Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe (VIDEO)
Here is everything you need to know for how to roast a turkey! Making the Thanksgiving turkey recipe feels like a big deal if you’ve never made one (or if you’ve tried and failed), but roasting a turkey is like roasting a giant chicken. It’s totally doable with the right recipe and instructions. This turkey recipe is well loved by my readers (read the glowing reviews below).
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The flavored butter is incredible and inspired by Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas Turkey. This Thanksgiving turkey recipe is simple, thoroughly written, doesn’t require lengthy marinating and it can even be completely prepped and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance so all you have to do Thanksgiving day is roast the bird!
To make sure you succeed, I have a video tutorial below on how to make a juicy and flavorful turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
Watch How to Make the Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe:
Turkeys are not terribly expensive – this 12 pounder set me back $23 or so and that was before it went on sale pre-Thanksgiving, which they always do! Some grocery stores even throw in a free turkey with $X-amount spent on groceries. It’s an economical and beautiful way to feed a crowd for the holidays. Watch the video before you begin and you’ll be well on your way to impressing everyone at your table!
Tools You Will Need for Thanksgiving Turkey:
2 Feet of Kitchen String
Heavy duty foil
A heavy roasting pan that accommodates your bird, but isn’t over-sized
An oven-safe thermometer (to ensure a fully-cooked turkey)
Turkey baster (or a large spoon)
Keep the drippings in the pan to make this incredibly flavorful and EASY Turkey Gravy.
Here’s a super handy video for how to carve a turkey from the NY Times. Also, you’ll be amazed at how much turkey meat you can recover from a turkey carcass after everyone has picked it over. You’ll be glad you saved that leftover meat when you see these leftover turkey recipes.
⬇️ Print the Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Below ⬇️
Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
Roast Turkey Recipe Ingredients:
- 12 lb turkey Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary – see below
- Salt & Pepper for the inside and outside of the bird
- 1 large onion quartered (no peeling)
- 4 garlic cloves halved (no peeling)
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1 lemon quartered
For the Flavored Butter:
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2 Tbsp olive oil not extra virgin, plus more to drizzle the top
- 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice from 1 large lemon, plus 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 3 large garlic cloves pressed
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
- 1/2 Tbsp salt I used sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
What you’ll need:
- Kitchen String
- Heavy duty foil
- A heavy roasting pan that accommodates your bird but isn’t over-sized
- A temperature probe to ensure a fully-cooked turkey
Instructions
Seasoning, Stuffing and Tying up a Turkey:
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Season inside turkey cavity generously with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
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In a mixing bowl, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash/stir with fork until combined (lemon juice doesn’t easily blend into butter, but keep mixing a few minutes and it will happen).
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Separate skin from the turkey breast by carefully pushing your fingers under skin from the front and the back of the turkey. Do not tear the skin.
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Stuff 2/3 of the butter mix under skin then massage over the top of the skin to spread the butter around.
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Quickly pat dry the outside of turkey and rub with remaining 1/3 butter mixture. Drizzle turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper for a crisp, salty skin.
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Stuff turkey with quartered lemon, 1/2 bunch parsley, quartered onion, and 4 halved garlic cloves, Tie turkey base and legs together with kitchen string; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity.
How to Roast a Turkey:
Prep: Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F with rack in the lower part of your oven.
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Fold a square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of triangle with olive oil and place it (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast to shape it into a shield. Remove foil and set aside (you'll put it back on in step 3).
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Place oven-safe meat thermometer into turkey beneath the drumstick and deep into the dark meat. Start roasting at 430˚F for 20 min.
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Remove from oven; quickly baste with liquid from bottom of pan using a baster or large spoon. Re-apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.
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Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 170˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 160˚F to make sure it's fully cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it's out of the oven).
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Transfer to serving platter and cover fully but loosely with foil. Let turkey rest at least 1 hour for it to tenderize. Keep the drippings for a most amazing gravy!
Recipe Notes
!Required Prep for Roast Turkey Recipe:
*If using frozen turkey, defrost it in its original bag in refrigerator 3 days.
*Let turkey sit at room temp 30 minutes before you begin (it will bake more evenly). *Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the turkey.
*Rinse turkey under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Let turkey sit in on paper towels to soak up excess water.
*Fold wings behind/under the turkey or they will be the quickest to dry out.
*Cooking temps based on the USDA which now says the safe poultry temp is 165˚F but the deeper thigh parts really should be at 170˚ to be fully cooked through.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Yum yum!! All we need now is some cranberry sauce to go with that Thanksgiving turkey. If you have a great cranberry sauce recipe you could share, I’d love to hear about it in a comment below! 🙂
P.S. Turkey in gravy is my absolute favorite leftover turkey recipe – and it’s also well loved by my children, and parents and relatives. In other words, it’s a BIG WIN in our family :).
natashaskitchen
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Natasha
I noticed you didn’t use a rack with the roasting pan. Our pan has a rack but I didn’t use it either. Should we have?
Hi Josh, you do not need a rack for this recipe – the turkey self bastes on the bottom in the flavored butter for incredible flavor and tender meat
I made my 2019 Thanksgiving turkey using this recipe. I must say, that foil triangle is the key! It came out perfect!
I’m making the same turkey for the Super Bowl – Fresh Turkey Sandwiches are a Super idea for a Super Bowl meal!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Jake!
I love your cooking videos I know people have asked if you have cooked this recipe in a roaster oven . I have a very large crowd and need to cook two turkeys would it be possible for you to do a roast oven turkey someday . The ones on many site don’t look that good . Thank you if it’s possible .
Hi Patricia, thank you so much for that suggestion.
thank you for sharing. Look very hummy
This was super delicious! Made it for my in laws on Thanksgiving. They all loved it! Thank you, Natasha
Yay! That’s just awesome! Will you be making it for Christmas or New Yeards also?
I made this for our Thanksgiving 2019 – it was amazingly juicy and tender. I had cut my finger, so my son “stuffed” the butter mixture under the skin and “massaged” the outside too. We all said we should make this more often during the year and not just @ holiday time. Thank you so much! My other son made a video of the “stuffing”! It’s pretty funny!
That’s amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing that BarB! I hope your fingers heals soon!
Made this for Thanksgiving yesterday, turned out amazing! This was the most moist bird we’ve ever had, meat was literally falling off the bone and the flavor was amazing too!! I used a 21lb bird and cooked in a cooking bag at 325 for 4.5 hrs. Perfection!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Jackie!! That’s so great!
Made this turkey recipe for my husband and I’s first thanksgiving with our parents and siblings. Everyone loved it and couldn’t stop raving about how moist it was. Thank you for this recipe, you made our first thanksgiving a huge success
That’s so great, Nadia!! Sounds like you found a favorite!
Hi Kathleen, thank you so much for sharing your recipes and ideas!
Thank you, Natasha! The best turkey Recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Used this recipe on our 18 pound Thanksgiving turkey. Everyone raved about it. Best turkey I ever made! Thank you for sharing it with us.
You’re welcome, Susan! I’m so glad you all enjoyed this! Happy Thanksgiving!
Can you make this with a 20 pound turkey with a longer cooking time !???
Hi Brittany, I would recommend more seasoning/ butter mixture for that size you will need it. One of my readers, Shannon, shares her experience with a 23 pound turkey (Thanks Shannon!): “Used this recipe last night with a 23 pound turkey and it was superb!! I used 3 sticks of butter instead of the 2, about 1 cup of parsley, kept the zest and juice of 2 lemons and quartered them for the stuffing. Kept 1 large onion peeled & largely sliced, used about 8 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half.
Cooked at 430 for 20 minutes and then 350 for about 5 1/2 hours, basting occasionally. I used the tin foil hat and had to made a couple other tin foil accessories for the legs that started to scorch. Took the tin foil hat off when it had 10 minutes of cook time left to ensure a nice browned top. Had tons of drippings to make a delicious gravy with. Will use this recipe every year! So flavorful and yummy. Thank you”
My family is enjoying all your recipes…they’re great and easy to follow.
This year for Thanksgiving I will be using your Turkey Recipe.
What kind of oil can I use instead of olive oil?
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Hi Lilly, If I had to choose I would recommend canola oil.
Thank you!
I am so looking forward to roasting my turkey this way.
I hope you love it! We look forward to your feedback!
I used this recipe for Thanksgiving dinner and it was absolutely delicious. I had a 20 lb turkey and multiplied the recipe by 1.5. It was the best, most flavorful turkey my family has ever had! Everyone was raving about it and is now asking for left over turkey sandwiches. Thank you for this recipe and the video. It was my first time making a turkey, so the video was extremely helpful!!!
That’s just awesome, Allie! I’m so inspired reading your review. Thank you!
Hands down best turkey recipe ever. I tell everybody about it. Fantastic! Every year my husband always sez–make sure you follow Natasha’s recipe to a T. Will never make turkey any other way. Thx Natasha!!
Hi Lisa, I’m so happy to hear that! thank you for the wonderful review!
This has become my go-to Turkey recipe! I found it 3 years ago after many different attempts (Alton Brown’s brined bird, Ina Garten’s recipe, my husband even tried smoking a turkey one year). It was just never that great. Then I came across your recipe and I’ve never looked back (and sorry, but for us, the brining was not at all worth the trouble). Stick with this recipe. It’s so easy compared to most and the results are SO much better! Last year I used a Jennie-O turkey and Kerrygold butter and it was out of this world delicious. Another key is making sure to use a meat thermometer that you can set to alert you when the turkey reaches the proper temp. That way, you’re not overcooking. I can’t wait to make this again this year!! Thanks so much for this recipe, Natasha!
You’re welcome, Amy! I’m so glad you found a favorite on our blog! Thank you for that amazing review!
Hi Natasha ,
I am planning to follow your recipe and prep it the day before . Any tips or special instructions in prepping a day before baking ? Do I cover it with plastic wrap in a roasting pan or aluminum foil ? Thanks .
Hi Maria, I have prepped the entire turkey without baking then cover with either plastic wrap or aluminum foil (both work well) and refrigerate overnight. I find it tasted even better! Let it sit at room temperature for about an hour for more even baking.
Hi Natasha!
I am excited to try your recipe. I have a question about prepping the turkey the day before. When the butter gets cold, it will fall off the outer skin. Any suggestions on how to prevent this? Should I wait to do that part until Thanksgiving Day Thank you!
Hi Marlene, I haven’t had that happen but if you let it sit at room temperature (per the recipe) for about an hour that will allow for more even baking and for the butter to soften again allowing you to spread it again if it happens to fall off.
Hi Natasha!
This recipe looks amazing! My family is not a fan of dark meat, so we usually just by large turkey breasts. Would this recipe still work with just the breast?
Thank you!
Hi Cindy, yes that should work fine, but I would suggest using a meat thermometer since it will bake faster with just the turkey breast and not the full turkey.
this looks delicious! Do you think it would be okay to use this along with a brine?
Hi Bree, several of our readers reported great results using a brine. I hope this helps.
Can you use this recipe and cook in an electric roaster?
Hi Danielle, I honestly haven’t tried making this in an electric roaster so I can’t advise on that. If someone else has tried, please let us know and thanks in advance.
Can you use this recipe with a fresh turkey or is it best with frozen?
Thanks!
Hi Amy, a fresh turkey would be great. You can just skip the thawing step.
Looks awesome! And for fresh cranberry sauce, here’s my simple, tangy sweet one:
Made this as a trial run for Thanksgiving and it is what will be for dinner that day!! Question though on the being able to prep this the day before Natasha. So do you do everything, stuff it and all then just cover it and put in the fridge? Do you need to let it sit out longer than the 30 min. the next day? Thanks!!
Hi Kim, if the parsley is fresh when you put it in, it will keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days without withering since it will be chilled, it should stay crisp and fresh.
So delicious! My first time making turkey and it was phenomenal( 16 pounds). The turkey had amazing flavour and was so juicy! We let it rest for 1-2 hours before serving it just kept it covered and it was still warm! Instead of the foil cover we used a roasting pan with a lid. Also I didn’t have virgin olive oil so I used avocado oil
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Thanks for this recipe. I’d like to try this out for Thanksgiving this year. I will have a large group though so do you think this recipe would work if I doubled it on 20 plus pound turkey?
Wow! That’s quite the party! I would recommend more seasoning/ butter mixture for that size you will need it. One of my readers, Shannon, shares her experience with a 23 pound turkey (Thanks Shannon!): “Used this recipe last night with a 23 pound turkey and it was superb!! I used 3 sticks of butter instead of the 2, about 1 cup of parsley, kept the zest and juice of 2 lemons and quartered them for the stuffing. Kept 1 large onion peeled & largely sliced, used about 8 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half.
Cooked at 430 for 20 minutes and then 350 for about 5 1/2 hours, basting occasionally. I used the tin foil hat and had to made a couple other tin foil accessories for the legs that started to scorch. Took the tin foil hat off when it had 10 minutes of cook time left to ensure a nice browned top. Had tons of drippings to make a delicious gravy with. Will use this recipe every year! So flavorful and yummy. Thank you”
Hi Natasha, I want to make this turkey recipe this Christmas, but I am confused, you have two recipes, this one and Juicy Roast Turkey, are they the same?
Hi Cristina, they are the same recipe – it was before we had an easy way to add a video to a recipe so we had to publish a new post but yes its the same 🙂
Just did it for Canadian Thanks Given holiday. Amazing recipe!
Thank you Natasha!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Natasha – thanks so much for this. I made this last week for our family get together and it was delicious – Joe
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
Got such rave reviews on the turkey I cooked with your recipe. Very moist and tasty
That’s so great, Pam! Thank you for sharing that with me!
This was the best turkey recipe ever!!! It was so easy with your video. I’m so happy that I found your blog. Thank you
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This was the best turkey I’ve made–loved this recipe and will be using it in the future! Very juicy and lots flavor. So glad to have found your site and look forward to trying other recipes!
I’m so happy to hear you are enjoying my blog! Thank you for sharing that with us 🙂
Oh my goodness, this was the best, juiciest most flavorful turkey I have ever made for Thanksgiving! So glad to have found this recipe when searching and was very thankful for your video to go along with it. This will be our turkey recipe from here on out! Thanks for sharing and now that I have found your site, I look forward to trying other recipes!! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m so happy you discovered our blog. Welcome! 🙂
I tried this and I cannot tell you how incredibly delicious it is! It was a little more time but worth every bit. I have never been the biggest fan of turkey because it’s such a dry meat, but that is no longer true! Moist, tender, flavorful and delicious is how the turkey came out! Thank you so much for such a great recipe!
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
This was an amazing turkey and easy to make for even a rookie like me! The gravy from it was incredible. Thanks so much for this recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Hello, I’m making this tomorrow and I’m very excited to see how it turns out. I know you don’t use the rack but will it turn out ok if I use it when cooking mine? Thank you!
Julie
I don’t use a rack for this one and it works out great. The dark meat under the turkey turns out super flavorful 🙂I don’t time will need to be adjusted but I do recommend watching it closely towards the end there.
It is the night before Thanksgiving and I only have EVOO and canola oil… which do you recommend??
Kathie, extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point. I think it could work but might get smoky initially at the higher heat. I would recommend canola if choosing between the two.
I have already purchased a 19 pound turkey , i cant wait to try the recipe
What would your estimate be for cooking time in the recipe ?
Also, Any changes to seasoning ?
Hi Nichole, read a few comments down, I just answered the same question about a 19lb turkey. I hope that’s helpful! 🙂
Made this for my work thanksgiving, it was amazing had so many compliments thank you for this awesome and easy! Recipe wild o again next year
That’s so great! Thank you for the wonderful review!!
Hi Natasha
I am so excited to be using your recipe for my first turkey! 🤗 I don’t see you using a rack under the turkey in pan but I have been told I should. Please confirm you don’t need rack. Happy thanksgiving!
Samantha
Hi Samantha, you do not need a rack for this recipe – the turkey self bastes on the bottom in the flavored butter for incredible flavor and tender meat 🙂
Thank you!!
I can’t wait to try this recipe this year.
I have already purchased a 20 pound bird.
What would your estimate be for cooking time with that size bird as opposed to the 10-12 lb bird used in the recipe (aside from checking internal temps of course)?
Also, Any changes to seasoning measurements with a 20 pounder?
Thank you so much!
Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍁
I would recommend more seasoning/ butter mixture for that size you will need it. One of my readers, Shannon, shares her experience with a 23 pound turkey (Thanks Shannon!): “Used this recipe last night with a 23 pound turkey and it was superb!! I used 3 sticks of butter instead of the 2, about 1 cup of parsley, kept the zest and juice of 2 lemons and quartered them for the stuffing. Kept 1 large onion peeled & largely sliced, used about 8 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half.
Cooked at 430 for 20 minutes and then 350 for about 5 1/2 hours, basting occasionally. I used the tin foil hat and had to made a couple other tin foil accessories for the legs that started to scorch. Took the tin foil hat off when it had 10 minutes of cook time left to ensure a nice browned top. Had tons of drippings to make a delicious gravy with. Will use this recipe every year! So flavorful and yummy. Thank you”
That is wonderful and so helpful. Thank you so much!!!
Can I use this turkey recipe using a Butterball turkey?
Hi Merry, yes I have tried a butterball with good results 🙂
Quick questions. Can I use a roasting pan with grill for this?
Can’t wait to try this recipe this Thanksgiving
Hi Claudia, To clarify, are you asking if it is possible to grill the turkey on a grill? I haven’t tried that myself. But I would love to know how it turns out if you experiment!
It’s my first year hosting thanksgiving and I can’t wait to make my turkey this way! I’ve tried so many of your recipes and loved them so I’m sure I’ll love this one too!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I’m all smiles! Sounds like your first thanksgiving hosting will be amazing!
hay Natasha, love your page and recipes, have tried many. as I live in Australia I have been checking out your thanksgiving turkey and gravy and was wondering if you had a side stuffing to go with it . looking at making it for our xmas over here
Hi Karen, I don’t cook stuffing inside the turkey because it isn’t traditional in our family and the juices from the turkey drip into the stuffing while baking so the stuffing needs to get to 145˚F for it to be safe for consumption and by that time, the turkey breast becomes much too dry. I’ve seen some methods pre-cooking the stuffing partially and others make the stuffing and bake it in a separate dish and serve it on the side.
I made a couple mistakes: I used cilantro instead of parsley (OOPS. Who thinks they can use cilantro on roast turkey?) and there was a small tear on the skin covering the breast. With that said, it was still delicious, with both white and dark meat being moist, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. I will definitely make it again – and I’ll be sure to use parsley next time!
I’m happy to hear the recipe was such a success! Thanks for sharing your outstanding review Kimberly!
I used this recipe last Thanksgiving and it was delicious and a big hit with my family! They designated me with the job of cooking the turkey from now on! Haha. I have also tried your flavored butter from this recipe with a whole chicken and put cut up potatoes and carrots in the same pan and it was great! It was so juicy and tender! It’s become a family favorite! Thank you for these great recipes!
You’re welcome Courtney! I’m glad to hear the recipe is such a success. Thanks for following and sharing your great reviews!
So I know it’s not Thanksgiving but I was looking through Pinterest and saw this recipe come up and thought oh I forgot to comment ! So here I am. I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. The turkey turns out AMAZING. I have made it twice for Friendsgiving and I’m officially the person who is making the turkey every year. So thank you thank you thank you , the turkey turns out amazing.
My pleasure Lana! I’m glad to hear the recipe is such a hit. Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Thank you for this recipe. I cooked my turkey for Christmas and it was delicious. So tender and juicy.
My pleasure! I’m happy to hear how much you enjoyed the turkey. Thanks for sharing and Happy Holidays!
Natasha if I wanted to brine my turkey first then use this recipe and then put it on my traeger smoker do you have any recommendations on a brine to use? Any help appreciated!
Hi Suni, I usually make my turkey without the brine so I don’t have a good recipe written out. Sorry I can’t be more helpful! If any of my lovely readers wishes to share, thanks a million in advance!! 🙂
Just want to say I tried this recipe and it was wonderful, one of the best turkeys I’ve ever made! Thanks so much!
You’re welcome Patsy! I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your great review!
I used this recipe this Thanksgiving and the turkey came out EXCELLENT! Thank you so much!!!!
You’re welcome Marina! I’m so glad everyone loves it! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
I made this for Thanksgiving it was wonderful! This will be my new “go to recipe.” Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome Elizabeth! I’m glad to hear the recipe is such a success! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Oh my goodness! I followed your turkey recipe exactly and the turkey was a huge success! It was so moist and delicious! Thank you so much for sharing! Happy Thanksgiving!
My pleasure Maggie! I’m glad to hear the recipe is a HIT! Happy Thanksgiving to you and thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
I just found this recipe and decided to try it because I’ve never been a fan of turkey because it is always so dry. It was amazing! Everyone loved it. They said I needed to make 5 next year! Obviously, that will not be happening, so I shared the recipe with them and said everyone can bring one. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
You’re welcome Tracy! I’m glad to hear how much everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You are very welcome! 🙂
Excellent recipe! We made it exactly as written and the turkey was outstanding. This recipe is a keeper!
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for the amazing review and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hi Natasha, I have always used a turkey roaster and my turkeys do not brown. Would you suggest transferring the turkey to the oven for a bit of time for browning?
Thank you!
Hi Cherie, that can be tricky since it depends on how long it has been roasting. I don’t have any experience with turkey roasters since I always roast mine in the oven, but my concern would be overcooking or drying out the turkey breast by trying to brown it after cooking in a roaster. Maybe someone else can share any insights or tips on using the turkey roaster? Thanks in advance friends! 🙂
Hello Natasha, I just want to thank you-you for this easy and amazing turkey recipe. This is my second time to make it and it does never fail on me. Thank you for sharing and please do more recipes like this. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
You are very welcome Tess and thank you for such a wonderful review 😀
Was given last min notice that a friend was wanting to ave turkey after all so, since I have to cook for them (regularly), I knew I didn’t have enough time to thaw theirs from the freezer…I purchased a half breast, 2 thighs, 1 drum, and 1 wing via 3 pkgs already thawed today. I will use your recipe but curious on baking guidelines as these are not the whole bird. Any hints to assure a moist outcome with these pieces? Thx
Hi Susan, I would suggest using a thermomether. I haven’t cooked it this way so I’m not exactly sure on the timing, but a thermometer will ensure it doesn’t turn out dry or under-done. You might google spatchcocked turkey or butterflied turkey to get a baking time that is closer to what you are planning.
First time baking a turkey last year and it turned out amazing!!!! …..Question have you ever tried this recipe on chicken? (Just change the baking time)
Hi Julia, I haven’t personally but I love that idea and I bet it would work great. I would decrease the amount of butter mix proportionally and yes decrease the bake time. I have had a couple of readers report great results using this recipe for chicken (and also covering the chicken breast with foil). One of my readers said it took about 1 1/2 hours for a chicken, but it would really depend on the size of the chicken and I would suggest using a thermometer to check for doneness.
Hello Natasha, great recipe. thinking of using it for Thanksgiving next week. Just a quick question. I’ve heard of people brining a turkey in water and veggies/herbs. I’ve also heard of dry brining with salt. Do you do this? Is it necessary? Not much of a cook but want to make Thanksgiving dinner right!
Thanks!
Hi, I don’t brine with this recipe but if you prefer brining, it would just add more flavor. It wouldn’t hurt, but also isn’t necessary with this turkey recipe.
Will it make a difference if you put your oven on Roast or Bake. I always bake my turkey.
I always have my oven set to regular bake mode for my turkey as well.
Hi, Natasha! I’m planning to cook turkey this Thanksgiving for the first time. You mentioned that it can be fully prepped 3 days prior to roasting. I’d love to prep it a day before but have some concerns. Do you mean everything including stuffing with parsley? Won’t it wither? Will the result be the same?
Thanks!
Hi Aksana, if the parsley is fresh when you put it in, it will keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days without withering since it will be chilled, it should stay crisp and fresh.
Natasha – if you prep the day prior, do you need to leave out to come to room temp for more than the 30 min since the inside of the bird will be stuffed?? Thank you!
Hi Kim, I would leave it on the counter about an hour before baking so the bird can bake more uniformly.
Hi,Natasha. I want to make turkey,so what size was ur pan? My turkey is I think 20 lb.
Hi Olga, I have a link to the roasting pan that I used in this post above. I believe it was a 15 x 10 roasting dish.
Thank u. Thanks for all the good recipes,may God bless u.☺❄❄it’s going to snow,& snow here in MN & very cold here.
My pleasure Olga! Thanks for following! God Bless 🙂
Hey Natasha,
Have you bought a fresh turkey, put in in the freezer then thaw it again to cook?
Hi Melissa, I have not frozen and thawed again since I don’t typically buy the turkey that far in advance. I think it would work though – I don’t see why not, especially if it has not been frozen before, just be sure to plan enough days for thawing before you plan to cook the turkey 🙂
Natasha – can you cook the turkey in an electric roaster?
I am going to try this for Thanksgiving this looks so yummy!
Hi Monica, I don’t own an electric roaster and haven’t tested it so I can’t really advise. Maybe someone else has tried. If so, please share your tips and suggestions! Thanks in advance! 🙂
Loving yourRecipes tried a few of your recipes they amazing thank you so much for sharing them with us keep them coming thank you 💕
My pleasure! I’m happy to hear how much you’re enjoying the recipes! Thanks for following!!
Hi Natasha,
I came across your recipe and it looks amazing. I’m going to attempt my first time at making a turkey for my office thanksgiving holiday party we have every year. I will probably get a 25 lbs or less pound turkey. Do you think I should double your recipe? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. PS: I saved your website for future recipes 😊
Hi Melissa, One of my readers, Shannon, shares her experience with a 23 pound turkey (Thanks Shannon!): “Used this recipe last night with a 23 pound turkey and it was superb!! I used 3 sticks of butter instead of the 2, about 1 cup of parsley, kept the zest and juice of 2 lemons and quartered them for the stuffing. Kept 1 large onion peeled & largely sliced, used about 8 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half. Cooked at 430 for 20 minutes and then 350 for about 5 1/2 hours, basting occasionally. I used the tin foil hat and had to made a couple other tin foil accessories for the legs that started to scorch. Took the tin foil hat off when it had 10 minutes of cook time left to ensure a nice browned top. Had tons of drippings to make a delicious gravy with. Will use this recipe every year! So flavorful and yummy. Thank you”
Natasha thank you so much !! I was wondering how I was going to do it lol. I will probably make it the week before thanksgiving and let you know how it comes out. I’m also going to try your mashed potatoes 😉
My pleasure Melissa! Please let me know how it turns out!
Here I am on Thanksgiving morning trying to figure out if I should double the ingredients for a 23 pounder. Exactly what I needed! Thank you Melissa and Natasha!!! 🙂
Hi Mayya, One of my readers, Shannon, shares her experience with a 23 pound turkey (Thanks Shannon!): “Used this recipe last night with a 23 pound turkey and it was superb!! I used 3 sticks of butter instead of the 2, about 1 cup of parsley, kept the zest and juice of 2 lemons and quartered them for the stuffing. Kept 1 large onion peeled & largely sliced, used about 8 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half.
Cooked at 430 for 20 minutes and then 350 for about 5 1/2 hours, basting occasionally. I used the tin foil hat and had to made a couple other tin foil accessories for the legs that started to scorch. Took the tin foil hat off when it had 10 minutes of cook time left to ensure a nice browned top. Had tons of drippings to make a delicious gravy with. Will use this recipe every year! So flavorful and yummy. Thank you”
I made it today and I prepped it last night. Boy I tell you I had a hard time getting that butter right, first the lemon juice didn’t really want to mix Into the butter, but eventually I got it as best I could. Putting the butter inside and trying to get it on top was one slippy mess! My hands must’ve made the butter too warm and it just didn’t want to stay stuck to the turkey! Yours looked much more beautiful and easier! It is at 160 degrees after 3.5 hours I the oven, out to rest now! Hopeful it is still yummy. I will try again in the future even though it was very finicky
Thank you for sharing that with us, Marie! Was your butter at room temperature?
I love all your recipes, I am constantly printing them,maybe You should just put them together into the book,would be much easier for a lot of us ha,ha,ha.
I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes so much! Thanks for following! Creating a recipe book is definitely on my bucket list!
I did this Turkey last year and it was amazing. Never had a turkey so good. But this year my mother in-law will be joining and has an allergy to Lemons but not to Limes could that be a good substitution?
Hi Yarixa, I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!! To be honest, I haven’t tested that and searching through the comments, I haven’t seen anyone write about using lime either. Hmmm… I think it could work, but I would probably use less and maybe not put the limes inside the turkey. I hesitate to recommend it without testing it though.. Maybe someone else has tested this – if so, please let us know! 🙂
So yes !! You can use lime but it does have a little last flavor. But is could be I was a little afraid of using to much limes ! It still was great ! My family did love it
Great to know! Thank you!!
Hi Natasha, thanks for the video. Can I ask if the foil follows the bird into the oven after 20mins? I know you only tap on the bird the first time but what about the second time?
Hi! Apply the foil triangle after the turkey has roasted for 20 minutes and leave it on until done roasting 🙂
Hi Natasha, this is my first thanksgiving dinner prepared for my family as we are new immigrants here. So this is my first every attempt in roasting a turkey. A lot of people including my hubby asked me to get precooked turkey to avoid disappointment. I am glad I took your recipe and wah lah….it’s a hit for my family. I even prepared the mushroom turkey dish for my leftover today lunch.
Those juicy well cooked turkey meat is so mouthwatering to look at and taste really delicious. Thank you for the cooking tips. I will start following your site from now on…:)
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that Gillian! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
Hi Natasha,
Your turkey recipe looks amazing. It’s Canadian thanksgiving this weekend so I will prob be in the kitchen all day long. Excited and a little nervous on how my 12lbs turkey comes out. Wish me luck! P.S. I love all your recipes and will be making your gravy and mashed potato recipe too!
Hello Crystal! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes! Please let me know what you think of this one!
Wow! Hands down, the juiciest and flavourful turkey I’ve tasted. All my guests loved it! Also, the gravy and mashed potatoes were a hit. Thanks again for your recipes.
My pleasure Crystal! I’m glad to hear how much everyone enjoys the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
Natasha thank you for my Thanksgiving dinner menu for this year you are the best
My pleasure Richard! I hope you enjoy the spread! 🙂
Sorry if this is a stupid question but does the turkey get cold by leaving it rest for an hour? If so how do you warm it back up before serving?
Hi Anna, the turkey does not cool down if it is rested. It will still be warm for serving. It is important to let it rest to have the juiciest turkey meat 🙂
I’ve made this turkey last thanksgiving and it was so tender and juicy, and the gravy…..oh my, it was sooooo flavorful, I’ve never made gravy from scratch before and I’m glad I did, I was so easy and not even time consuming. Thank you
It IS so easy and delicious! I am glad you enjoyed it Yana!
Can I put the turkey in the oven bag? Does that change oven temp, and time?
I have not tested it in an oven bag so I can’t say for sure how that would work or how you would have to adjust the oven temperature. I would suggest looking at the instructions from the bags packaging.
Do you baste? Thank you!!
Yes, I baste once. Please see step three under how to roast a turkey. You can baste more often if you’d like, for even richer flavor.
Hello! I always make your Cinnamon Apple Pie recipe and it is amazing, so I can’t wait to try this one! My question is, would it be okay to stuff the bird with more so I can make a stuffing at the same time or does this change the cooking times etc? Thanks!
Hi Haley, our family never added the traditional stuffing to our Thanksgiving bird so I can’t say for sure. I have read that it’s important to have the stuffing a safe temperature to consume as well and that can be tricky to get both fully cooked and safe to eat which is why I would probably cook it separately. I would definitely suggest using a meat thermometer so your turkey doesn’t end up overcooked. Sorry that’s not the most helpful answer… I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!
Almost forgot to thank you for this turkey recipe) it was a big deal this year. I used every ingredient and proportion exactly as you did (except for the butter: have decided one stick is all we can handle) and it came out perfectly juicy and tender!!! Thank you, Natashenka! P.S. I’ve discovered that there’s a boy and a girl turkey. There are some differences between them like the size, the amount of bones and meat. Do you have a preference?
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful review! You know I never gave it much thought about the difference between a male and female turkeys. I did a little reading up on it and it sounds like male are larger and it actually should say on the package which one it is. I’ve never even paid attention but now I’m so curious!
🙂 thank you for the reply!
Dear Natashas Kitchen and everybody in that kitchen 🙂
As a first timer, I have followed all your directions step by step exactly described and we have all tasted one of the best turkeys ever. Tender, juicy, tasty and whole 15lb turkey was gone in minutes.
I am glad I found your website and recipe. Thank you so much!!!!
We ‘ll invite more people next year 🙂
Matt, thank you for such a wonderful review and I hope you’ll find many more favorites on the site 😬.
What an amazing recipe! This year was my FIRST year that my turkey came out PERFECT!!! All thanks to you and your most delisious recipe! My family of five absolutely loved it and requested it for all our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays!!! Again, Thank you so VERY much!!!
That. Is. Awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks for the amazing review!
First time making a turkey and went with this recipe…SUPER!!! Turkey was almost 18lbs which took less than an hour extra time. The gravy was so flavorful as well! Thanks a bunch for your hard work, it sure makes our lives a little easier!! 🙂
Lana, thank you for such a rave review, I’m all smiles 😬.
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving (first time cooking for Thanksgiving) and it was absolutely perfect! I prepped the turkey the day before and baked it the next day. It was juicy, tender, and so flavorful. Thank you for the video tutorial – that helped!
Irina, thank you for such a great review and you are very welcome! 😀
Hello Natasha, we just ate our turkey it was awesome!!! This recipe is great and easy. Thanks for sharing..Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!!!!
That is fantastic! Thank you so much for stopping by to share that with me today. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving day as well!
Natasha do you leave the tent on the turkey the whole cooking time? I noticed when you pulled out the Turkey at the end of the cooking time the foil was missing!
Pierre, cover the turkey with the aluminum tent after reducing the temperature and keep it on for the rest of the cooking time.
Is it ok to roast this in the rack, or directly on the bottom of the pan?
I prefer it in the bottom of the pan so the base of the turkey ends up super flavorful and tender as it roasts in the buttery juices.
Natasha,
I am going to try this turkey recipe this Thanksgiving. My plan is to prep the turkey the day before and cook it the next day. Should I do anything different because of that? Do you think I should let the turkey sit out for an hour before cooking or is 30 minutes enough in this case?
Hi Irina, letting it sit for an hour would be even better. You don’t have to change a thing when you make it ahead. I’ve made it 3 days ahead before and it turned out great 🙂
Great! Thank you.
Hi Natasha, love all your recipes! I want to try this on the 20 lb turkey this year, but contemplating if I should use Alton Brown’s brining method for 24 hours, then using your flavored butter method the night before Thanksgiving. I want to make sure the turkey is flavorful and juicy. Do you think it will be overkill to do both? Should I cut down on the salt in the butter since the turkey will be brined?
Hi Galina, I don’t think it would overkill to do both That would probably taste great given the larger bird. I think you would still be ok with the amount of salt in the butter but you can add less if you are concerned.
Making this for T-day! Woo-hoo!
Awesome!!! I hope you love it! 🙂
Hi Natasha, This turkey looks amazing, definitely will try this recipe. What other side dishes do you do for Thanksgiving ?
Hi Valentina, I hope I have time to put something together like this tomorrow but just in case I don’t, here are some ideas that I shared in our email newsletter last year 🙂
Why not extra Virginia olive oil? I’m wanting to do my turkey this way, but that’s the only kind of olive oil I have. Thanks. Looks delicious
Eileen, extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point. I think it could work but might get smoky initially at the higher heat.
Hey,natasha this is kristina you have alot of very good recipes and this one is one of the best.You have a very good taste in recipes. The turkey looks very good and crispy. How do you make it so nice and crispy?
Thank you Kristina, using the temperature in the oven and baking time makes the turkey nice and gives it a crispy appearance.
Hi Natasha,
You suggest to leave turkey for a whole hour to sit after you cooked it. My question isn’t it too long? I’m afraid it can get cold and have to be microwaved 😮
Hi Inna, don’t worry, it won’t be cold after 1 hour. If it is tented with foil, it will cool down slowly and will still be warm after an hour. If you give the turkey time to rest, the meat will be more tender, just like with a good steak. I would avoid microwaving turkey at all costs, or it will turn rubbery and dry.
Natasha,
Could you please point out the differences (if there are any) between this recipe and the one back from November 6th 2014.
Thank you in advance
Hi Diana, they are the same recipe. We just created a video to make it easier to make it 🙂
Hi! Can I use rosemary and thyme instead of parsley?
Hi Albina, I haven’t tried that combination but I think it could work well.
Hello,Natasha
Your turkey looks good and I decided to give a try for the thanksgiving (it’s my first time).
I heard that the most important to do before cooking the turkey is to brine first for 24 hours.
What do you think?
Thanks
Hi Marie, I think that would just add to the juiciness if you have time to brine it but it isn’t necessary in this recipe. I hope you love it! 🙂
What a beauty!. Bravo. I am so loving your short videos. You and Vadim are doing a wonderful job <3..
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Thank you so much for that awesome compliment! 🙂
Happy, birthday dear)
i remember its your bday today cuz mine and yours are on same day) in fact we are born in the same year)
may you be blessed in your blogging) blessings in your family and everywhere you go.
hugs to you, Natasha!
Oh that’s awesome! Thank you!! And a happy and blessed birthday to you as well! 🙂
Oh that’s awesome! Thank you!! And a happy and blessed birthday to you as well! 🙂
Would you recommend using a floating rack in the roaster? Or is it better to have the turkey roast in it’s juice?
Hi Nell, I don’t use a rack for this one and it works out great. The dark meat under the turkey turns out super flavorful 🙂
What a gorgeous Thanksgiving centerpiece! Well done
Thank you Sara, it was a fun recipe to make 😀.
wow, you’re right on time with marinated turkey similar way and roasting technique is the same as yours – and I am a 100 % agree with you that butter makes turkey so juicy and flavorful.
Thank you, have a wonderful Thanksgiving 😀.
This recipe looks so good! I love that it’s fuss free and no need to take up space to brine. Your video is great, you and your husband are very talented with videos! I have a few chickens (we have 3 unneeded roosters lol) that we will be soon getting rid of soon, I will try roasting one of them like this. Also, on the roasting directions, you repeated taking the turkey out of the oven to baste it twice. 😉
Oh I can’t believe I did that!! Thank for catching that Katy! I really appreciate the heads up 🙂
Natasha, i want to roast a whole chicken using this method. Do you think i should cut the ingreadients in half?
and what about baking time?
thanks.
Hi Viktoriya, I haven’t tried it with chicken but I have had a couple of readers report great results using this recipe for chicken (and also covering the chicken breast with foil). One of my readers said it took about 1 1/2 hours for a chicken, but it would really depend on the size of the chicken and I would suggest using a thermometer to check for doneness.
Whoa! Yummmmmm
Thanks Sara! 🙂
I didn’t see the video or pictures of putting together. Can you direct me to the video?
Thanks!
Hi Stacy, the video is towards the top just after the first paragraph :). Click Here for the step by step photos from the original turkey recipe.
Excited to try this recipe for this thanksgiving! 🙂 What is the difference between heavy duty foil and regular foil?
Hi Natasha, the heavy duty foil is just a thicker foil. If using regular foil, you might just do a double layer and it should work fine 🙂
This is pretty much how I cook a turkey too, and I totally agree with Karolina’s comment! Very talented lady 🙂
This is my go to easy recipe for cranberry sauce – my other half eats it out of the bowl with a spoon if I don’t watch him!
2/3 cup light soft brown sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup orange juice, fresh or from a carton
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
Tip the sugar and orange juice into a pan, then bring to the boil. Stir in the cranberries, then simmer until tender but still holding their shape – this will take about 5 mins if using frozen cranberries or 8-10 mins if using fresh. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Will keep in the fridge for 1 week.
Thank you so much for sharing your cranberry recipe!! I totally want to make it now! 🙂
Looks awesome! And for fresh cranberry sauce, here’s my simple, tangy sweet one:
About 4 cups, enough for 8 servings.
2 (12oz) bags of fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of 100% cranberry juice
1/4 cup of Triple Sec
Dissolve the sugar in the cranberry juice and Triple Sec over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and add in the cranberries. When the cranberries are soft and split open, about 20 minutes, taste for sweetness and add a little more sugar to taste. Cool, cover and refrigerate. This can be made days ahead, just don’t eat it before Thanksgiving!
Oh wow you use a Liqueur?! Sounds awesome!! Thanks for sharing that with us 🙂
Thanks Natasha. It’s a pain to try to wash off the wax from store bought oranges to get just the zest without the chemicals and it probably removes some of the orange oil too. Problem solved with Triple Sec.
That is smart! I need to get myself to the liquor store to get some and try it! What else do you use it for?
Silly question, margaritas of course! And sangria too, lol. Oh right, you meant cooking… it makes an awesome glaze component on grilled salmon, pork, peaches… stir it into whipped cream for fruit salad topping… did I already mention margaritas?
Ha ha! Thanks Greg! 🙂
I love this turkey recipe!! going to use you recipe again this year 😀, love your photography!!! you are very talented
Karolina, thank you for that wonderful compliment, I really appreciate it 😁.