Y’all know I love my daddy’s fried turkey, but I can get down with a good oven-roasted turkey too for Thanksgiving! This one gets a brown sugar brine and plenty of fresh herb butter under the skin AND over the top. I need my roasted turkey to be juicy, the skin to be crunchy, and seasoned drippings; those are headed straight for the gravy. It ain’t hard to bake a whole turkey, but you gotta give it time to do its thing. Start a couple days ahead with a thawed turkey, and I’ll walk ya through oven roasting it!
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Oven Roasted Turkey Ingredients
- Turkey: Start with a fully thawed, 10-15 pound whole turkey. Check the label before buying! You want a bird that hasn’t been pre-brined, injected with a salt solution, or labeled self-basting. Kosher turkeys are already salted too. Remove the neck, giblets, and any plastic attachments before brining, checking both cavities. Save those giblets in the fridge or freezer for a bomb giblet gravy!
- Brine: Water, kosher salt, and brown sugar season the turkey. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve, and keep the brine cold.
- Herb butter: My daddy uses a homemade turkey rub for his fried Thanksgiving turkey, but I’m going with herb butter for this one. I mix salted butter with kosher salt, finely chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and black pepper. Let the butter soften enough to spread, but don’t melt it or it will run off your bird. I’m generous with the butter because I want that richness right against the breast meat, plus a gorgeous golden brown outside.
- For the cavity: Fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and an optional quartered lemon. These herbs go in as small bunches, separate from the chopped herbs in the butter. Tuck them in loosely so you don’t pack the cavity tight.
How to Make Oven Roasted Turkey
These step-by-step photos show how to roast a turkey, but be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Skip to the → Roast Turkey Recipe
1. Brine the turkey
Submerge the thawed turkey in the cold brine and refrigerate, then drain, pat dry, and refrigerate uncovered on a rack set inside a pan.
2. Mix the herb butter
Stir the softened butter, kosher salt, chopped thyme, rosemary, sage, and black pepper together until evenly combined.
PRO TIP: Give this Thanksgiving turkey recipe a head start, boos! Allow about 24 hours of fridge thawing for every 4-5 pounds. That’s roughly 2-3 days for a 10-pound bird or 3-4 days for a 15-pound bird. Once thawed, you’ll still need 6-12 hours for brining and 12-24 hours for drying the skin, so count those into your holiday prep too! Keep everything refrigerated at 40°F or below, and finish brining, drying, and roasting within 2 days of thawing.
3. Butter and prepare the turkey
Spread half the butter beneath the skin and the rest over the outside, then add the cavity herbs and optional lemon, tuck the wings underneath, and tie the legs if desired.
4. Roast your herb butter turkey
Roast breast-side up, starting in the hot oven before lowering the heat, rotating the pan for even browning and checking the meat with a thermometer.
5. Rest the turkey
Using sturdy oven mitts and a rack designed for lifting, carefully move the turkey and rack onto a large heatproof cutting board, then loosely tent with foil before carving.
6. Carve and serve
Remove the twine and cavity aromatics, separate the wings, legs, and thighs, then remove each breast from the bone and slice across the grain before arranging on a platter.
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PRO TIP: Check the temperature in more than one place. I’ve roasted enough turkeys to know the clock can only get me so far. For a juicy roast turkey, insert the thermometer from the side into the center of the thickest breast meat, then check the innermost thigh and wing areas on both sides. Keep the tip in the meat without touching bone or poking into the cavity. All readings need to reach 165°F. Golden skin and clear juices don’t tell the whole story.
Full Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe
Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe
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I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
- 5-gallon food-safe container
- Wire roasting rack
- Butcher's twine
- Carving knife
Ingredients
For the Brine
- 2 gallons water
- 1 ¼ cups kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 whole turkey 10-15 pounds, thawed
For the Herb Butter
- 2 sticks salted butter softened
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
For the Cavity
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme
- 1 small bunch fresh rosemary
- 1 small bunch fresh sage
- 1 lemon quartered, optional
Instructions
For the Brine
- Whisk together the water, kosher salt, and brown sugar in a large container that will fit a 10-15 pound turkey, about 5 gallons. Add the turkey and refrigerate for 6-12 hours.
- Remove the turkey from the brine and place it on a wire rack fitted inside a large roasting pan or 9×13-inch pan. Pat the skin dry with paper towels and refrigerate uncovered for 12-24 hours.
For Preparing the Turkey
- When ready to roast, preheat the oven to 450°F, adjusting the oven rack as needed so the turkey will fit comfortably. In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, kosher salt, chopped thyme, rosemary, sage, and black pepper.
- Rub about half of the butter mixture underneath the turkey skin, especially over the breast meat, then rub the remaining butter all over the outside. Place the bunches of thyme, rosemary, and sage inside the cavity along with the quartered lemon, if using.
For Trussing the Turkey
- Cut a piece of butcher’s twine about 3 feet long. With the turkey breast-side up, bend the wing tips back and tuck them underneath the upper part of the bird. Position the middle of the twine underneath the lower back area, bring both ends over the legs, and pull the drumsticks snugly together against the breast.
- Loop the twine around the legs, tie tightly, then double-knot to secure and trim any loose ends. If trussing feels too daunting, it is totally fine to skip this step and roast the turkey untrussed.
For Roasting the Turkey
- Roast at 450°F for 50 minutes, turning halfway through. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue roasting for 90 minutes to 2 hours, turning halfway through.
- Check the temperature in the breast and the thickest part of the thigh. The turkey should register 165°F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven. Carefully lift the roasting rack with the turkey onto a large clean cutting board so the bottom stays crisp. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
For Carving the Turkey
- When ready to carve, place the turkey and rack back in the roasting pan, then transfer the turkey to the cutting board. Remove the butcher’s twine, if used, and discard the herbs from the cavity. The herbs and pan drippings can be reserved for gravy.
- Remove the wings, then the legs and thighs, popping the joints and using a sharp carving knife to make clean cuts. Separate the thighs from the drumsticks at the joint, if desired.
- Remove each breast by slicing close along the rib cage, then slice the breast meat to your desired thickness. Arrange everything on a serving platter with fresh herbs and lemons or oranges, if desired. Save the bones and carcass for turkey stock or broth, but avoid using the roasted lemon since it can make the stock bitter.
Notes
How to Store
- Fridge: Remove the remaining meat from the carcass and divide into shallow airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Pack meat into freezer-safe containers or bags, pressing out extra air, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
- Reheating: Place portions in a baking dish with a splash of broth, cover with foil, and warm in a 325°F oven until the meat reaches 165°F. Reheat only what you plan to serve!
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Make room before you start. Check that your brining container fits in the fridge and your roasting pan fits in the oven. Do that before you have a heavy, slippery turkey in your hands boo.
- Dry the hidden spots too. After brining, blot underneath the wings, around the legs, and inside the cavity. Pooled brine keeps those areas damp even when the breast looks dry.
- Ease the skin away with your fingers. Start at the cavity end and slowly loosen the skin over the breasts without tearing it. Spread the butter in an even layer instead of leaving one big lump.
- Shield the spots that brown first. Loosely cover the breast or exposed wing tips with foil if they’re getting dark while the meat still needs cooking.
- Put your leftover turkey right to work! I shred some for my turkey tetrazzini, tuck it into a turkey pot pie, or make a pot of turkey and dumplings. I freeze whatever I won’t use in the next few days and save the carcass for stock too. We’re getting more than one dinner out of that bird!
Serving Ideas
- Gravies and Sauces: Spoon some turkey gravy or giblet gravy over the sliced turkey, and add homemade cranberry sauce on the side.
- Holiday Sides: Make room for cheesy scalloped potatoes, Southern baked mac and cheese, and crispy smashed potatoes. Roasted carrots are delish too!
- Stuffing and Dressing: Turkey has to go with dressing boos, period. Serve this Southern roasted turkey with cornbread dressing, sausage dressing, oyster dressing, or seafood dressing.
- Something Sweet: Finish with a slice of sweet potato pie or pecan pie and a warm mug of spiced apple cider. Y’all know I’m saving room for pie!
Recipe Help
The skin is too wet or the butter is too cold. Pat the turkey dry and soften the butter until it spreads easily, then rub it on with your hands.
Nope! This recipe uses butter under the skin and over the outside, so there’s no need to keep opening the oven to baste.
Loosely cover the breast with foil and keep roasting until the thighs reach 165°F too. The foil helps prevent more browning, but the breast will keep cooking.
Yes!! Go by the thermometer, not the color. The thickest part of the breast and the innermost parts of the thighs and wings should all reach at least 165°F, without the thermometer touching bone.
Slice it and spoon warm broth or gravy over the meat. For a juicy roast turkey next time, start checking the temperature earlier so it doesn’t overcook.
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