This roasted turkey recipe is easy to make and so flavorful! Homemade garlic herb butter makes this turkey recipe absolutely delicious!
It’s that time of year again when we are all thinking about turkey. I know I have been planning my Thanksgiving meal for weeks! I do love cooking so Thanksgiving is a time for me to use all my favorite recipes and feed my family some amazing food.
Many people are intimidated by the idea of cooking a big Thanksgiving dinner. I can definitely help anyone who feels this way! Cooking is my specialty and I have lots of Thanksgiving tips and tricks to share. Let’s start with this easy roasted turkey recipe!
Easy Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe
There are so many different ways to make a Thanksgiving turkey. You can dry roast it, cook it in the microwave and even deep fry a turkey. I must admit that I love a perfect, juicy, classic oven roasted turkey. With all the new ways to cook a “fancy” turkey for the holidays, I still believe that the traditional way is best.
Why You’ll Love It
- Time-tested recipe. This is the best way to make Thanksgiving turkey.
- Citrus flavors. The combination of orange and cranberry are unbeatable.
- Juicy Turkey. This recipe gives you a juicy turkey every time.
- Easy to Follow. This is the perfect recipe for your first time making Thanksgiving dinner.
Tools
My oven roasted turkey recipe is something anyone can make. Here are the tools you will need to make the best thanksgiving turkey ever.
- roasting pan with a metal rack
- foil
- meat thermometer
- pastry brush
- paper towel
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
You will also need a sharp knife and cutting board to chop the herbs and spices. These simple cooking tools will help you make the best roasted turkey possible!
Ingredients
Thanksgiving food can be quite over the top. Many of us go crazy trying to put our own “new” twist on the holiday meal. But why change anything when simple, real ingredients taste so good?
My roasted turkey recipe relies on fresh herbs and spices. Here are the ingredients you will need to make this tasty garlic herb butter roasted turkey!
- thawed turkey– This recipe is great for a 9 to 12 pound turkey. It needs to be completely thawed to roast correctly.
- onion– Chopped onion adds so much flavor to the turkey.
- butter– Butter makes the turkey rich and decadent. It is a holiday, after all!
- turkey broth or water– adding liquid to the roasting pan will help keep the turkey moist as it roasts.
- garlic– Extra garlic adds extra flavor!
- sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, paprika, salt, pepper– This is my favorite blend of fall spices.
As you can see, there is nothing too fancy about the ingredients for this Thanksgiving turkey. They are classic, delicious and easy to find in every grocery store. The perfect Thanksgiving turkey is going to be so easy to make!
How to Roast a Turkey in the Oven
Once you have all your tools and ingredients together, it is time to make this amazing oven roasted turkey recipe! I promise you, it is not hard at all! If you have ever wondered how to season a turkey, I will tell you all about it now!
Here’s my easy step by step instructions on how to make the perfect Thanksgiving roasted turkey!
1. Make sure your turkey is completely thawed and then pat the skin dry with paper towel. A dry turkey will roast better.
2. Place the dried turkey on the roasting rack inside the roasting pan.
3. Mix the melted butter and garlic together then stir in the herbs.
4. Spoon about half of the herbed butter into the cavity of the turkey and add the chopped onion to the cavity as well. Stuffing the turkey with aromatics will flavor the turkey from the inside out as it cooks.
5. Spread the remaining herbed butter over the entire outside of the turkey. Use your hands or use a pastry brush to coat the turkey well.
6. Add the water or turkey broth to the bottom of the roasting pan.
7. Loosely cover the turkey with foil. This will prevent it from drying out and keep the meat nice and moist.
8. Roast the turkey until the internal temperature is 170 degrees F on a meat thermometer. This is about 14 minutes per pound of turkey. So, a 10 pound turkey will need to roast for 140 minutes or 2 hours and 20 minutes.
9. In the last 45 minutes of roasting time, remove the foil so the turkey skin can get brown and crispy.
10. Let the turkey rest before carving and then enjoy!
Seems pretty straightforward, right? It is! Just follow the recipe step by step and you will be able to make the best Thanksgiving turkey ever.
Tips and Tricks
I am all about sharing my cooking secrets and helping you make the perfect Thanksgiving meal! Here are a few tips and tricks I have picked up after making many, many Thanksgiving turkeys.
- Check the turkey cavity and make sure you pull everything out. Some turkey manufacturers will shove seasoning mixes or packets of herbs inside the turkey cavity. Take them out!! You don’t want to cook the plastic wrapped seasoning mixes by accident.
- Be sure to stuff the turkey cavity with the onion, butter and herbs. Seasonings roast really well and add a wonderful taste to every bite of turkey.
- Make sure the turkey is completely dry before you rub it with the herbed butter. The butter will not stick to a wet turkey and the seasonings will slide right off.
- Let the turkey sit in salt water overnight before you cook it. This brine will absorb into the turkey and keep it moist when cooking it the next day.
- Turkeys take a while to thaw. Be sure to move it out of your fridge and into your freezer at least two days before Thanksgiving. Set a reminder in your phone!
- If you do not have a roasting rack, make a few balls of aluminum foil and stick them under the turkey in a deep pan. As long as the turkey is not sitting on the bottom of the pan, you will have success!
Do you have a great turkey roasting tip? Leave it in the comments below! I’m always interested to hear new Thanksgiving tips and tricks.
How To Store Cooked Turkey
Store leftover cooked turkey in an airtight container. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Thanksgiving cooking shouldn’t be stressful or hard. You should be excited to make amazing food for your family and friends. This fool-proof roasted turkey recipe is classic, moist and very flavorful. It will be a big hit on your Thanksgiving table this year. Give the recipe a try, snap a picture and send it my way! I love to see the beautiful food everyone makes on this tasty holiday.
To make this oven roasted turkey even tastier, make some homemade turkey gravy to go with it it too! And then, for the perfect Thanksgiving turkey side dish, try my loaded mashed potato casserole recipe!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Try these other delicious recipes!
- Pumpkin Ground Beef Casserole
- Easy One Skillet Cheesy Rice and Beans
- Easy Chicken Divan Casserole
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
I hope you like this oven roasted turkey recipe– be sure to give it a review below!
Also don’t forget to follow Hip Mama’s Place on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
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Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Turkey Recipe
- Total Time: 5 hours
Description
This roasted turkey recipe is easy to make and so flavorful! Homemade garlic herb butter makes this turkey recipe absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
9–12 lbs. Turkey, thawed completely
1 large onion, cut into quarters
2 cups butter, salt or unsalted, room temperature
1 cup turkey broth or water
¼ cup garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sage, freshly chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, freshly chopped
1 tablespoon thyme, freshly chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
Garnish (all optional)
Orange slices
Cranberries
Extra fresh herbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Remove all the packaging and neck from the turkey. Pat turkey completely dry with paper towels.
- Place turkey on rack from the roasting pan.
- In a mixing bowl add 1 cup of butter and garlic. Mix together until combined.
- Add chopped herbs to garlic butter and stir.
- Place 1 cup of butter into the turkey cavity and quartered onion.
- Rub herbed butter all over the turkey, making sure the whole turkey is covered.
- Pour turkey broth or water into the bottom of the roasting pan. Add remaining butter in pan as well.
- Cover pan with foil and place in the oven. Cook until internal temp reached 170 degrees.
- For cooking time depending on how big your turkey is, the rule is to cook 14 minutes per pound.
- Remove foil from turkey the last 45 minutes to make sure the skin gets nice and golden brown.
- Remove turkey from the oven and let it rest 30 minutes before carving.
- Cook Time: 3 hours
A former school teacher, Jocelyn Brown created Hip Mama’s Place in 2007. Her motto for this blog is: get inspired, create and share! Jocelyn loves sharing about food and recipes, crafts, DIY projects and her random travels with her family. She also loves all things social media, but her latest obsession is Instagram.
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That garlic herb butter roasted turkey is looking quite delicious, this would be great for lunch next time at our family gathering. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
Oh wow, this looks absolutely immaculate. Got me all hungry and bothered!
I haven’t tried eating turkey before, and after reading your recipe I am willing to try it! This is fantastic and deserves more than 5-stars!
I’m allergic to garlic, but the turkey looks so yummy haha. I will share it with a friend because would find this interesting. Thank you for sharing!
The herbs in your recipe make this sound very flavorful. It is nice to try out something new for the holidays.
It’s very fancy looking. A great centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table.
I love discovering new recipes. Especially since the holidays are approaching. This is a good one to try and Im sure the family will love it.
The herb butter for this turkey sounds delish!! Can’t wait to try it.
Hhhhmmm…I haven’t eaten roasted turkey before. Now, the sound of butter roasted turkey sounds more delicious!
I’m not much of a turkey fan, but this recipe makes me want to try it!
Amazing recipe. I should try this out for Christmas, it looks pretty easy to make as well.
The skin on that turned out fantastic! The turkey looks delicious, I may have to use this recipe for ours this year.
This is the perfect turkey recipe. Just the right amount of spices and juiciness! We eat this up in my house 🙂
I love the flavors here. There are all kinds of turkey recipes out there, but for my money, you can’t beat classic butter and herb.
Ohh wow….love this & saved this recipe as I’m gonna try it this weekend. Cheer’s Siennylovesdrawing
I love this, garlic herb butter is gorgeous. I may make this for my wifey soon!
I’m mouth-watering. Just really want to have the chicken right here. It must be so so good!
I like the herb mixture for this roast, not to mention that I am a great fan of garlic. Thank you for the tips as well. I didn’t know that the turkey needed to be kept in salt water.
Oh wow. This looks so good! I’ve never tried cooking turkey before. This makes me want to try it soon!
We actually deep fry our turkey. However, this sounds delicious and I can definitely see it as a great adaptation for my roasted chicken.
Wow! This looks really delicious. Honestly, I am not really a confident cook so this recipe and your tips are very much appreciated. Super love your food styling as well. Thank you for sharing.
This is such a really yummy recipe! It looks perfect, I would love to try this!
Wow, this turkey looks just delicious. I’m still looking for some holiday recipes, hence I’m adding this one to the favorites – maybe we’ll spend Christmas together 😉
This recipe looks and sounds so awesome. I love a garlic herb butter sauce. I need to try this for Thanksgiving.
Love this. This may be the route that I go for Thanksgiving now! Thank you!
It’s my turn to make the turkey this year! Thanks for the tips
aaaaaahhhhh omg this looks so dastardly delectable yum.
thanks for the tips and tricks shared.
while we are vegetarians, i love your pics and presentation in this pic..
This looks so yummy… and so timely. I’m on turkey duty this Thanksgiving!
My son just won a turkey at his school for being the fastest in the race. I will be trying this recipe.
I tend to go for anything with garlic on it. I need to keep this in mind! I know I’d love it.
This looks so good. I’ve heard that butter really helps the taste of the turkey.
This looks amazing the skin on it looks like it turned out perfectly!
This looks absolutely delish! I am saving this recipe and checking out some others for Friendsgiving!
Now that looks like a delicious turkey! I have my tried and true thanksgiving recipe but I may need to switch it up this year!!
This turkey looks so good!
OH, MY WORD!!!!! DELISH.. We are reviewing our Thanksgiving dinner menu and started looking for new to us way to make our turkey. Can’t wait to dress up our bird with this recipe. Thank you.
Amazing flavor combination! I’ll totally be making this for Thanksgiving in the near future!
Oh my that looks like the perfect bird! Passing on to my other half for Xmas this year…
This turkey recipe looks really great. This makes me invest more in kitchen tools and try out new recipes
I have never been brave enough to make the turkey for our big feast. I would love to try this recipe though.