Thanksgiving is incomplete without a perfectly roasted turkey. Our guide to The Best Roasted Turkey will ensure you're the hero of the holiday feast. We've gathered a collection of mouthwatering recipes that guarantee a tender, flavorful turkey that'll steal the show. From classic herb-infused roasts to tantalizingly spiced turkeys, there's a recipe to suit every taste. Our team of culinary experts shares their secrets for achieving crispy skin, succulent meat, and a rich, aromatic gravy that will leave your guests clamoring for more.
These recipes are not just for special occasions. Roasted turkey can be enjoyed all year round, whether it's a cozy family dinner or a casual weekday meal. Our collection includes recipes that cater to different dietary preferences, such as gluten-free and low-carb options. Whether you prefer a traditional roast turkey with stuffing, a juicy smoked turkey, or a flavorful turkey roulade, we have you covered.
So, grab your apron and get ready to embark on a culinary journey that will make you a roasting pro. Your family and friends will be amazed by the succulent, perfectly cooked turkey you'll create using our expert-curated recipes. Happy roasting!
OVEN-ROASTED TURKEY
Provided by Patrick and Gina Neely : Food Network
Time 3h50m
Yield 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Mix the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle some of the spice rub inside the cavity of the turkey. Separate the skin from the breast meat with your fingers, starting at the top of the breast and sliding to the right and left, then working down. Massage some of the rub onto the meat under the skin. Sprinkle the remaining rub on the turkey's skin. Place the turkey on a sheet tray and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours so the flavors can marry.
- Set a rack at the lowest position in the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under. Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Drizzle the outside of the turkey with a few tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the turkey about 3 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Transfer the turkey to a platter, cover loosely with foil and let rest 30 minutes before carving.
PERFECT ROAST TURKEY
Use lemon, garlic and thyme to flavor Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Turkey recipe from Barefoot Contessa on Food Network, great for the holidays or just dinner.
Provided by Ina Garten
Categories main-dish
Time 3h20m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside.
- Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.
- Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.
- Slice the turkey and serve.
THE BEST ROASTED TURKEY
We wanted a moist and flavorful bird with plenty of well-seasoned drippings. (That way we could use them to make the best gravy!) The key is to use traditional Thanksgiving herbs (think parsley, sage, rosemary, bay and thyme) and classic aromatics like onion and garlic. For richness, we basted with butter which also makes the most golden-brown and crispy skin. Leaving the bird untrussed allows the air to circulate for more even cooking.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 3h10m
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Adjust a rack in the lowest position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Remove any turkey parts from the neck and breast cavities and reserve for other uses if desired. Dry the bird well with paper towels, inside and out. Salt and pepper the inside of the breast cavity and stuff the onion, garlic, herbs, and bay leaves inside. Set the bird on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan breast-side up. Brush generously with half of the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tent the bird with foil.
- Roast the turkey for 2 hours. Remove the foil and baste with the remaining butter. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F in the thigh of the bird, about 45 minutes more.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Carve and serve.
THE WORLD'S BEST TURKEY
This recipe makes a deliciously moist turkey.
Provided by Sarah
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 4h10m
Yield 16
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Gently loosen turkey breast skin, and insert pieces of butter between the skin and breast. Place apples inside the turkey's cavity. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place turkey in a roasting bag, and pour Champagne over the inside and outside of the bird. Close bag, and place turkey in a roasting pan.
- Bake turkey 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) when measured in the meatiest part of the thigh. Remove turkey from bag, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 590.5 calories, Carbohydrate 3.6 g, Cholesterol 213.6 mg, Fat 29.3 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Protein 68.2 g, SaturatedFat 10.5 g, Sodium 207.2 mg, Sugar 2.2 g
PERFECT TURKEY
A perfectly seasoned and juicy turkey. My friend from France taught me to cook turkey like this, but she never measures anything so use your own judgment for vegetable amounts, etc. I usually err on the side of 'more is better'!
Provided by Shelly White
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 17h
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
- Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.
- Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 593.8 calories, Carbohydrate 1.6 g, Cholesterol 241.9 mg, Fat 31.2 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 69.8 g, SaturatedFat 10.1 g, Sodium 7846 mg, Sugar 0.7 g
VERY MOIST AND FLAVORFUL ROAST TURKEY
Does your turkey need a boost of moisture and flavor? Try this! Tweak it to your own liking as much as your imagination wants. Carve the entire turkey and save the bones, joints, tail, wing tips, drippings, and reserved onion, garlic and celery (but NOT the skin) to make turkey soup. Mix the apple pieces into your dressing.
Provided by Andie
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 4h30m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces, quarter the pieces, and refrigerate butter until needed.
- Use your fingers to loosen the skin over the turkey breast and thighs. Cut a hole in the turkey skin between tail and body (to affix legs); cut a hole on each side of the turkey beneath each wing (to affix wings). Rub the entire skin with vegetable oil.
- Toss apple and onion wedges, garlic cloves, and celery in a large bowl until combined; sprinkle poultry seasoning over the apple mixture and toss again to coat. Stuff the body and neck cavities with the apple mixture. Insert each wing tip into the hole under the wing to secure wings; insert both legs into hole near tail to secure legs.
- Place turkey onto a rack and set in a roasting pan. Insert cold butter pieces under the loosened skin, distributing the butter as evenly as possible.
- Roast the turkey in the preheated oven until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 3 1/2 hours. Check for doneness after 3 hours.
- Remove roasting pan containing turkey from oven and cover with aluminum foil, lightly pressing the foil directly onto the bird. Let the turkey rest for 40 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 774.2 calories, Carbohydrate 6.1 g, Cholesterol 284.8 mg, Fat 40.3 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 91.3 g, SaturatedFat 14.2 g, Sodium 305.3 mg, Sugar 3.5 g
THE BEST ROAST TURKEY YOU COULD EVER EAT
While the cooking method is rather unconventional, this is the absolute best turkey you could ever want to eat. Adapted from a recipe by the late Edna Staebler. This is the same way my mother always cooked her turkey each year. We never ever did have a dry turkey. Word of truth.
Provided by MarieRynr
Categories Whole Turkey
Time 4h40m
Yield 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Rinse the turkey and dry it well. Sprinkle the cavity well with salt. Stuff as desired.
- Rub the softened butter all over the outside of the bird, and sprinkled it lightly with salt.
- Place the turkey on the rack of a large roaster, which has a heavy bottom, pouring about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the pan.
- Lay the neck and giblets alongside, cover the pan tightly and put it on the large burner on top of the stove. Allow it to boil and then steam gently for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, approximately the same length of time that it would take to roast the same bird. Take care to see the pan does not cook dry.
- When the drumsticks are loosened and the meat thermometer indicates the bird is about done, dribble a bot of soft butter over the skin, sprinkled it with a bit of white sugar and flour and bang it into a 350*F oven to brown while theaccompanying vegetables are cooking on top of the stove.
- The drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan will be a rich dark brown. Skim off any fat and then use them to make a rich gravy.
A SIMPLY PERFECT ROAST TURKEY
Simple, perfect roast turkey just like grandma used to make. Seasoned with salt and pepper, and basted with turkey stock, the flavors of the turkey really stand out. Stuff with your favorite dressing.
Provided by Syd
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Whole Turkey Recipes
Time 4h30m
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
- Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
- Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 4 hours.
- Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 662.6 calories, Carbohydrate 13.7 g, Cholesterol 211.4 mg, Fat 33.8 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 72.2 g, SaturatedFat 10.4 g, Sodium 709.5 mg, Sugar 2 g
JUICY ROAST TURKEY
I can't wait to serve this juicy turkey at Thanksgiving-so I make it several times throughout the year. The aroma that wafts through the house as it bakes is almost as mouthwatering as the bird itself. -Terrie Herman, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 3h50m
Yield 12 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Brush over turkey. Place turkey on a platter. Cover and refrigerate for 1-24 hours. , Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Add the onion, celery and parsley to turkey cavity. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Arrange bacon over top of turkey breast. Spread butter over turkey. Pour broth and water into pan., Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 3-1/2 to 4 hours, basting occasionally. Remove turkey from oven. If desired, remove and discard bacon. Tent with foil; let stand 20 minutes before carving. If desired, skim fat and thicken pan drippings for gravy. Serve with turkey.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 535 calories, Fat 29g fat (9g saturated fat), Cholesterol 219mg cholesterol, Sodium 594mg sodium, Carbohydrate 2g carbohydrate (1g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 62g protein.
Tips:
- Thaw your turkey properly: Place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours per 4-5 pounds of turkey. For faster thawing, submerge the wrapped turkey in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes until thawed.
- Choose the right size turkey: A general rule is to allow 1 pound of turkey per person, but you may need more if you want leftovers or have a larger appetite.
- Season the turkey inside and out: Use a combination of herbs, spices, and salt and pepper to create a flavorful turkey. You can also inject the turkey with a marinade or brine to enhance the flavor.
- Roast the turkey at the right temperature: The ideal temperature for roasting a turkey is 325°F (163°C). This will help the turkey cook evenly without drying it out.
- Cover the turkey loosely with foil: This will help the turkey cook more evenly and prevent the skin from burning.
- Baste the turkey regularly: This will help keep the turkey moist and prevent it from drying out. You can use butter, oil, or a combination of both.
- Let the turkey rest before carving: This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the turkey, making it more tender and flavorful.
Conclusion:
With careful preparation and cooking, you can create a delicious and memorable roasted turkey that will be the centerpiece of your holiday meal. Remember to thaw the turkey properly, choose the right size turkey, season it well, roast it at the right temperature, cover it loosely with foil, baste it regularly, and let it rest before carving. With these tips, you'll be able to create a perfectly roasted turkey that your family and friends will love.
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