Log In / Sign Up

Basic Roasted Turkey Recipe

Basic Roasted Turkey
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: | Active Time: | Makes: 6 to 8 servings

When it comes to turkey recipes, intricate techniques and exotic ingredients can just add to an already chaotic Thanksgiving Day. Make your life easier with a straightforward cooking method and only a few flavorful ingredients. When the turkey’s done cooking, save the the neck in the bottom of the roasting pan and the vegetables from inside the bird’s cavity to make a Basic Turkey Gravy.

Special equipment: For this recipe you will need a large roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack, a brush or turkey baster, and a meat thermometer.

Game plan: Make sure your turkey is fully defrosted. If you bought a frozen bird, you’ll need to put it in the fridge 3 to 4 days ahead to thaw.

This dish was featured as part of our Thanksgiving for Beginners menu.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 (12- to 15-pound) natural turkey
  • Salt
  • Vegetable oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 onion, quartered
  • 1 celery stick, cut into 3 pieces
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. The night before you roast the turkey, remove the contents from the cavity. Discard the giblets (heart, liver, and gizzard) and reserve the neck. Rub the turkey all over with several generous pinches of salt, including a few under the skin covering the breast. Place the turkey in a dish or on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the next day.
  2. Heat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the lower third.
  3. Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels and tuck the wing tips back and underneath. Rub a generous amount of vegetable oil inside the cavity and all over the outside. Season well with salt and pepper, including inside the cavity and under the skin.
  4. Break the butter into little chunks and place them under the skin covering the breast. Put the lemon, onion, and celery inside the cavity.
  5. Place the turkey, breast down, on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and put the reserved neck in the bottom of the pan. Roast for 45 minutes, basting the turkey every 20 minutes once the pan juices accumulate.
  6. After 45 minutes, flip the turkey onto its back and continue to baste and roast for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  7. When a meat thermometer inserted into the inner thigh registers 170°F and the juices run clear, remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest 20 to 30 minutes before carving. (If you’re planning on making your own gravy, be sure to reserve the neck in the bottom of the roasting pan and the vegetables from inside the bird’s cavity.)
    Write a review | 11 Reviews
  • Basic Roasted Turkey Recipe
    4

    It looks delicious.

  • Basic Roasted Turkey Recipe
    5

  • I also brine my turkey with water and kosher salt.

  • i have brined my turkey for the past 15 years. I use only water and kosher salt - I have never dry brined so i don't know if that affects the juices so much that you couldn't use them for gravy. I do not have that problem. Brining has come into vogue and many people almost "marinate' their turkey instead of basic brining. I stick with the basic and my turkey has always been succulent.

  • I brined our turkey last year and will not do it again. I could not use the juices for my gravy-a real disappointment for our family. The gravy (with giblets) is one of our favorite parts for the Thanksgiving meal.

  • "Remove and discard the giblets" --- heresy! They're essential, chopped, in the gravy!

  • I always brine the turkey over night with salt and sugar. Pickling spice I find is too strong. Turning the bird is indeed messy but I do it after the back is dark brown. I preheat to 450 then cook (convection oven)at 325 til breast is brown and skin on legs pulls away from bone (about 3 hours/12 minutes pre pound).

  • For the last five years I have roasted my turkey breast side down in an oven roasting bag. When its done I turn it and place it on the serving tray and with my gas torch brown it nicely (it’s a guy thing). I have never had a complaint about dry whitemeat.

  • Addendum to my previous comment: you need to lift the foil "cap" off the breast when you baste the bird, then return.

  • Recipes that say, "flip the turkey" deserve a quick flip--any idea how messy it really is to do this with a 15-18 lb bird? In my experience, it's not needed. Better to place a thick piece of aluminum foil atop the breast, roast for 2.5 hours and the last 30 minutes, take off the foil for the breast to brown. Always works for us.

  • Does anyone brine turkey before roasting? I really like brined poultry and wonder what others add to the brine. I usually add salt, maple syrup, pickling spice and sage to the turkey brine and like to leave it in for 36 hours.

Share with your friendsX