Easy, No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

Wondering how to make the best Thanksgiving turkey ever this year? This easy Turkey recipe is the answer. It packs tons of flavor and makes a juicy Thanksgiving turkey slathered with garlic herb butter and browned to perfection. No brining needed in this no-fuss turkey recipe!

The BEST Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

Are you ready for it? It’s officially November which means you’re going to be having all things Thanksgiving coming at ya! And let me tell you, I have some awesome thanksgiving recipes in the queue for the next couple of weeks.

This post has been a L O N G time coming. I have been making this oven-roasted turkey recipe for years now. Basically, since I’ve been married, so 12 years to be exact!

Follow my step-by-step roasted turkey recipe and learn how to make perfect, moist turkey with crispy brown skin. Hands down the best turkey you’ll ever have! 

Let’s get started with the basics shall we?

What Size Turkey Do You Need?

When selecting my turkey the first thing I determine is how many people will be at my Thanksgiving dinner.

You need about 1.5lbs of meat per person, so just multiple 1.5 x [the number of people at dinner] and that equals the size of the turkey you need!

Preparing Your Turkey for the Big Day

Once you’ve brought your turkey home it’s time to start prepping for the big day. This needs to happen DAYS before Thanksgiving so don’t wait until the last minute!

• THAW your Turkey days ahead of time in the refrigerator. You’ll need to calculate 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey. So, if you’re turkey is 15 pounds you’ll need to thaw it in the fridge for 3 days! Here’s a handy thawing calculator if you need it.
• Once thawed, place the turkey in the sink and remove from the packaging. Hold the turkey so the cavity (hole) of the turkey is facing the sink and drain all the water out of the cavity. Remove the neck and giblets (should be in a bag) from the turkey and set aside. Hint: you could use these later to make a gravy if you’d like.
• Don’t wash your turkey. Instead, pat the turkey dry and place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan breast side up. This is the roasting pan with rack that I use.

What You’ll Need

When it’s time to cook your turkey, here’s what you’ll need. There are three things that make my Thanksgiving turkey recipe so moist and juicy: the use of cheesecloth, citrus fruits, and a compound herb butter.

Ingredients for the Turkey:

• 15 lb. turkey – Neck + giblets removed, completely thawed and patted dry
• Large sheet of double lined cheesecloth – We are going to use this to help seal the moisture in while your turkey is roasting.
• Citrus fruits – Orange and lemons. We are going to be placing these inside your turkey. They’ll add flavor and help keep your turkey moist.
• Chicken stock or broth – You could also use vegetable both if you prefer.

Ingredients for the Garlic Herb Compound Butter:

This compound butter is super easy to make and adds tons of flavor! We are going to be sticking it in between the turkey meat and the skin (more on that below) for the ultimate juicy turkey.

• Unsalted butter – You can also use salted butter, but you may need to add the amount of salt used separately.
• Salt – I used black truffle salt from Sur la Table
• Fresh herbs – Tarragon, sage, thyme and rosemary
• Garlic cloves – Finely minced so that their flavor is distributed evenly.
• Fresh lemon zest – Also adds flavor

The trick to using this butter to cook up a moist turkey is loosening the skin and using a cheesecloth. We’re not going to just slather the butter onto the turkey, at which point it would quickly melt and slide off the meat. Instead we’re going to stuff the butter in between the turkey skin and the meat. Then, we’re going to use a cheesecloth to hold more butter in place and really let those flavors soak into the turkey.

Ok. So those are the main steps to “prep your turkey.”

How to Cook the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

When it comes to Thanksgiving turkey recipes there are a thousand questions!

What is the BEST Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe? Do you use brine? Do you use dry brine? How do you make a moist turkey? Do you put butter under the skin? How often do you baste it? What temperature what I cook it at? How long do you cook it? 

The list is long! Believe me. I looked!

So today’s I’m going to do my best to answer all of your questions. But, if I miss a few don’t hesitate to send me an email. I want your Thanksgiving Day to go off without a hitch!

For starters, I thought it would be helpful to give you a step-by-step guide (with pictures) of how to make a thanksgiving turkey recipe. I don’t know about you, but I learn better if I can see it!

Step 1: Season your turkey and prepare it for roasting.

What do you do to a turkey before roasting it? Here are my simple steps for making a moist and juicy turkey!

1. Season the cavity of the turkey (the hole) with salt and pepper!
2. Separate the skin. Using your fingers, separate the skin from the meat of the turkey. (as shown)
3. Combine the compound butter ingredients. Make an awesome garlic herb compound butter and put it under the skin. (as shown). When you put the butter under the skin, it allows all those flavors from the butter soak into the meat not just on the skin. Reserve some of that butter, because we’ll use it later.
4. Add citrus. Stuff the cavity with fresh citrus and any left over herbs you have from making the herb butter. The juice from the citrus will keep the turkey nice and moist and the herbs add another layer of flavor! In my opinion it’s way better than stuffing it with dry bread … aka stuffing.
5. Add the cheesecloth. Ok. Now for the good part. Melt the leftover butter in the microwave. Take a large strip of double layered cheesecloth and place it in the melted herb butter. Completely soak the cheese cloth. Then lay it over as much of the turkey as possible. You’ll cook the turkey the entire time with this cheese cloth on, basting over it and everything. It ensures that the turkey does not get burnt AND gives it an even brown. Plus it’s more butter on the skin! Winning!
6. Add 4 cups of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. This will catch all the drippings which is LOTS of flavor and great to use on the turkey as you baste it through the roasting process.

In my opinion, you don’t have to use a brine to make a moist turkey. With these simple steps – adding flavor to the right parts of the turkey and elements that will keep the turkey moist, like citrus. You’ll have a perfect turkey every time!

Step 2: Roast and baste your turkey. Don’t forget resting time too!

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Roast the turkey. Once the turkey is prepped and ready to roast (according to the instructions above or in the recipe card) place turkey in the lower third of the oven and roast at 425 degrees F for 45 minutes.
3. Baste the turkey with the drippings and broth from the bottom of the pan. (Leaving the cheese cloth on.)
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Place turkey back in the oven and roast 15 minutes per pound. For example, I did a 15 pound turkey so I would need to roast a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. (15lbs x15 minutes) But, because I already roasted the turkey for 45 minutes at 425 degrees, I know I only have 3 hours left. Here is an easy to follow chart when it comes to cook time for turkey.
5. Baste turkey 3-4 times during this roasting process.
6. Check the temperature. 30 minutes prior to the turkey being done, start checking the temperature of the turkey in the thickest part of the thigh. Remove turkey from the oven when the thermometer reads 160 degrees F.
7. Let it rest. Cover turkey with a tin foil tent and let sit for 30 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute and also continue ‘cooking’ the turkey. Safe temperature to serve is 165 degrees F for the thigh and 170 degrees F for turkey breast.
8. Slice and serve!

How to Tell When Your Turkey is Done

The best way to tell your turkey is done is with an instant read meat thermometer. These are inexpensive tools that can remove all the guess work from cooking meat!

Your turkey is done when it registers 165F for the thigh and 170F for the turkey breast. Insert your thermometer in the thickest part of the meat to get an accurate reading.

Tips for Success

• Let the turkey rest. When your turkey is done it’s tempting to just dig in. But you need to let it rest for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes. This rest time lets the turkey meat absorb extra juices and is a simple way to make sure your turkey meat is moist and tender.
• No need to use an expensive roasting pan. If you have a large roasting pan that will fit your turkey, that’s perfect. But you can also use a disposable foil roasting pan, which makes post-dinner clean up a breeze.

What About the Gravy?

My favorite turkey gravy recipe is super simple to make and ready in 15 minutes. You can make it while your turkey is resting! The recipe does not need pan drippings, but you can add them if you want to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that we have covered the basics of how to roast a turkey, let’s dig into some common questions:

I CANNOT wait to hear what your tribe thought of this turkey. I know it will be a hit because it always is in my house. I constantly get asked, how do you get the turkey so moist? Well, folks. I gave you all my secrets, so now it’s your turn to use them in your favor!

Bon Appetit!

What to Serve with Thanksgiving Turkey

• Ultimate Green Bean Casserole
• The Best Maple Cranberry Sauce Recipe
• Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Oatmeal Pecan Streusel
• Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes
• Bacon Cauliflower Au Gratin
• Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

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