Easy Roast Turkey with Garlic Herb Butter and Crisp Skin
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
30 min
Cook
180 min
Total
210 min
Servings
10
Level
Easy
This 14- to 16-pound roasted turkey is suitable for a holiday meal with leftovers. Make garlic herb butter ahead of time and thaw the turkey before roasting it close to serving time. Garlic herb butter will help make the turkey juicy and give it a golden-brown, crispy skin.
Soft butter, preferably unsalted, is combined with fresh chopped sage, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper. The mixture is applied to the dried turkey. Lemon halves, fresh herbs, and peeled garlic cloves are added to the cavity of the turkey. The turkey is roasted at 450F and then 350F. These steps prevent the turkey from having extra fat or other liquids in the roasting pan.
Expect the chicken skin to be fully dark and cooked before the thigh is cooked through. If so, loosely cover the thigh with nonstick foil to cook it through. An instant-read thermometer in the thigh can help you determine doneness. Check for doneness 30 minutes ahead of time to prevent over- or undercooking. Other common mistakes: Cutting the chicken too early can cause it to lose juices instead of holding them.
Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Make gravy from pan drippings and carve the turkey like a chicken. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers to use in other turkey recipes, including soups and chili. A rack under the turkey helps air reach all parts of the turkey, keeping the skin from becoming soggy.
Why we keep this one around
- Herb-flavored butter can be made ahead of time so that most of the herbs added to the turkey have been thawed.
- A 14-to-16-pound turkey serves 10 people with enough leftovers for holiday celebrations and other meals later in the planning process.
- Roasting a turkey does not need basting. Roasting a turkey frees up time to prepare side dishes while the turkey roasts on its own in the oven.
- Carved turkey leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for later use, and the article suggests freezing some leftover turkey for other uses, such as making turkey soup and chili.
- The turkey can be stored frozen for 2 to 3 months. It is more economical to store portions of extra turkey rather than try to use all leftover turkey quickly.
- Pan drippings can be used to make gravy while the meat rests for 20 minutes. No other lengthy cooking task is needed to serve with the meat.
Ingredients
- •1 whole turkey (14-16 pound; see note)
- •salt (to taste)
- •pepper (to taste)
- •1 cup unsalted butter (softened (2 sticks))
- •1 tablespoon fresh sage (chopped finely)
- •1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped finely)
- •1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped finely)
- •4 cloves garlic (minced)
- •1 teaspoon salt
- •½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- •1 lemon (halved)
- •fresh sage (a few sprigs)
- •fresh thyme (a few sprigs)
- •fresh rosemary (a few sprigs)
- •1 head garlic (broken into cloves and peeled)
Instructions
- 1
Take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before roasting and set it on a baking sheet. Take the butter out of the fridge to soften.
- 2
Add the butter and remaining herb butter ingredients to a bowl, then mash them together with a fork.
- 3
Preheat the oven to 450F and move a rack to the bottom third of the oven, removing the other racks.
- 4
Remove the turkey from its packaging and take out the giblets and neck, if included. Drain as much liquid as possible from the cavity, then return the turkey to the baking sheet.
- 5
Pat the turkey dry with paper towel. Season it with salt and pepper, including inside the cavity, using about 1 teaspoon of salt in total.
- 6
Stuff the cavity with the lemon, herb sprigs, and garlic cloves.
- 7
Rub the turkey all over with the herb butter, leaving the very bottom uncovered.
- 8
Tuck the wings under the turkey and tie the legs together with kitchen twine, if desired.
- 9
Place the turkey breast-side up on the rack of a roasting pan.
- 10
Put the roasting pan in the oven and reduce the heat to 350F.
- 11
Roast for about 3 hours for a 14-pound turkey, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165F. Begin testing 30 minutes before the estimated roasting time is reached.
- 12
When the skin browns before the turkey is done, loosely cover the turkey with non-stick foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
- 13
Once cooked, carefully tilt the roasting rack so the juices inside the turkey spill into the bottom of the pan.
- 14
Lift the rack with the turkey on it and transfer the turkey to a large cutting board or plate.
- 15
Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
537
Calories
56g
Protein
33g
Fat
3g
Carbs
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