How to Cook a Turkey
Our step-by-step guide on how to cook a turkey is the only recipe you’ll ever need! From prepping the turkey to seasoning it and roasting it to perfection. This recipe covers everything you need to know and more!
Ingredients
turkey-
- 12 lbs turkey (between 12-14 lbs)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or canola oil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 large lemon, sliced
butter-
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened (1½ sticks)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil or canola oil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
seasoning-
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tsp ground paprika
- ¾ tsp onion powder
stuffing-
- 1 medium onion
- 1 large lemon, quartered
- 1 large lime, quartered
- 1 garlic head, halved
- small bunch of cilantro or parsley
Instructions
Prep Turkey-
- Adjust the oven rack to low. Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, combine all the seasonings. Combine butter, oil, and minced garlic. Add half the seasoning to the butter and mix.
- Remove the bird from the packaging and discard the giblets and neck from inside the turkey. Rinse the turkey and thoroughly pat dry the bird.
- Loosen and lift the skin on top of the turkey and rub some butter mixture underneath the skin (about half).
- Rub the rest of the butter mixture over the entire bird. Season the turkey with the seasoning mixture and tuck the bird’s wings underneath the neck.
- Stuff the turkey with the onion, garlic, lemon, lime (and a small bunch of fresh herbs if you have them). Tie the turkey legs with kitchen twine.
How to Cook a Turkey-
- Place foil on the bottom of an 11×15 roasting pan. Add chicken broth, oil, parsley, and lemon slices into the roasting pan.
- Add the rack to the pan. Place the turkey onto the rack. Roast turkey for 30 minutes at 400°F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and baste the turkey. Fold some foil in half and cover the breasts of the turkey.
- Reduce oven to 325°F, and cook the turkey an additional 3-4 hours until the thickest part of the bird has an internal reading of 165°F. For extra crispy skin, broil the turkey for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the bird from the oven and rest for 20 minutes before plating and carving.
Notes
- Season generously. Don’t be shy with the seasoning and butter compound.
- Cover the bird in foil. After basting the turkey, cover just the breasts in foil. This will prevent them from drying out while the rest of the turkey cooks.
- Don’t discard the juices. All those drippings at the bottom of the pan are packed with flavor. Serve alongside the turkey or turn it into a rich gravy.
- Storage. Keep leftover turkey stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Eat the turkey cold or reheat on a pan until warmed throughout.