This easy method produces all the good looks and moist flavor you dream of in an oven-roasted turkey.
verify you show this beauty off at the table before you carve it.
Garnish your serving platter with fresh herb sprigs and citrus wedges for a showstopping Thanksgiving turkey.
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
ThisHerb-Roasted Turkeyis as beautiful as it is tasty.
Just see to it you save enough for leftovers!
This no-fuss method delivers a perfectly cooked turkey that you’ll be proud to share with friends and family.
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
You’ll need a large roasting pan, a roasting rack, kitchen string and an instant-read thermometer.
Most turkeys will have the neck and giblets stuffed into the cavity.
You will want to remove them before you roast.
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
you’re free to discard the neck and giblets, or save them tomake stock and gravy.
Add Flavor
We rely on fresh chopped herbs and a few aromatics to flavor the bird.
You should not have more than 1 1/2 cups.
Johnny Autry; Charlotte Autry (styling)
If you cram too much stuff into the cavity, the turkey may not cook evenly.
This step keeps the bird compact and prevents smaller pieces like wing tips and leg meat from burning.
Roasting the Turkey
You’ll begin roasting the turkey in a pretty hot oven450F.
This jump-starts the cooking process and lays the foundation for beautiful golden brown skin.
After 45 minutes, carefully remove the turkey from the oven and turn the temperature down to 350F.
Lower temperatures are better for finishing the bird, as it cooks the meat more evenly.
Even with temperature adjustments, cooking a turkey without drying it out in parts requires some handiwork.
Before the turkey returns to the oven, we cover the breast with a double layer of foil.
When is the turkey done?
When an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone registers 165F.
This should take 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours more.
This allows the juices to redistribute into the meat, helping to keep it moist.
Don’t forget to remove the string beforecarving the turkey!
Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavity and reserve for making gravy.
Mix minced herbs, oil, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin and onto the breast meat.
Place aromatics and 10 of the herb sprigs in the cavity.
Tuck the wing tips under the turkey.
Tie the legs together with kitchen string.
Add water and the remaining 10 herb sprigs to the pan.
Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven.
Cover the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to conform to the breast.
Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and cover with foil.
Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes.
Remove string and carve.
We know plenty of people do, but we don’t recommend it.
Stuffing the cavity full of anything increases the cooking time.
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.
