Description
The best Thanksgiving turkey recipe for juicy perfection with herb butter and stuffed with fresh vegetables and citrus.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (14 to 20 pound) turkey thawed
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1½ tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (for cavity)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (for cavity)
- 2 large carrots cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- 1 stalk celery cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- 1 large onion quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 orange quartered
- 1 lemon halved or quartered
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock or broth
- ½ cup apple cider
Instructions
- Remove the thawed turkey from the refrigerator one hour before roasting and prepare by removing giblets and neck.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Combine the butter, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper to prepare the herb butter.
- Pat the turkey dry and season the cavity with salt and pepper.
- Loosely stuff the turkey cavity with carrots, celery, onion, herbs, bay leaves, orange, and lemon.
- Apply herb butter under the skin of the turkey and all over the skin.
- Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under the turkey.
- Add chicken stock and apple cider to the roasting pan.
- Roast the turkey until the thermometer reads 160°F, approximately 12 to 15 minutes per pound.
- Tent with foil if the skin gets too dark.
- Remove from oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
Notes
- Save the neck and giblets for stock and gravy, or discard if preferred.
- Baste the turkey once an hour if desired.
- Tenting with foil can be done approximately 90 minutes into roasting if needed.
- Reserve drippings for making turkey gravy.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 3 to 4 hours
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 125 mg