Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe (VIDEO) (2024)

Learn how to roast a juicy turkey with this step-by-step video tutorial. Please read required prep in notes section before you begin.

Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Cook Time: 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Roast Turkey Recipe Ingredients:

• 12 lb turkey, Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary – see below
• Salt & Pepper for the inside and outside of the bird
• 1 large onion, quartered (no peeling)
• 4 garlic cloves, halved (no peeling)
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 1 lemon, quartered

For the Flavored Butter:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, not extra virgin, plus more to drizzle the top
• 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon, plus 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 3 large garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 1/2 Tbsp salt, I used sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

What you’ll need:

• Kitchen String
• Heavy duty foil
• A heavy roasting pan that accommodates your bird, but isn’t over-sized
• A temperature probe, to ensure a fully-cooked turkey

Seasoning, Stuffing and Tying up a Turkey:

• Season inside turkey cavity generously with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

• In a mixing bowl, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash/stir with fork until combined (lemon juice doesn’t easily blend into butter, but keep mixing a few minutes and it will happen).

• Separate skin from the turkey breast by carefully pushing your fingers under skin from the front and the back of the turkey. Do not tear the skin.

• Stuff 2/3 of the butter mix under skin then massage over the top of the skin to spread the butter around.

• Quickly pat dry the outside of turkey and rub with remaining 1/3 butter mixture. Drizzle turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper for a crisp, salty skin.

• Stuff turkey with quartered lemon, 1/2 bunch parsley, quartered onion, and 4 halved garlic cloves, Tie turkey base and legs together with kitchen string; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity.

How to Roast a Turkey:

Prep: Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F with rack in the lower part of your oven.

• Fold a square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of triangle with olive oil and place it (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast to shape it into a shield. Remove foil and set aside (you'll put it back on in step 3).

• Place oven-safe meat thermometer into turkey beneath the drumstick and deep into the dark meat. Start roasting at 430˚F for 20 min.

• Remove from oven; quickly baste with liquid from bottom of pan using a baster or large spoon. Re-apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.

• 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 cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it's out of the oven).

• Transfer to serving platter and cover fully but loosely with foil. Let turkey rest at least 1 hour for it to tenderize. Keep the drippings for a most amazing gravy!

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Thanksgiving Turkey

Skill Level: Medium

Cost to Make: $$$