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Best Thanksgiving turkey
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Best Turkey Recipe for Thanksgiving

Turkey roasted with an herb butter under the skin and baked until golden brown.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword herb butter roasted turkey
Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 1 day 3 hours
Servings 8 people
Author Tara Buss

Equipment

  • roasting pan
  • meat thermometer

Ingredients

  • 12 lb turkey
  • ½ c. butter or butter substitute like Smart Balance
  • 1 ½ tsp salt use a little more if butter is unsalted
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried ground sage
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • optional aromatics onion, apple, fresh herb bundle, garlic bulb

Instructions

  • Soften butter on countertop for about an hour.
  • Add all seasonings to butter and smash/mix with a fork until well combined. Set aside.
  • Remove neck and innards from turkey and discard.
  • Pat turkey dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
  • Place in a roasting pan with a rack.
  • Using your fingers, loosen the membrane that holds the skin and the meat together to make a cavity for the butter to go under the skin. Work your way over to the legs and under the skin of the entire breast.
  • Using about ⅔ of the compound butter, rub it into the meat under the skin.
  • Rub the remaning ⅓ on the entire outer skin of the turkey.
  • Stuff with any desired aromatics. This is an optional step.
  • Cover with a single layer of foil and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next day remove turkey from fridge and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • When oven is preheated, place the turkey in oven as is and cook for about 13-15 minutes per pound. A 12 lb turkey will take approximately 3 hours.
  • The last hour remove the foil and continue roasting so that the skin can develop a golden brown color. Add foil back if skin gets too brown. Increase heat if skin is not browning as you like.
  • When temperature has reached 162-165, remove from oven. Tip turkey on it's side toward the legs to allow the drippings to run into the pan to reserve for gravy. Cover turkey and allow to rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Notes

For a bigger turkey, double the butter and seasonings and increase the cooking time using the rule of about 13-15 minutes per pound.