Wondering how to cook a turkey that is extra juicy with a perfectly golden brown skin? This Thanksgiving turkey recipe walks you through each step, from thawing to cooking, to guarantee a perfectly roasted turkey!
Why You Will Love This Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
I have been in charge of the Thanksgiving turkey for the past 15 years. I have tried many different methods and this truly is the best turkey recipe!
- Juicy: This roasted turkey recipe makes juicy breasts, succulent thighs, and legs every time with a few key techniques.
- Crispy Skin: Just as important as a juicy inside is a crispy outside when roasting a Thanksgiving turkey. We start the bird at 500°F to create an extra golden, crispy skin and then finish roasting at a lower temperature.
- No Brine Necessary: I included my favorite brine recipe below, but this turkey doesn’t need it! It is still super juicy with one less step to worry about!
- Impressive: You’ll be the holiday hero when you pull off the star of the show with ease!
Don’t have time for a full turkey? Try my air fryer turkey breast, easy crockpot turkey breast or instant pot turkey breast!
The Ingredients and Tools Needed
Clean off you counter, sanitize your sink, and gather all of your ingredients and tools. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Turkey: Buy a 16 to 24 pound fresh or frozen bird. See thawing notes below.
- Aromatics: Use a combination of apples, oranges, lemon, and onion.
- Herbs: Find fresh, whole herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and sage. Many stores carry these in a bundled package during the holiday season.
- Oil: Canola, vegetable or avocado oil work best. Avoid olive oil. It has a low smoke point and burns easily at high temperatures.
- Seasonings: Coarse black pepper and salt, along with garlic salt will season your holiday turkey perfectly.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter, as you’ll be adding just the right amount of salt to season.
Equipment Needed:
- Foil
- Cooking Twine: Cut off an 8 inch piece ahead of time.
- Roasting Pan with a Rack
- Meat Thermometer: This is absolutely essential to properly cook the turkey so it stays juicy. Make sure it works and reads accurately ahead of time.
- Paper Towels: Have about 10 paper towels torn, stacked, and ready to go!
- Disposable Gloves: Optional, but you will be separating the skin and it can get under your nails. Pull at least three sets out of the box before starting.
How to Make the Best Thanksgiving Turkey
Roasting a turkey isn’t difficult, but will go much more smoothly if you have everything prepped and ready. For a helpful visual, watch the step by step video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Thaw and Prep
- Thaw: For the safest and easiest method, thaw a frozen turkey in fridge, allowing 24 hours for every 5 pounds. A 16 pound turkey will take about 4 days in a 40°F refrigerator, so plan ahead. (Check below in the tips section for a quick thaw method.)
- To Brine or Not: This is optional and not difficult, but requires additional time and planning. If you decide to go for it, check out my wet brine, turkey brine recipe. Last year we brined one turkey and not the other. The brined turkey was *ever* so slightly juicier, but most people could not tell which was which.
- Prep the Bird: Slip on a pair of gloves; reach in and remove the organs (usually wrapped in paper). Discard them or save for another use. Rinse the turkey inside and out, and then pat dry with paper towels.
- Fill: Tuck the wings underneath the bird and place it on the roasting rack inside the pan. Place a combination of sliced apple, orange, lemon, onion and fresh herbs into the cavity of the bird. Cross the legs and tie together with the twine to hold in the aromatics.
- Season: Gently separate the skin on the legs and breasts by sliding your fingers between the meat and skin. Rub half of the oil and seasonings under the skin. Then use any leftover seasonings and oil on the outside.
- Add Butter: Add squares of butter all over the turkey under the skin you loosened. The butter melts into the meat as it roasts making it extra juicy!
How To Cook A Turkey
- Foil Shield: Fold a piece of aluminum foil into a triangle large enough to fold over and cover just the turkey’s breast. (Don’t cover yet). You’ll be leaving wings and legs uncovered the whole roasting time.
- High Temperature: Preheat oven to 500°F. Move your oven shelf to the lowest level and roast uncovered turkey for 30 minutes.
- Reduce Temperature: Lower temperature to 350°F. Take turkey out and cover just the breast with the foil shield.
- Meat Thermometer: Slide the thermometer probe right through the foil cover into the thickest part of the breast meat, but without touching the bone. Set the thermometer alarm to 162°F. (The turkey will continue to cook when resting to reach 165°F.) A 16 pound turkey will take about 2.5 hours of total roasting time, and a 20 pound turkey will take about 3 hours.
- Rest and Carve: Once the turkey is out of the oven, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 30 minutes. While it’s resting, use the pan drippings to make the best turkey gravy. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board, carve and enjoy!
Tips for Success
Read on to ensure the best Thanksgiving turkey ever. Be ready to take a bow at the end of dinner!
- Meat Thermometer: If you want a juicy, perfectly cooked turkey, remember the thermometer! You want a probe thermometer that can remain in the turkey. Do not use an instant read thermometer, as you will have to keep opening the oven door.
- Mayo vs Oil: Instead of oil and butter, you can also use mayonnaise to get that crispy skin and juicy turkey meat. Mix 1.5 to 2 cups full-fat mayo with your seasonings. Spread half of it between the skin and meat and use the other half to coat the outside.
- Be Patient: Let the turkey rest covered in foil for the full 30 minutes. The resting time lets the juices settle, and allows the meat to relax and become tender. Plus, the turkey is too hot to carve any sooner and this frees up the oven for any last minute sides or rolls!
- How Much Turkey Per Person? Generally, allow about 16 oz per guest. A 16 pound turkey will feed 12 to 16 adults.
- Quick Thaw: For a quicker thawing method, place turkey in sanitized sink and fill with cold water. Drain and refill sink every 30 minutes to ensure turkey remains bacteria free and safe. Allow 30 minutes per pound of turkey. A 16 pound turkey will take about 8 hours and 16 sink refills.
- Stuffing: I understand the desire to stuff your turkey with stuffing over aromatics. However, you have to overcook the meat of turkey to allow the stuffing to reach the proper safe temperature. This leads to a dry turkey. Instead I recommend trying my homemade stuffing!
Storing Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey
The leftovers are arguably the best part of Thanksgiving dinner!
- Fridge: Store turkey in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Place cooled turkey in a freezer bag, or wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 4 months. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat: Reheat turkey is in the microwave covered with a wet paper towel to retain moisture.
Thanksgiving Side Dishes
The sides are the second best part of any Thanksgiving dinner, here are some of my favorites:
Yield: 12 servings or more
Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe: How To Cook A Turkey
Wondering how to cook a turkey? This Thanksgiving turkey recipe walks you through all the steps, from thawing the turkey to how long to cook a turkey and much more. You'll end up with extra juicy and perfectly golden turkey every time!
Ingredients
Turkey:
- 16 lb turkey, thawed
- ½ to ¾ cup oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- garlic salt, to taste
- herbs*, to taste, if desired
- ¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, sliced
Aromatics:
- 1 apple, thickly sliced
- 1 yellow or white onion, thickly sliced
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 orange, quartered
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh sage
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
Prep The Turkey
- Move your oven rack to the lowest level and preheat the oven to 500°F.
- Remove the organs and neck and discard or save for another recipe. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess water.
- Place the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan. Tuck the wings underneath the bird. Place the aromatics inside the turkey cavity. Cross the legs and tie together with the twine to hold in the aromatics.
- Gently separate the skin on the legs and breasts by sliding your fingers between the meat and skin. Rub half of the oil and seasonings under the skin. Then use any leftover seasonings and oil on the outside. (This works best if you have someone pouring the oil and seasonings into your hands as you do this step.)
- Lastly, slide the slices of butter under the skin on top of the legs and breasts (in between the skin and the meat). The butter will melt into the turkey as it roasts!
- Before you place the turkey into the oven, you will want to form a protective breast plate out of aluminum foil. (This will keep your turkey breasts from drying out as they cook.) To form the foil covering, I take a large piece and fold it into a triangle shape that is large enough to fold over and cover the breast of the turkey. You do not want to cover the wings or the legs — just the breast.
Roast The Turkey
- Place the turkey on the lowest level of the oven and cook it at 500°F for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, drop the temperature of the oven to 350°F and lightly cover the breast of the turkey with the prepared foil covering. Insert the necessary meat thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast, without touching the bone. I stab the probe right through the foil breast cover.
- Set the meat thermometer alarm to 162°F. Once that temperature is reached, remove the turkey and loosely tent the entire turkey with foil.
- Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving. The turkey will continue to cook while covered loosely with foil and will reach the safety temperature point of 165°F. While the turkey rests, use the pan drippings to make the best turkey gravy. Then carve the turkey and serve!
Video
Equipment
- Paper Towels
- Foil
- Disposable Gloves optional
Notes
Oil: Because olive oil has a low smoke point, you do not want to use olive oil on your turkey or it will burn in the 500°F oven. I personally like to use avocado oil. Avocado oil has health benefits and a smoke point of 520°F. However, you can also use vegetable oil or canola oil.
Herbs: You can use any herbs you like, fresh or dried. Just make sure if you are using fresh herbs that you finely dice them. Here are some popular herbs that will go well with turkey: thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, and even a little oregano.
Mayo vs Oil: Instead of oil and butter, you can also use mayonnaise to get that crispy skin and juicy turkey meat. Mix 1.5 to 2 cups full-fat mayo with your seasonings. Spread half of it between the skin and meat and use the other half to coat the outside.
Meat Thermometer: If you want a juicy, perfectly cooked turkey, remember the thermometer! You want a probe thermometer that can remain in the turkey. Do not use an instant read thermometer, as you will have to keep opening the oven door.
How Much Turkey Per Person? Generally, allow about 16 oz per guest. A 16 pound turkey will feed 12 to 16 adults.
Thaw: For the safest and easiest method, thaw a frozen turkey in fridge, allowing 24 hours for every 5 pounds. A 16 pound turkey will take about 4 days in a 40°F refrigerator, so plan ahead.
Quick Thaw: Place turkey in sanitized sink and fill with cold water. Drain and refill sink every 30 minutes to ensure turkey remains bacteria free and safe. Allow 30 minutes per pound of turkey. A 16 pound turkey will take about 8 hours and 16 sink refills.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 684kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 137g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 437mg, Sodium: 716mg, Potassium: 1483mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 603IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 81mg, Iron: 5mg
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This is definitely the perfect turkey recipe! I’d highly recommend to give this a try. It’s juicy, crispy and so delicious! I didn’t marinate the turkey either and I did use fresh herbs with the Avocado oil.
[…] Turkey: And of course, if it’s the holidays, these creamed green beans go perfectly with a gorgeous Thanksgiving Turkey! […]
Hello,
To confirm, no foil until after the first 30 min? Also no basting? Thanks!
Hi Denise, no basting! However you have it backwards, no foil for the first 30 minutes. Then you place on the foil covering the breasts only for the rest of the baking time.
How much butter is needed for the turkey
1 1/2 sticks salted butter, sliced! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
This is a fantastic recipe! We’ve made it for a few years now. Comes out perfect every time. This year we’re having a much smaller gathering and I wondered how long you thought it would take for just a 7 pound bird?
What about using a convection oven…any problems?
Should be just fine! Convection tends to run a big hotter, so the turkey may be done a little sooner. Also make sure you watch the turkey and if it’s darkening too much, cover the entire bird with foil. :-)
I’m curious if you rub any butter or oil on the outside of the turkey?
Hi Sally! Yes, you rub the oil in between the skin and meat, and also on top of the skin. Then the butter is placed under the skin of the turkey to melt into the meat!
I made our Thanksgiving turkey following your recipe and instructions and it was the best one I ever made! Doing the same this year! Thank you for sharing your talents with us
Love to hear that Wendy!! Happy Thanksgiving!!
This is my 1st year making the turkey I usually fry one and smoke one buy inwant to try the traditional oven. Everyone who’s coming wants me to stuff the bird will this recipe work at all if it’s stuffed.
Hi Angelo! So the reason I *don’t* stuff my bird? You have to cook the outside of the turkey longer than needed to make sure the inside stuffing is cooked. So your turkey will be dry, to make sure the inside of the stuffing reaches a safe temperature.
You can still follow this method, but you will have to make sure your stuffing inside the turkey reaches 165°F to be safely eaten.
I want yo try this recipe this year. After roasting we have to travel about 45 min to our destination. Can you suggest the best way to transport the turkey?
Wrapped tightly in foil! It should stay warm! As soon as the turkey is done, I’d pull it out of the oven, wrap the entire top tightly in foil to trap the heat and hit the road!
Hi! I am wanting to use your recipe and technique this Thanksgiving since I’ll be cooking one for the first time! I have to make it dairy free due to allergies, so what would you suggest to use in place of the butter? Margarine, vegan butter, etc? Thanks!
Hi Jessica! I think margarine would be a good middle ground!
Thank you for sharing your recipe and tips. I followed your advice and made a 21 lb turkey for my church and it turned out great. I am not a great cook in my opinion so your tips were super helpful. I loved the fact that you didn’t have a lot of ingredients and I have spent time in the past brining a turkey and I agree: not worth it! I got multiple compliments from a tough crowd (!) so THANK YOU and I will always make my turkey this way from now on. Happy holidays!
I’m so glad your turkey was a success! Glad I was able to help! :)
Thanks for sharing your ‘perfect turkey’ recipe and process. I had never turned my oven up to 500 F before. During that initial stage of baking, we noticed a lot of smoke coming up through the vent of the oven. I suspect that the smoke was coming from the butter used, since 500F is ‘way over’ the smoke point (for butter). Everything turned out delicious, but now we have a smoke smell in the house. Is the smoke point different, based on where you live?
Hi Mark! Yes, a little smoke is to be excepted at such a high temp (but it really only comes out of the oven when you open the oven after the first 30 minutes to add the foil and lower the temp), but with the butter tucked under the layer of skin, I haven’t had any issues with the butter burning. The smoke usually comes from the fat dripping off of the bird and burning a little in the bottom of the roasting pan. Hope this helps!
My mom bought me and actual turkey oven/roaster that you set on your counter to cook the turkey in, so that it freed up oven space. What are your thoughts? Is that what’s drying my turkey out? Should I just use the oven?
Hmm. I haven’t used one myself, so I am not sure if that is the issue. Are you able to use a meat thermometer with it? If you are, it shouldn’t dry out your turkey if you are able to take it out right as it hits an internal temp of 165°F in the breast meat, it should not dry it out!
Hey Jessica!
If making a 24 lb turkey should I up any of the aromatics or keep it at the same amount?
Yes, it should be just fine! If you have extra space in the turkey cavity, you can add a little more if you like, but it’s ok either way, it doesn’t need to be fully stuffed!
Last Thanksgiving I brined my turkey and it was far too salty (apparently the turkey had been pre-brined). So this year I’m going to try your recipe! But a quick question: what brand/type of turkey do you buy? There are so many to choose from, some pre-seasoned or pre-brined or whatever. So what brand do you use to ensure a perfect bird?
Hi Cathy! I always buy either a butterball or Publix brand frozen young turkey – usually a 18-20 pound whole turkey. I buy one that is not pre-seasoned or pre-brined. Make sure to remember to transfer it to the fridge to thaw in time for Thanksgiving!
Hi Cathy, thank you for your wonderful tips, quick question, I’m kind of confused, if you dont cover the legs & wings won’t they get burn before the rest of the turkey is cooked.? I normally cover the whole turkey with foil, and about 45 min-1hr I take the foil out, and let it cooked til time is up. Please guide me. Thank you.
Dark meat has to cook a little longer to reach the fully cooked temperature and is much less likely to dry out. This is why we cover the breast (the delicate part that drys out), but not the wings/legs! Hope this helps!
it’s super easy after reading step by step guides, it’s time to try new things.
thanks
It was always difficult for me to cook turkey but your recipe helped me a lot. It turned out really good and I think I’ll be even more prepared next year.
Am so glad to read your post and this is one of best recipe till now…can’t wait try it..this platter looks soo delicious…more yummy as well..Thanks for sharing…..!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Any chance you can post a video or give more instruction or illustrations on how to foils the foil?
Can you give more instructions on how to fold the foil?
So yummy and mouth watering. I am loving it.
Thanks for share, I am trying it tomorrow. Tasty turkey
Your photo looks fine! BTW, I know all about dry turkey growing up and so does Curtis! Love it when you find the perfect recipe.
I didn’t brine mine, but I was using Alton’s videos for trussing and carving. My husband was totally making fun of me because I kept saying, “Well Alton says…” And I made him be in charge of pausing, rewinding, and restarting the trussing video when I was up to my elbows in turkey. :)
I do however need to get a better thermometer.
Also, where did you get your oven thermometer at? Thanks again! I love your blog by the way :)
I like the thermometers that have a long string attached so you do not have to open the oven door. They are awesome for grilling and for in the oven!
I have this one from amazon: http://amazon.com/gp/product/B00004XSC5/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thnochbl-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B00004XSC5
But if you have an ikea close to you, they have a super cheap one:
http://ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80100406/
Where can you find candied ginger? Or is that something you make yourself? I also had trouble finding allspice berries. Are they in the local grocery store? Thanks so much! It looks delicious!
You can find candied ginger just about anywhere! I personally like to buy it at Trader Joe’s if you have one near you. They have a large bag of it for a very reasonable price (like $3 I think). Do not buy it in the spice aisle…you will get about 1 oz for $10. It’s a rip off!
If you do not have a trader joe’s, check your normal grocery store in the dried fruit section. I can usually find a large (like 12oz size) for around $3-5 dollars at The Fresh Market, Publix, Winn Dixie or Whole Foods!
As for the all spice berries, I have always found them in the spice section at Publix, Fresh Market, or Whole Foods!
Good luck!! ;-D
Ahhh… another worshiper at the shrine of Alton I see. I adore him!
Time for a new blog please and this is your Mom not Haley she was already signed in. Love you!
Stuffing the turkey with aromatics sounds like a wonderful change to the typical turkey recipe!!
Brine makes a great difference, doesn’t it? I’ll never make a turkey without brining it again!
This is so interesting. I’m not the biggest fan of turkey for all the same reasons and over the Turkey-thon (aaahhh Thanksgiving); I saw some awesome cooks do the whole brine thing…, but apart from salt it up a bit I had no idea exactly what it’d be like.., so thanks for the description of the results Lovely…. appreciate it :)
oh yes Alton is God..lol
glad your turkey came our great, my mom has also passed the load of holiday cooking..to me, lol!!
sweetlife
I have used this same recipe for the last two years. There is no better way to cook a turkey.
Alton Brown is so genius! I can’t even imagine how wonderful the kitchen smelled with those aromatics! YUM!
platter looks so yum..