Combine the Herbed Butter ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Pat turkey dry (outside and inside the cavity) with paper towels. Season the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. If stuffing, add the onion, orange and thyme to the cavity. Tie the turkey legs together with kitchen twine or aluminum foil. Using your fingers gently separate the skin from the turkey breasts as much as you can. Push 3-4 tabs of butter underneath the skin. Take the Herbed Butter mixture and spread all over the outside of the turkey skin. (sprinkle a little extra salt and pepper all over the turkey, on top of the butter)
- OPTIONAL Turkey Injection: option to make our easy turkey injection to insert flavored, melted butter directly into the turkey meat at a few different places.
- Place Turkey in Oven: place seasoned turkey inside the preheated oven and turn the temperature down to 325℉. Do not cover the turkey initially with aluminum foil – allow it to cook and once it starts to turn brown, tent a large piece of foil over the top, as-needed.
- Roast: Let turkey roast for 13-16 minutes per pound. For example, a 10 pound turkey would take about 130-160 minutes of total cook time.
- Baste: Use a basting brush to base the outside of the turkey with the basting liquid in the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste the turkey every 30-40 minutes.
- Internal Temp: A turkey is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ at the thickest part of the meat (usually the thigh + breast). About halfway through the estimated cook time, start checking the internal temperature, so you can project how much longer will be needed. Again, if you notice certain parts of the turkey skin browning too quickly feel free to place a piece of foil over a specific area or tent the whole turkey if the whole thing is browning.
- Rest: Once the turkey has reached an internal temperature of 160℉. remove from oven. Lift the roasting rack out of the roasting pan and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest 20-30 minutes. The turkey will continue cooking and residual heat will continue to raise the internal temperature 5 degrees. Transfer any liquid remaining in the bottom of the roasting pan to a glass measuring cup or fat separator and follow our tutorial on how to make turkey gravy. Don’t forget to save the turkey carcass to make homemade turkey broth.
- Carve + Serve: Follow this tutorial to learn how to carve a turkey, then serve with homemade turkey gravy and all of your other favorite holiday side dishes!
Notes
- Roasting Rack/Foil Roasting Pan: if using a disposable roasting pan, then I would recommend using either carrots or celery stalks as the “roasting rack” – just line them up in the bottom of the pan and place the turkey with the breast-side up on top of them.
- Tin Foil: you can start with the foil tented over the turkey and then remove it halfway through the cooking process, if you prefer, but we tend to favor starting without it and adding it as the turkey browns.
- Storage: store leftover turkey in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Leftovers: we love making these quick and easy Turkey Cranberry Wraps or this Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup!
- Servings + Cook Time: the servings + cook time listed in the recipe card are assuming you are using a 12 pound turkey. Prep time also assuming you are not brining your turkey, which would take additional time to complete.
Nutrition
Calories: 47kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 574IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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